<p>Nobody likes to admit they make mistakes, but when it comes to consumers booking their own travel, travel agents have seen it all.</p><p>"The most common mistakes I see are from people who booked their tickets, flights, hotels and then call to ask for assistance with other details," said Jacqui Whitt of Adios Adventure Travel in Virginia Beach, Virginia.</p><p>"These small mistakes can add up to increased costs and an ineffective use of time."</p><p>
</p><p>Whitt said that if travelers will call in advance, <a href="/news/travel-agents/how-travel-agents-help-when-plans-go-wrong.html" target="_self">agents are always willing to help</a> with advice about the best way to synchronize all the activities with their other reservations.</p><p>The most common travel mistake that Katiana Jolimeau has seen is misreading the airports or airport codes that are booked.</p><p>"Many years ago when JetBlue had just established itself in DCA's terminal A, the passenger at the counter next to me had to buy another flight ticket because he had bought his ticket for IAD (Dulles Airport) about 45 minutes away and not DCA, the airport closest to Washington, D.C." said Jolimeau of Trips Travel Agency.</p><p>When clients book their own air, dates can also become confusing.</p><p>"This is more typical with international flights arriving on different days than they departed on, crossing the international dateline and red-eyes," said April Schmitt, CEO, Divine Destination Weddings & Honeymoons in Granite Bay, California. "This seems to be very confusing for travelers. I suggest if your clients insist on <a href="/news/airlines/earn-airline-miles-and-hotel-points-with-groupon.html" target="_self">using points</a> or booking their own air, send them the flights they should book so as to minimize error."</p><p>Stacey Hartmann said that consumers make the mistake of picking the wrong travel agent.</p><p>"Many travel agents, like me, do know multiple types of travel. But some agents only sell cruises, for example, and they are not the right agents to work with on a trip to Italy," said Hartmann, owner of Enjoy Vacationing in Waunakee, Wisconsin.</p><p>"The most common mistake my clients have made is confirming a vacation based on what their friend/neighbor/aunt told them they needed to do," said Cassie Staiger Jeter of CS Travel Planners in Mandan, North Dakota. "Working with a professional will help narrow down your perfect vacation destination."</p><p>Waiting for prices to drop is also a common error.</p><p>"I've seen many clients delay making a decision to <a href="/news/hotels-and-resorts/america-s-best-fall-value-hotels.html" target="_self">lock in their vacation</a> because they think if they wait, the pricing will drop," said Hartmann. "This is especially common with cruises. Because of the increased popularity of cruises (and travel overall), that is not a good assumption and can cost you money."</p><p>When it comes to international travel, Kim DalPonte said that many travelers forget to check the expiration dates on their <a href="/news/airlines/will-you-need-a-passport-for-domestic-flights-next-year.html" target="_self">passports</a>, much less the dates at all.</p><p>"Then they have to either miss a day or two of their trip or change the dates completely," said DalPonte of Pixie Dust & Paradise Travel in Chicago, Illinois. "Many people don't look into the time of year that they plan to travel, they just set dates and book it, but if you want to see whales while in Hawaii, or the Northern Lights when you go to Alaska, you have to know what months those things happen."</p><p><span style="font-size:small"><span style="color:#222222"><span style="font-family:arial, sans-serif"><strong ms="" style="font-size:13px; color:#333333; font-family:sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, " trebuchet=""></strong><p>Lastly, travelers make the mistake of not getting <a href="/news/features/how-to-best-use-travel-insurance.html" target="_self">travel insurance</a>.</p><p>"So many people travel without insurance, and I cannot comprehend why," said DalPonte. "Why on earth would you not want to protect your investment? Accidents are not planned. If you fall and break your leg, get hurt on an excursion, get sick and end up in the hospital, you will wish you had spent the few hundred extra dollars on a travel insurance policy."</p><p>DalPonte explained that many people don't realize that their regular medical insurance is not valid, or doesn't cover much while traveling abroad: "It's just like car insurance, you hope you don't ever have to use it, but you sure are glad you had it when you did need it."</p></div>
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