On line Booking Is It A Possibility For Disabled Travelers

N obody is ambivalent about        wheelchair. After you've made      the internet. Some folks        your reservation, call the         claim it's the greatest         airline to make sure your access   thing since sliced bread, while       requests are noted.                others blame it for the downfall                                         of modern society. Regardless of      It's a pretty easy process,        your feelings about the internet,     however there is one type of       it's a great tool for travel          website you need to avoid - the    junkies. But is on-line booking a     auction or name-your-price         realistic option for                  website. These websites go by      wheelchair-users? Is it really        many different names and are       the best way to get a good deal?      promoted by scads of celebrities,  The answer is a conditional yes.      but collectively I call them       In reality there isn't a              pig-in-a-poke dot coms.            one-click method; but you can use                                        the internet to save money and to     At pig-in-the-poke dot coms you    ensure appropriate access.            enter your departure city and                                            your destination along with your   Let's start with airfares.            credit card number. Then you       Airline websites and travel           state how much you are willing to  portals are the best places to        pay for the ticket. Finally, you   book air tickets on-line if you       receive a response indicating if   have access needs. Shop around,       you bid has been accepted. Once    find the best fare, then book         your bid is accepted, your credit  on-line. Most of the major            card is immediately charged.       websites even have places on                                             their booking forms to specify        The catch is, you can't chose the  your access needs, such as            carrier, routing, aircraft or      wheelchair-assistance, accessible     even the time of day you travel.   seating or an on-board                In fact, you don't find out these  details until after your bid is       prior to the traveler's arrival.   accepted and your credit card is                                         charged. Although this process        In other words if you were to      may be acceptable for travelers       call the hotel directly to         who don't have access needs, it's     confirm your reservation (and to   a big gamble for anybody who          make sure an accessible room is    does, as these factors can            blocked for you) in most cases     determine the accessibility of        your name would not even be on     the flight. So just say no when       file. Consolidators book blocks    it comes to pig-in-the-poke dot       of accessible rooms, and specific  coms                                  rooms are not assigned to                                                travelers until the last minute.   Of course, there's a lot more to      In most cases travelers get pot    travel than just booking an           luck.                              airline ticket. It's also                                                possible to book an accessible        Worse yet, when you discover this  room on-line, but only if you         fact and realize that in all       know what websites to avoid.          likelihood you won't end up with   Hotel consolidators top the bad       an accessible room, you can't      boys list. Why?                       cancel without paying a                                                  substantial cancellation fee       Well, first off hotel                 (which of course is automatically  consolidators only treat              charged to your credit card). So   reservations for accessible rooms     basically, you pay in advance but  as requests for accessible rooms;     you aren't guaranteed anything.    however more importantly the          Not exactly a fair deal, is it?    reservations are held in the                                             consolidator's name (not the          How do you spot a hotel            traveler's name) until                consolidator? It's pretty easy.    approximately 24 to 48 hours          They all require prepayment with   a credit card and most have           a professional interface, you      pretty stiff cancellation fees.       don't have to pay the hotel                                              charges in advance.                On the other hand, many travel                                           portals offer a professional          The best way to book an            interface that enables users to       accessible room on-line is to      book accessible rooms on-line.        make a reservation directly on     The major advantage of using a        the hotel's website. Why? Because  professional interface on a           you can be assured you are         travel portal is that you deal        dealing directly with the          directly with the hotel. You          property. After you make your      request a reservation, the            reservation on-line, call the      request goes to the hotel, and        hotel and confirm the access       you get a confirmation number         details of your reservation.       back; all within a matter of                                             seconds.                              In the end if you shop around,                                           watch for sales and stay away      The downside to all this is that      from travel consolidators and      sometimes it's hard to tell a         pig-in-the-poke dot coms, you'll   travel portal with a professional     probably find some good deals      interface from a hotel                on-line. But remember, you need    consolidator just by looking at       to follow up every on-line         the on-line booking form. Both        reservation with a call to the     forms ask you for the same            hotel or airline to confirm you    information. There are however        access requests. Yes, it takes a   two big differences. One is that,     little longer, but it's the only   aside from a no-show fee, you         way to make sure your access       won't encounter a cancellation        needs are met. In reality, the     fee when using a professional         internet is great tool for         interface. And two, when you use      travelers; but remember, it's not  the only tool.                         About the Author: 101 Accessible Vacations; Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers. Visit Accessible Vacations, or her blog, Barrier Free Travels. Published At: www.Isnare.com