Bid adieu to travel shopping woes

Travelling requires a lot of planning, and buying a travel plan is one of the complex jobs one has to do. Can travel shopping be as simplified as shopping for clothes? With the right choices provided to the travellers, it just might be possible, says Sandeep Dwivedi, COO, InterGlobe Technology Quotient.

TT Bureau

Buying a travel plan often involves a lot of decision-making and if there’s one thing that is the most important for making decisions, it is choice, says Sandeep Dwivedi, COO, InterGlobe Technology Quotient. “To put it in simple words, if you don’t have access to ample choices, it is easy to make the wrong call or remain unsatisfied with your decision,” he adds.

The importance of choice

Dwivedi cites an example to make his point that choice matters. “For instance, you visit a clothing store and have a budget of around `5,000 to buy a jacket. You are not sure of the fabric that you want, but you do know that it should fit you well and be of a certain length. In this scenario, the sales representative’s job is to provide you with all the choices falling within or near your range and help you with making the best decisions. He/ she will show you jackets of different brands with varied fabrics, colours, and prices. You can then easily pick the jacket that fits you the best and might even shell out up to `7,000 if you really like the product. That is what usually happens. But imagine if the salesperson only showed you three or four jackets that were way above your price range. Or if he/ she asked you to choose from cheap quality ones, so that it fits your price bracket. The result would most probably be you walking out empty-handed, or unsatisfied, because you were not presented with enough options and had to take your pick from whatever was available,” he adds.

State of travel shopping

Talking about the state of travel shopping today, he shares, “There is no denying the fact that people enjoy travelling, but we all know the pain that goes behind planning a single trip. People need, and deserve, to be able to choose from many suitable options and it should not really be a tedious task. But somehow, it is. Travellers often have to consult various websites to compare deals, make bookings through different platforms, conduct research about other deals being offered, and so on. Even then, there is a high chance that they might not get access to all the options available at their disposal, which ultimately results in poor decision making.”

What can be done?

There is a one-stop solution to this problem, claims Dwivedi. “To get access to the best deals, contact your travel agent and tell him/ her to make your bookings via Travelport+. With this state-of-the-art platform, travel booking and selling is a seamless process and travel agents are equipped with the finest tools to be able to tell you about the best deals at the best prices. There is a great emphasis on customisation, so that your trip planning can be tailored according to your taste and preferences. Agents using Travelport+ are in a better position to give you options in abundance, sort your travel plans and organise them, so that all that you have to do is board a plane, or a bus, or a car, or a train, and enjoy your travel,” he concludes.