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10 travel memberships that are worth the money

November 11, 2021 // By Leila Najafi

By Leila Najafi November 11, 2021

We live in a subscription-obsessed world and there’s a subscription for everything you can imagine, from razors to clothing and even hot sauces. Travel memberships are on the rise, providing new ways to ease some of the stress that comes with traveling these days and help make the journey more seamless.

Whether you’re willing to pay a premium for exclusive travel experiences that provide a little more privacy or you're more budget-conscious and want to find the best travel deals, there’s a membership for every type of traveler. Here are 10 travel memberships that are worth considering.

Wheels Up offers private jet charter memberships so travelers can access a fleet of aircrafts, including a King Air 350i, an 8-passenger Citation Excel/XLS, and one of the fastest aircrafts, the Citation X. Wheels Up uses a dynamic pricing model offering competitive rates, so members can book flights on-demand with the flexibility to pay as they go.

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Additional m embership benefits include invites to signature events, President’s Circle status with Hertz, a complimentary trial of Inspirato Club subscription for 12 months (Core members only), certain perks at select Waldorf Astoria hotels across North America, a partnership with Delta SkyMiles, dedicated partnership rates with Porsche and more.

Membership cost: Three membership options are available – Connect, Core and Business. The Connect membership requires a one-time initiation fee of $2,995 and annual dues of $2,495 which begin on year two. The Core membership has an initiation fee of $17,500 and annual dues of $8,500 which begin on year two. The Business membership requires an initiation fee of $29,500 and $14,500 for subsequent years and includes up to six lead passengers.

Getting through airport security lines can be a drag, especially during holiday weekends and a pandemic that has increased the demand for more seclusion when traveling. PS (formerly known as Private Suite) is designed for first and business class travelers who are seeking privacy and convenience, allowing them to bypass LAX altogether.

Travelers check into a private terminal where they can relax in a fully-stocked luxury private suite that includes complimentary in-suite meals catered by h.wood Group , as well as additional services upon request such as in-suite massages, manicures and detailing services for personal cars. PS also provides a designated on-site TSA and Customs agent for expedited screening.

Upon boarding, travelers are transported across the tarmac directly to their aircraft in a BMW 7 Series sedan. Earlier this year, the Salon at PS launched, which features a new full-service lounge at the terminal for travelers who want the same benefits of PS but seek a more social experience.

Membership cost: Annual membership costs $4,500, which gives members access to a preferred rate of $3,250 for a one-way Suite experience for up to four travelers. The Salon is available to members and non-members for $695 per use per person.

Inspirato is a subscription-based luxury travel service that gives members exclusive access to over 150,000 luxury vacation homes and resorts around the world that are staffed by Inspirato. There are two membership types: Inspirato Club and Inspirato Pass. The former gives you access to the luxury residences and hotels around the world, on-site concierge and daily housekeeping with additional benefits such as late check-in and check-out, room upgrades, spa credits and more. However, members also pay nightly room rates.

With the Inspirato Pass, you automatically get the benefits of Inspirato Club plus nightly rates are already factored into the price of membership, so you can book as many vacations as possible in one month with one active reservation at a time. There is also no long-term commitment, so you can cancel the membership at any time.

Membership cost: Inspirato Club membership is $600/month plus a $600 enrollment fee and you pay nightly rates as you go. Inspirato Pass is a flat rate of $2,500/month which includes all hotel stays.

Scott’s Cheap Flights

A membership to Scott’s Cheap Flights includes flight deals and “Mistake Fares” accidentally published by airlines sent straight to your inbox. The team scours the internet for the lowest published airfare rates to popular destinations and shares them with members.

Subscribers can also track deals from a specific airport close to home or destinations of interest. A membership to Scott’s Cheap Flights is best for travelers who have flexibility on the destination and dates and are willing to fly based on low airfare rates. Flight deals don’t last long so you’ll have to act fast.

Membership cost: There are three membership tiers including Limited which is free, Premium costs $49/year and Elite $199/year.

