Notriphobia, have you ever heard of it? You’ll only find the word in an urban dictionary and used on social media. “No-trip-phobia”, the fear of not having any trips currently booked. As tomorrow is National Shop for Travel Day, I wanted to deter anyone before making a rash decision.
I can confess that I find myself in this state of mind quite often, especially throughout this last year. This June is my tenth wedding anniversary, and I really want to do something special. I have been spending lots of time researching different places to go to. In the last few weeks alone, I have come close to putting a deposit on a five-star all-inclusive resort in Riviera Maya, a deposit on the new Virgin Voyages cruise, and reserving a stay in France. Obviously, my mind is all over the place regarding this trip. Luckily I have the resources to know what is refundable and what is not. I know it will be special no matter where I go.
Even if the pandemic was not an issue, I would still deter anyone from jumping the gun and booking a segment on your own. Don’t allow Notriphobia to cloud your judgment!
In the past, we have had quite a few clients come to us and say we’ve booked so-and-so, but now we are lost on getting the rest of the trip together. By that point, they’ve lost extra benefits of the travel insurance because they didn’t purchase within the time period after the deposit. Typically it’s because they found a “good deal”. But those good deals also typically come with non-refundable deposits. Even in the middle of a pandemic, those companies will not give back your money. It’s how their business is trying to stay alive.
I’ve had one client pre-book a hotel in Europe on one of the major booking sites because it looked cute and was a great price. They came to me to piece the rest of their trip together and I exclusively used one of our on-site vendors. Our on-site vendor helps with vetting accommodations (especially the small hotels), arranging safe private transfers (with their preferred vendors), and much much more! But in this case, they were able to go a step above! When the clients arrived at the hotel that they booked on their own and hated it, they contacted the on-site (because when traveling they get his phone number), who then quickly arranged for another accommodation and had the car service come get them!
It might be easy to book something online yourself, but don’t let the fear of Notriphobia cloud your judgment. Have a discovery meeting with one of our advisors to see how our expertise and resources can assist you with having a great experience!