Confirmation
Call me stupid if you like, but I only this week realised a very very VERY fucking simple thing.
When you book accommodation somewhere, especially if you do it through a third party: trawl google for an alternative email address for the hotel / hostel, then write to them confirming the booking, giving your flight number and arrival time.
That, today, saved me so many headaches in countries where I'm disembarking from an hours long flight.
Lady in the Cook Islands wrote back to say she'd pick me up from the airport.
Girl in Auckland wrote back to say the IYHF were being dickheads, of course I could change dates without a cancellation fee.
Chap in Singapore wrote back to say they're not open at 8am - not for an other six hours, sorry - but he'd open up specially to let me store my pack if I was stuck.
Receptionist in Vietnam sent me details of the only taxi service who wouldn't try to aggressively 'persuade' me to go somewhere else.
Edit: And just now, hotel owner emails again, with apologies for the rudeness of the receptionist; may I allow them to pick me up at the airport at my convenience?
And this site, this site is good. Scrolling way way way down pages topped by bland advertisements, I find realistic reviews of places, accommodation, tranportation, tourist traps and scams, and unexpected finds; all for places ignored by most of the Rough Guide / Lonely Planet hegemony.
When you book accommodation somewhere, especially if you do it through a third party: trawl google for an alternative email address for the hotel / hostel, then write to them confirming the booking, giving your flight number and arrival time.
That, today, saved me so many headaches in countries where I'm disembarking from an hours long flight.
Lady in the Cook Islands wrote back to say she'd pick me up from the airport.
Girl in Auckland wrote back to say the IYHF were being dickheads, of course I could change dates without a cancellation fee.
Chap in Singapore wrote back to say they're not open at 8am - not for an other six hours, sorry - but he'd open up specially to let me store my pack if I was stuck.
Receptionist in Vietnam sent me details of the only taxi service who wouldn't try to aggressively 'persuade' me to go somewhere else.
Edit: And just now, hotel owner emails again, with apologies for the rudeness of the receptionist; may I allow them to pick me up at the airport at my convenience?
And this site, this site is good. Scrolling way way way down pages topped by bland advertisements, I find realistic reviews of places, accommodation, tranportation, tourist traps and scams, and unexpected finds; all for places ignored by most of the Rough Guide / Lonely Planet hegemony.
posted by Lectrice at sábado, junio 11, 2005
2 Advice:
something else which might potentially help you: chap reviewing web-based organising/calendaring/contacts-ing, etc.:
link
I already use ta-daa and gmail (over there ===>), won't be in web contact frequently enough to make backpack necessary ... but I'll have a look at Trumba, cheers.
Publicar un comentario
<< Home