Holiday to Spain

Image Courtesy: http://www.hookedoncycling.co.uk/Spain/spain.html

A Guide to being an Independent Traveller

If you have not already made travel arrangements this is the point at which you should search for the best flights/ferries/car hire to fit in with your chosen accommodation. If you have offers from two or three property owners or agents keep them open for two or three days until you have made all details final. It’s not fair to keep them waiting for longer than this to confirm, especially in high season.

Finally confirm to your chosen property owner or agent that you wish to book, confirm the date of arrival and ask how the property owner or agent wishes the deposit to be paid to confirm the reservation. you will be given plenty of time to send the deposit, unless of course you are booking at very short notice ‐ most homeowners and agents will supply you with a booking form for you to complete.

Making the Payment

The two most common ways of paying a deposit to confirm your reservation are by bank transfer or credit card. . The owners are not keen on taking foreign cheques because Spanish banks make a big charge and take a long time to clear them.

Making a payment by credit card; paying the deposit by credit card should only be done either over the phone or with a secure online site. Never send your credit card details in an ordinary email – it’s not safe. If there is no secure way to send your deposit by credit card, pay the deposit by bank transfer and the balance when you arrive by credit card. The owner or agent will understand this and they will hold your reservation while the transfer arrives, and usually check with you before they give the accommodation to someone else.

The property owner or agent should send you a confirmation that they have received your deposit by email and that your reservation is made for your dates. You should also be advised whether the outstanding balance is to be either paid on arrival or X number of days or weeks beforehand. Send them a confirmation that you have received his email and keep a copy. You should send another email before your
holiday confirming that you will be arriving as agreed.

Travelling to your accommodation

By now you will have made your reservation, booked your flights or ferry, and reserved your hire car if you need one. Don’t forget to call and check 48 hours before that your car is ready and available if you reserved it a long time in advance. Some holiday home owners will pick you up at the airport either for a small fee or even for free so it’s worth asking if you don’t want to hire a car until you get there.

It’s a good idea to plan your route to your holiday house before you leave home especially if you are arriving on a late flight.

You can check on the relevant accommodation listing on our website at www.rentallettingsinspain.com for a map showing the approximate location, but we recommend that you buy a map of the area as it will be useful for all your holiday not just for getting to your holiday accommodation. Maps are on sale in the newsagents at the airports. If you have one, don’t forget to take your sat nav with you, but ensure that you have installed European mapping.

Arriving at your accommodation

If you are delayed at the airport and are making your own way and you don’t speak Spanish, it is probably better to send the property owner or someone appointed by the owner or agent a text message by mobile rather than try to phone. They can then inform the keyholder that you are delayed. When you do arrive, make yourself known to the person waiting for you or alternatively you may have been given a phone number to call. If the property is hard to find, they will take you there. Make sure you have the instructions clear before you set off and little will go wrong. The property owner or someone appointed by the owner or agent will show you round the accommodation.

They will go out of their way to make sure you have everything you need to make you comfortable and show you where the local facilities are. If there are any problems or if there is anything you need, you should ask them now, take your time; even if you don’t understand each other’s language.

All that remains is to make sure you know the relevant contact details in case of unforeseen problems. Now relax and enjoy your holiday in Spain.

Article Courtesy:http://www.rentallettingsinspain.com
Technorati Tags: holiday to spain