By Global Travel Worldwide
A pattern we see regularly goes something like this. A client books a holiday online — cruise, safari, long-haul trip to the USA, luxury resort in the Maldives. The booking goes through smoothly. The confirmation arrives. And then, a few days later, the questions start.
They find our number, or they’re referred to us by a friend, or they walk into the office. And they ask us things they wish someone had told them before they pressed the confirm button.
These are those questions, and these are the answers.
“Is my transfer actually included, or do I need to arrange it separately?”
Almost always, the honest answer is: check your confirmation carefully, because it depends. Online bookings frequently list transfers as optional or exclude them entirely from the headline price. Clients discover this when they land and there’s nobody waiting for them, or when they try to organise a private transfer at short notice and find the cost considerable.
We confirm every element of the logistics before you travel, including exactly what happens between the airport and your first night’s accommodation.
“The cruise ship has changed my cabin — is that normal, and what can I do?”
It happens. Cruise lines retain the right to move bookings within the same category, and clients who book guarantee cabins — often the cheapest option — have very little recourse when they’re assigned a room they didn’t want.
When we book, we discuss cabin guarantees upfront and advise whether paying a little more for a specific allocation is worth it. If a change does happen, we have the relationships with the cruise line to at least escalate the conversation.
“My flight has changed and now I miss the connection. What do I do?”
This is one of the most common calls we receive from people who haven’t booked through us — and, candidly, one of the hardest to help with, because we’re not the agent of record and we don’t have the booking reference or the leverage that comes with a direct relationship with the operator.
When you book through us, a flight change triggers an immediate review of every dependent element — hotel, transfer, onward connection — and we handle the restructuring. When you’ve booked independently, you’re doing that yourself, usually on hold to an airline.
“I didn’t realise I needed a visa for this destination — is it too late?”
It’s rarely too late, but it is frequently more stressful and more expensive than it needed to be. Visa requirements in 2026 are more varied and more changeable than they were even five years ago. Several destinations have introduced new electronic travel authorisations. Some require applications weeks in advance.
We include a visa check as standard on every booking, and we flag it early enough that it doesn’t become a problem.
“The hotel says my room type isn’t available — they’ve put me in something different.”
Room type discrepancies on arrival are more common than the industry likes to admit. A hotel may oversell certain categories, and when a client with a standard booking shows up, they may find themselves in a different room to the one they expected. Sea view versus garden view, for instance, sounds minor until you’ve paid specifically for the sea view.
We follow up with properties before departure to confirm exact allocations, particularly on luxury bookings where the room type is a significant part of the experience.
“I’m not sure whether the travel insurance I bought actually covers this trip.”
Read your policy. That’s not dismissive — it’s the only honest advice. Many clients buy an annual policy and assume it covers everything. Cruise cover is often excluded or requires a specific add-on. High-value possessions need to be declared. Medical limits vary enormously. Pre-existing conditions are frequently a complication.
We advise on appropriate cover as part of every booking. It isn’t an afterthought.
The questions above aren’t unusual. They’re the natural result of a booking process that prioritises speed and price over knowledge and detail. There’s nothing wrong with wanting both value and a smooth experience — the two aren’t mutually exclusive. But getting them together usually requires a conversation before you book, not a series of anxious calls after.
This advice comes from arranging hundreds of holidays, not from brochures.
Des Williams, Managing Director
40 years in travel | USA, Indian Ocean & Luxury Holidays
For more information call us today on 01978 350850
