Some time ago – many years ago, in fact – I wrote an article, which I included on my website about this topic. In that article I make the statement: “When you call the travel agent, or go to your online booking site, 99% of all chances to save money on travel have been lost”.

Never more so than in a recent example of what I mean by this. Over a good few weeks, one of my clients worked with me to assemble a 12 sector itinerary, for an engineer, that covered ground in the Far East, including Bangkok, Singapore and a few other places. After all this was done and dusted, a few days before he was due to depart, a request came through to assemble an itinerary for London to Port Moresby, Suva and Honararia. As you know, all Pacific rim destinations.

You all know what is coming – “Why?”

The client company had an engineer, who is already in Singapore (a jumping off point for flights to Port Moresby) yet they want to send another engineer out from London, who, in effect, can have a drink with his mate in Singapore on the way through – rather than divert the guy already out there. Apart from cost, there is an engineer who is going to have to do a cattle class 14 hour flight (just to get to Singapore) and a goodly amount thereafter (again in cattle) – and be expected to hit the ground running after a whole day of non stop travel.

As far as cost is concerned, one could say Ah! I can get a return trip to Australia for £600 (or even £700) – a good price! No, it isn’t. In this instance £1 to fly to Australia and back is too much. Why? Because a chap is already there. No matter how many agents or booking sites the client goes to, no matter how cheap or how expensive a ticket may be – the point is that the second travel “event” should not be taking place at all. Any cost, therefore, is too much.

So, planning ahead is good way to save money – and that has nothing to do with travel agents, on line off line or any other line. In this case, it was the chap running the clients engineering department who got a sharp rap on the knuckles!