PRIOR was started by a former travel editor who saw a gap in the market for travelers wanting a more immersive experience during their vacation. A team of experienced travel editors and local tastemakers on the ground design itineraries for curious travelers.

A PRIOR WORLD membership includes access to curated destination guides, unique local experiences in cities around the world, pre-planned group trips led by experts and for an additional fee, the team can create a custom itinerary based on your interests.

If you're a frequent traveler, PRIOR BESPOKE might be the membership better suited for you. For a flat fee per year, members get unlimited trip planning by their expert team of travel editors and membership managers.

Membership cost: PRIOR WORLD membership costs $249 per annum. PRIOR BESPOKE is $5,000 per annum.

Priority Pass

Airport terminals may have come a long way in the last decade, but killing time for a three-hour layover in a crowded airport isn’t exactly on anyone’s list of things to do, especially on vacation. Trade the busy terminals for private lounge access with Priority Pass and enjoy guaranteed Wi-Fi and snacks.

Members of Priority Pass receive access to over 1,300 airport lounges globally, including several airline lounges such as Virgin Atlantic, Air France and Turkish Airlines. Several credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express Platinum and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express offer free Priority Pass memberships as part of their member benefits.

Membership cost: Choose from three membership tiers which start at $99/year for the Standard membership plus $32 per visit and go up to $429/year for the Prestige membership which includes unlimited lounge visits.

TSA Pre-Check and Global Entry are services that allow travelers to expedite the security screening process upon departure and arrival. With CLEAR Plus, enrolled members get escorted to the front of the security line once they’ve been verified using facial recognition or fingerprint scans, so they no longer have to verify identification at security. However, for expedited clearance through security screenings, TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry are still required.

CLEAR uses biometric identifiers to create a unique ID assigned to each member that is used for verification at stations across airports, stadiums and other major venues nationwide.

Membership cost: A CLEAR Plus membership is $179 per year. American Express Platinum Card Members receive a $179 statement credit and United MileagePlus members receive a discounted membership rate.

Well Traveled

Well Traveled is a members-only social and booking platform that allows members to connect with friends to find and share travel recommendations. The community-driven platform is intended to make travel planning easier by allowing you to follow people in your network that you trust, in addition to other like-minded travelers who share similar budgets and travel preferences.

Members can also take advantage of the personalized booking service that includes perks like exclusive rates, room upgrades, food & beverage credits, complimentary breakfast and more. Currently, membership is invite-only but you can also apply to be considered.

Membership cost: $150 per year.

Travel + Leisure Club

Travel + Leisure Club is a new travel subscription service offered by Travel + Leisure Group. Members can pay a monthly fee for access to preferred pricing on curated itineraries and an average of 25% savings on hotels, resorts, car rentals and activities that are listed on Travel + Leisure GO, the online travel booking site. Plus, members get a subscription to the glossy print magazine.

Members also get access to a personal concierge that can assist with travel planning, scoring tickets to sold-out events, making dinner reservations and more.

Membership cost: Travel + Leisure Club is currently offering an introductory rate of $9.95/month.

Exclusive Resorts

Designed for families who value privacy, Exclusive Resorts is a small community of members (only 150 new members accepted each year) that get access to over 350 luxury residences around the world including the Amalfi Coast, Barcelona, Deer Valley, Kaua’i, Los Cabos, St. Barts and more.

Guests enjoy a more personalized experience with a dedicated on-site team who can assist with pre-trip planning details such as stocking the fridge with your favorite snacks, booking a massage or private chef, and housekeeping services.

Membership cost: There is a one-time, non-refundable initiation fee of $150,000 for a 10-year membership. Annual dues are $1,395/night and members travel 15-30 nights per year.

About Leila Najafi

Leila Najafi is a luxury travel writer based in LA who is a member of more subscription services than she'd like to admit.

Read more about Leila Najafi here.

