Ian Alfredo Magno .
AS another school year comes to a close, photos and posts depicting graduation, recognition, and moving up ceremonies flood the social media. They say that it is not an end but a beginning. And kids would be like “yes, summer.”
Simple summer getaways or relatively longer out-of-town trips usually have a common denominator – ample time spent traveling utilizing existing modes of transportation. At times, arrangements are done with a local travel agent.
One thing about local travel agents, one must be skeptical when the package seems just so good to be true. On the other hand, when the rate is just too high, do not hop in just yet. Perhaps the following quick tips could help you save a dime or two, and maybe spare you from unsafe travel too.
When booking for a vacation, do not forget to ask for a disclosure of their cancellation policy. Some charge so high cancellation fees that one is forced to merely proceed with the travel even when it has become less conducive for one reason or another. Unreasonable extra charges are a way to steal that buck from your back-pocket.
On the other hand, if the barkada/family decides to give it a go, it would be wiser to reconfirm for yourself the accommodation arrangements made with the partner hotel. It is not an uncommon experience in an arranged tour where the client is forced to stay in a less hospital accommodation just because, accordingly, certain glitches occurred in the booking and no other place seems available since the rest are all fully booked. This is surely a good start to ruin what began as a good plan.
Upon arriving at the destination, should you wish to rent a vehicle, ascertain with the provider if they provide roadside assistance just in case something goes wrong with the vehicle unit they are renting out; and be sure to obtain their contact numbers. Worst case scenario, you might just find yourself stuck in a dusty highway, and end up paying expenses for your ride’s quick repair. What a mess that would be.
To further minimize any possibility of ruining a well-planned vacation, at least ascertain and choose only such travel agency which is accredited with the Department of Tourism vis-à-vis the Philippine Travel Agencies Association. This likewise ensures that you have recourse to a governing umbrella organization which has authority and power over the chosen provider, just in case the latter deliberately does something unacceptable. In which case, you may seek to revoke its accreditation should it refuse to compensate the unwarranted inconvenience caused.
It helps to at least know that your simple trip is after all a matter of national concern, and therefore protected by law to a certain extent.
It is a declared policy under Republic Act No. 9593, otherwise known as the Tourism Act of 2009 that “Tourism is an indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance; harnessed as an engine of socio-economic growth/cultural affirmation, to generate investment, foreign exchange, employment and to mold national pride.”
(Ian Alfredo T. Magno is a lawyer and a legal officer at Philhealth in Cagayan de Oro. E-mail: ianalfredom@gmail.com)
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