Vacationstogo.com: "Please Register Below to See our Deals"
Written: Apr 04 '05 (Updated May 16 '05)
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Searching for travel on- line presents an endless list of possible merchants. In my travels, it seems like I have used most every one of these on- line vacation web services at least once. Prices are usually similar from one to the next, but service, web design, and other factors vary considerably from one site to another. One web service I have used only a couple of times but have had positive experiences with is Vacationstogo.com, a travel site that will help you complete your vacation plans.
What Does This Service Offer?:
Vacationstogo.com offers services in the following areas:
Hotels/Resorts- All- inclusive resorts, hotels, casinos, honeymoons, wedding packages, and more can be purchased in this area.
Cruises- Purchasing a cruise and/or looking of facts about different ships, ports of call, and other information is made easy in the cruising section of the site.
Escorted Tours- Tour packages can be purchased for common resort destinations like Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia, as well as for lesser- known tourist spots like Africa and South America.
Besides making purchases, this web site also serves to educate the web surfer by giving advice on specific countries and tips on topics like insurance, proper dress, age requirements, weather, maps, etc.
Payment Methods/Shipping Charges:
Vacationstogo.com accepts major credit cards for payment and debit cards provided they have the logo from a major card. The accepted cards include Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.
Customer Service:
If you need help with your vacation planning or need to inquire on an existing reservation, you can contact this web service either by e-mail or by phone. E-mail inquires should be directed to contact@vacationstogo.com. Phone calls can be made using the toll- free line, 800-338-4962 or 713-974-2121 if you live in the Houston, Texas area. The customer support line is open between the hours of 6:30am and 1am, Monday through Friday; 10am to 11pm on Saturday; and 10am to 1am on Sunday. All of these quoted times are Eastern time.
Final Thoughts:
Vacationstogo.com is a discount vacation service provider that combines the services of an on- line retailer with plenty of facts and information to make the site well- rounded and helpful to travelers. I have used this site a few times and I have booked on- line travel through it, but I had to phone- in my confirmation to complete the transaction.
What was that? What did Bryan say? He had to book the trip over the phone? The answer is yes, I did, and so will you. This is one of the more unusual features of this site. First of all, you have to establish a personal account with the site before you can look at the available deals. This isn’t uncommon among web sites, but what is unusual is that you must enter your phone number and e-mail address and then wait to be contacted about your chosen travel plans. You cannot just input your credit card number and be done with it. You have to wait for a direct contact from a customer service representative before you can finish your order. I’m not sure why the site is setup this way. Maybe they are worried about on- line credit card fraud? Maybe they feel that one- on- one conversation is the best way to ensure that your vacation trip purchase meets your expectations and no mistakes are made? These possibilities could be true, but I tend to believe that Vacationstogo.com uses this process to increase the likelihood of a sale. Once you’re on the phone and someone is talking to you, they can attempt to persuade you to make a purchase- something that cannot be done effectively on- line.
When I have spoken with vacationstogo.com personnel, they have proven to be very helpful. I also discovered that if I held out for a couple of days, they would likely call back with a better offer than before. The initial offer, when compared to other on- line travel services, was actually a little higher than average. But with patience, I was able to get the price reduced to a more reasonable level- one that was less expensive than other well- known sites like expedia.com, orbitz.com, Travelocity.com, and others.
One thing I really like about this site is the added information about your destination and/or cruise ship. With many other travel sites, all you get are the basics: the rooms offered, price levels to choose from, amenities, etc. But with vacationstogo.com, you get ratings of ships; a statistical table that gives you all the facts about a ship; information on the proper dress attire; tips on packing; and other useful advice. It is much more extensive here than in other travel sites.
Besides the inability to book vacation travel directly through the site, one other thing that could turn some people off is the appearance and layout of the site itself. The white background and lack of any enticing photos on the main pages make this web site look cheap- like something you expect from K-Mart. And the layout isn’t the best, with some of the features taking time to find, thanks to the design. Also, you will constantly see the “Please Register Below to See our Deals” message as you surf, anytime you click on a link to view dates or prices. You must register before you can continue, which could be frustrating to casual web shoppers who are only trying to engage in some quick comparison shopping.
Overall, I am satisfied with my vacationstogo.com experience. At first, I was prepared to give this service a thumbs- down rating due to the fact that you cannot make a purchase directly through the web site. But I increased my rating after making a purchase, thanks to the attentive customer service reps who were more than willing to make me a better deal and who were quick to respond to my inquiry.
After you make a purchase for vacation travel, vacationstogo.com will send you an e-mail message when your travel is complete, asking you to link into the site and devote about one minute to answering some customer support questions. I answered all of them either “met my expectations” or “exceeded my expectations”. This is a good site, with lots of good information and very good customer service. You have to get over the shock factor of not being able to book on- line. But once you do, you will find that this is a pretty good place to shop for vacation travel.
Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read More Reviews of Other Popular Travel Web Sites:
American Express Travel
Cheapairlines.com
Travelnow.com
Cheaptravel.com
Hotel Discount.com
Bestfares.com
Hotwire.com
America’s Vacation Center
Expedia.com Flights
Expedia.com Hotels
Expedia.com Cruises
Travelocity.com Flights
Travelocity.com Hotels
Priceline.com Flights
Priceline.com Hotels
Vacationspot.com
Flycheap.com
LowestFare.com
Mytravelco.com
Placestostay.com
Orbitz.com
Cheaptickets.com
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Cruise
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