Connect with Leila via: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | TikTok

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Best Online Travel Agencies

Booking.com is our top choice for making your trip arrangements

Ligaya Malones is an editor, blogger, and freelance writer specializing in food and travel. Ligaya's work has appeared in publications including Lonely Planet and BRIDES.

Planning a trip can be easier through an online travel agency than if you handle each aspect of the planning separately. You can book hotels, air travel, rental cars, and more through a single site, and booking everything together sometimes results in discounts. By inputting a destination, a range of dates, and other preferences, you will see a list of options for each aspect of travel.

The best online travel agencies offer options from the largest number of airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and more. Look for sites that offer discounts for combining reservations for different aspects of your trip. For example, the best sites will have lower rates if you book both plane tickets and a hotel through their services. The best sites also provide reviews from customers who actually have booked through the service. These are our top picks.

• Best Overall: Booking.com
• Best Budget: Skyscanner
• Best Price Predictor: Hopper
• Most Innovative: Kiwi.com
• Best for Eco-Conscious: Kind Traveler
• Best for Social Impact: I Like Local
• Best for Design-Forward Homestays: Plum Guide
• Our Top Picks
• Booking.com

Kind Traveler

I Like Local

• See More (4)

Final Verdict

Frequently asked questions, methodology, best overall : booking.com.

 Booking.com

This industry leader offers one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms on the Internet.

Lots of options to choose from

Interface is easy to use

Numerous filters to customize your search

Tricky to tell whether changes/cancellations can be made with Booking.com or the vendor directly

Booking.com was founded in 1996 and has grown into an industry leader that stands out for being one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms out there. From one website, you can compare and book accommodations, flights (including one-way and multi-city flights), sightseeing activities, and even airport taxis. The website lists more than 28 million accommodation options, from hotels, hostels, and B&Bs to vacation homes and luxury resorts—you can browse more choices per destination on Booking.com than other online travel agencies. The website also performs well on cost and typically returns lower-than-average prices for flights and hotels. 

Booking.com's interface is also easy to use. On the home page, search for a hotel by entering your chosen destination and dates. Then, use the extensive list of filters—such as price range and distance from the city center—to narrow the results down and find the best fit. You can also search for a specific hotel, or seek inspiration by clicking through options grouped by destination or property type or by topic such as the country’s best Michelin-starred hotel restaurants or the top cities for vegan travelers. The flights, car rental, and other tabs are just as intuitive. 

Best Budget : Skyscanner

 Skyscanner

You can compare prices across airlines, hotels, and car rentals.

Simple interface

Option to toggle searches between specific dates or by monthly calendars

Search Everywhere button is great for spontaneous planners

Extra clicks are required to make a final purchase

Must read fine print for changes/cancellations—may need to deal directly with the vendor

Ads on the sidebar can be distracting

Find deals on airfare, hotels, and car rentals with an aggregator site like Skyscanner , which uses a metasearch engine to compare prices from all online travel agencies and the airline, hotel, or car rental company in question. Run searches with fixed dates, opt to compare airfare prices month to month, or click “Cheapest Month.” Searches also include options for nearby airports or non-stop flights only. With hotel searches, you can choose to select only from properties with free cancellation, a cleanliness rating of 4.5/5 or higher, or 3- or 4-starred hotels only. Car rental searches include an option to select “return car to different location.”

Once you’ve found the best rate, click on the link to be redirected to the third-party site to make your booking. Feeling spontaneous? The Search Everywhere button on the homepage offers a list of the cheapest flight deals for destinations both locally and across the world—just plug in your departure airport first.

Best Price Predictor : Hopper

The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting when flights and hotel rates will be cheapest.

Color-coded system makes it easy to determine cheapest days to buy

App is easy to use

Option to track flights and receive alerts when the best time to buy arises

Some have mentioned the app functions better as a research tool than a booking tool

Unclear whether Hopper will price match if you find a cheaper flight elsewhere

Hopper is a travel app available on iOS and Android that aims to help travelers save on airfare by usng historical data and their own algorithm to predict when flights will be cheapest. Just type in where and when you’d like to fly and Hopper will present you with a color-coded pricing calendar indicating how much tickets are likely to cost. (Green is the least expensive, then yellow, orange, and red for most expensive.) Hopper will also recommend you either buy now or wait, or you can choose to watch a trip and receive notifications on the best time to buy. In addition, the app has expanded to offer hotel and car rental price predictions, too.

