A couple of years ago, husband and I attended our first ever TRAVEL FAIR in SMX Convention Center in MOA, Pasay. It was definitely an effort to attend events like these - no parking space, long lines at the entrance, hundreds of people walking aimlessly at the event - but after that, we religiously attended each and every travel fair in SMX, no matter how tiring it can be.
Because, as we found out, they do give out the best travel deals, and they do have the biggest discounts that you can find. We have managed to book five start hotel packages on 50 to 60% discount and staycations on Buy1 Take1 promos. You can probably book your Honeymoon Package during a travel fair on a huge discount!
First order of business when we attend travel fairs was to go there EARLY -- like opening early on a Sunday (less traffic) so that you'll be able to find a parking spot on the parking area in front of the convention center. Once we're there, we make sure to eat heavy breakfast before looking at all the booths, and I mean ALL of them.
I'm a somewhat OC ( or organized person :)) so we go through the booths in an orderly way. We start at one end and walk along each rows making sure to check which hotels have the best offers.
Here are my tips when booking through travel fairs:
1. Contain your excitement on booking your honeymoon and do not book on your first trip around the venue! Just take note of those that really interests you and also don't forget to note what row they are as it can be very confusing!
2. Do check online before booking. Sometimes they have better or they have more freebies on their online sale than what they offer in travel fairs so don't forget to double check!
3. Do check Agoda.com - there are also instances where Agoda provides lower rates than that on the travel fair.. so better check before booking!
4. Be prepared with credit cards or cash as these promos are almost always book and buy. An ATM is available at the ground floor of SMX Convention Center, but be prepared to wait in line for this.
5. Be prepared with your honeymoon travel dates! Some of hotels/resorts only offers the promo on specific periods and some also requires you to book the dates during the travel fair.
6. I'm sure you already have a dream honeymoon destination, so it will help you if you only have a limited time in the fair. You can skip all those destinations where you're sure you won't be going to anyways...
7. BUT - even if you already have a shortlist, it does not hurt to check out other places while you're there (If you have time to spare!), as you can discover new places where you can maybe spend your next vacation on.
8. Lastly, and not everyone knows this - try to haggle freebies! I have tried this and it worked! Asked for airport transfers - yes! Asked to get free breakfast for the kids instead of paying for additional breakfast - yes! Usually the people at the event are sales officers that do have the ability to provide you freebies along with your booking - so do not be afraid to ask! It won't hurt as well to say that this is for your honeymoon, maybe they'll give you free wine, chocolates and all the romantic stuff ;)
One thing we have not tried though, is to book airfare during travel fairs - they have looooonnnggg lines and I don't think I would have the patience for it. We usually ask for the price list, and also check online, most of the time, the fare difference is negligible that there's really point in waiting in line for hours just to book a slightly cheaper airfare.
ALSO, not all travel fairs are equal! We usually go to the one set in February as this is usually the biggest one. There's also one in July and September, we have tried going there, but based on experience, we only got really good deals during the Feb event.
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