Some newer features since the app’s inception in 2009 include an option to freeze a price for a limited time—for an extra fee—as well as exclusive app-only discounts. Hopper is free to download, and you can choose to book directly through the app, though some users mentioned they use Hopper as more of a research tool before booking directly with the airline or hotel. The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting flight rates up to a year ahead.

Most Innovative : Kiwi.com

This metasearch engine scours the web to piece together the ideal itinerary using planes, trains, buses, and more.

Creative itineraries get you where you need to go, especially if you’ve got a multi-stop trip

Kiwi Guarantee offers rebooking or cancellation protections

Nomad option appeals to travelers with a lot of flexibility

Creative itineraries mean you may not fly out of the same airport you flew into

Kiwi Guarantee has an additional fee

Charges all-in-one fee for booking flights, trains, buses (though you can always purchase a la carte)

Travelers planning multi-city destinations and seeking a bargain, as well as those looking to take planes, trains, and automobiles to get there, might consider Kiwi . Kiwi is a metasearch engine that scours and pieces together itineraries from various airlines (even if they don’t have a codeshare agreement), considers multiple airports (even if your arrival airport is different from departure), and offers booking options, whether you’re looking at very specific dates or more general ones (up to 60 nights).

Some will find the ability to make multiple bookings for a particular trip more convenient than going at it manually several different times, though note that you must opt into the Kiwi Guarantee program to access rebooking and refund protections should your reservation change or be canceled. Kiwi’s Nomad option allows you to plug in a bunch of destinations you’d like to visit and the length of your intended stay, and the website will churn out the most affordable itineraries for review.

Best for Eco-Conscious : Kind Traveler

A give-and-get business model means booking accommodations with exclusive perks, a donation to environmental organizations, and more.

All participating hotels include a local give-back component

Exclusive savings and perks

Participating hotels are located in some of the most beautiful places in the world

Inventory is much smaller compared to other booking platforms

Some of the amenities mentioned are based on availability only

In 2022, Kind Traveler (an online trave agency focused on hotel bookings) announced an increase in environmentally and socially conscious hotels, charity donations, voluntourism opportunities, and additional perks like waived resort fees or a welcome amenity.

Unlock exclusive hotel rates and perks from participating Kind Traveler hotels with a minimum $10/night minimum donation to a local charity. For example, stay at the Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and receive up to $33 off the nightly rate and perks such as a food and beverage credit and an Earth Lab or Alchemy Bar workshop when you make a donation to Manta Trust. The organization funds coastal research to protect the island nation’s large yet fragile population of reef mantas.

Select from more than 140 participating hotels from the Hawaiian Islands to Bozeman, Montana, and the Maldives. Charities include wildlife, human rights, arts, education, and environmental preservation organizations.

Best for Social Impact : I Like Local

Choose from a host of travel experiences with the peace of mind that 100 percent of the cost goes directly to local partners.

Social impact mission woven into organization’s business model

Immersive experiences led by local guides

Range of experiences offered

May not be best fit for those seeking upscale, luxury experiences and stays

Can’t sort experiences by a list of countries (though an interactive map is available)

No experiences outside of Africa and Asia

For an online travel agency with a booking platform designed to route dollars spent directly to the communities travelers intend to visit, consider I Like Local . Visit the website to browse a host of travel experiences in countries including Indonesia, Kenya, and Cambodia. Experiences include homestays and farmstays as well as wellness and culturally oriented experiences—from cooking and cycling tours to weaving classes.

To search for an experience, select from drop-down items like travel dates and experience categories, or view a global map and click on a country to view experiences that way.

The platform got its start in 2014 and has grown to 4,000 local hosts across nearly 20 countries. As a social impact organization, 100 percent of each booking fee goes to local hosts. To date, 16,000 travelers have booked with I Like Local.

Best for Design-Forward Homestays : Plum Guide

Browse and book seriously vetted, design-forward vacation homes.

Highly curated inventory of vacation rentals across the world

Design-forward

Thorough vetting process

Does not publish guest reviews

Other platforms have homes available across more destinations

When it comes to booking a vacation home, serviced apartment, or condo, travelers are spoiled for choice. Plum Guide is an online travel agency that specializes in accommodations—though not just any home makes its directory. The company claims that each potential home listed on its site must jump through 150 hoops to be included, from internet speed and mattress and pillow quality to the showers’ water pressure and the home’s proximity to dining, shopping, and attractions.

Search by a featured collection on the website such as “ pet-friendly homes ” or “one-of-a-kind homes in Palm Springs.” Scroll to the bottom of its homepage to view its top destinations, as well as a list of all destinations where Plum Guide homes are available, including Barbados, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, the U.S., and Turkey. Note: From the top right-hand corner of the site, use the dropdown menu to select currency of choice.

As long as you know what you value most out of your travel experience—such as affordability, social impact, or luxe accommodations—there’s an online travel agency to help plan your next trip. Be sure to read the fine print, as some agencies are third-party websites and not direct vendors. If you're not sure where to start, Booking.com is your best bet for a smooth user experience and hard-to-beat offers on flights, hotels, and other travel arrangements.

What Is the Biggest Travel Agency?

Our choice for best overall, Booking.com, is known as an industry leader with listings for all major hotels, airlines, car rental companies, and more. It boasts more choices for accommodations per destination than any other site, and we found its interface to be user-friendly.

Are Online Travel Agencies Worth It?

This depends on your needs and priorities. The best online travel agencies certainly can save time by booking everything all at once. However, if you're someone who is good at haggling and enjoys the details of planning a trip, you might be able to find better deals by reaching out to hotels or other destinations and speaking to someone personally.

Is It Cheaper to Book Online Than With a Travel Agent?

Not always. A travel agent you know and trust should have the experience and connections to find deals that can match or surpass what you'll find online. Additionally, if something goes wrong, travel agents provide you with an actual person you can use as an advocate to correct the problem . But if you don't have access to a good travel agent, online sites still provide plenty of ways to streamline planning and save money .

We considered dozens of online travel agencies and narrowed down the options based on user experience, volume and quality of inventory, unique offerings and specials, and customer reviews. We also assessed travel companies’ environmentally and socially conscious policies.

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The 10 best online travel agencies in 2024

The top 10 online travel agencies.

• Booking.com
• Lastminute.com

Best online travel agencies for business travel

1. travelperk.

Main offerings and features:

• Industry-leading travel inventory
• Flexible booking with FlexiPerk
• Safety alerts with TravelCare
• Integrated travel policy & approval flows
• Centralized invoicing
• Easy & real-time expense reports
• Carbon offsetting with GreenPerk
• 24/7 fast customer support in target 15s
• VAT reclaim
• Integration with 3rd party tools , such as expense management or HR software like Expensify and BambooHR

Save time and money on your business travel with TravelPerk

2. sap concur.

• Works with some of the biggest brands
• Easy tracking and reporting of expenses for expense reports
• Many connected apps, such as Uber and Airbnb for cars and hotels
• One solution for a variety of business travel spending

Click below to compare both platforms’ features and benefits

• Ample integrations
• Award-winning mobile app
• Employee-centric travel management

Click below for a more detailed comparison between both platforms:

Best online travel agencies for leisure travel, 1. booking.com.

• Intuitive booking tool and website
• Flight + Hotel booking for easily planning trips with no cross-referencing travel websites
• Simple car rental options and taxi hire
• Available in over 40 different languages and offers over half a million properties across 207 countries
• You can book experiences in your destination city to entertain you on your travels
• Genius rewards program

• Simple interface and booking tool
• Deals when making more than one booking
• 38 different languages and offers a 24-hour, multilingual customer support service
• Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking
• Millions of reviews to help make your decision

3. Lastminute.com

• Filter hotels according to budgets, star ratings, guest ratings, board types, and more
• ATOL protection on flight + hotel bundles
• Flash sales for last-minute deals
• Payment plans to spread out the cost of travel
• Extra entertainment booking for your trips, like theatrical productions and day trips
• Gift cards for gifting travel

• Expedia rewards for hotels, cars, and more
• Experienced support
• Compare cruise lines
• Big savings when booking flights, hotels, and car rentals
• Operates in nearly 70 countries and in over 35 different languages
• Luxury travel options

• Book hotels, flights, cars, and bundles
• 24/7 support
• Lower prices on the app
• Great last-minute deals for spontaneous travel

6. Bookmundi

Best online travel agencies for flights

1. skyscanner.

• Super flexible booking filters
• Cheaper flights and hotels than other OTAs
• Price alerts for travel routes of interest
• Easy-to-use booking tool and UI
• Hundreds of location and currency options
• One-way, return, and multi-city travel options

2. Kiwi.com

• Simple flight booking tool
• Partnerships with Booking.com and Rentalcars.com
• Discover deals anywhere with the option to open up your search
• Easy-to-use app

How do online travel agencies work?

What are the advantages of booking through an online travel agency.

• Access to comparison tools
• Peer reviews to help you with your decisions
• Flexible cancellation policies
• All your travel in one place
• Local flights and deals

Rewards programs

Comparison tools, peer reviews, flexible cancellation.

Flexiperk: Cancel anytime, anywhere. Get a minimum of 80% of your money back.

One account for all of your travel needs, a local approach to global travel, wrapping up.

Make business travel simpler. Forever.

• See our platform in action . Trusted by thousands of companies worldwide, TravelPerk makes business travel simpler to manage with more flexibility, full control of spending with easy reporting, and options to offset your carbon footprint.
• Find hundreds of resources on all things business travel, from tips on traveling more sustainably, to advice on setting up a business travel policy, and managing your expenses. Our latest e-books and blog posts have you covered.
• Never miss another update. Stay in touch with us on social for the latest product releases, upcoming events, and articles fresh off the press.

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From Booking Safaris to Planning Global Vacations, Here Are the 10 Best Travel Specialists

After a year off-grid, our winning specialists are providing customized experiences from jet travel to road trips., the editors, the editors's most recent stories.

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Travel specialists have never been more essential than they are right now, with their invaluable ability to pivot, re-book and offer advice. We picked 10 standouts in the luxury field from across the world, a directory of those who embody that above-and-beyond spirit essential in the past year.

Christoper Sitwell, Cazenove + Loyd

Wilmot-Sitwell has been working in travel for more than three decades. The co-owner of a 16-person London-based agency specializes in long-haul luxury, often to far-flung sites in rural Africa and Asia. The team there spent much of 2020 canceling or postponing trips—most recently, unpicking rescheduled itineraries to the Tokyo Olympics when a ban on foreign spectators was announced.

The firm anticipated today’s conscious-travel concerns from the outset, always focusing on owner-run and locally staffed independent operations, such as preservation outfit Campfire in Zimbabwe. Cazenove + Loyd also offsets the entire carbon cost of its research recces via a partnership with CommuniTree , a 12-square-mile tropical reforestation project in Nicaragua. Clients can easily opt into this, too; anyone whose itinerary swoops through the country can visit the project and personally plant the trees.

Learn More: Here

Tanya Dalton, Managing Director UK, Greaves

Dalton leads the UK office of this India specialist outfitter, which was founded by her Mumbai-born grandfather in 1978 and later run by her mother. With generations’ worth of in-depth experience and exclusive connections at her fingertips, she arranges custom trips as luxe as they are immersive. Depending on their interests, travelers may find themselves granted entrée to private palaces, sacred religious sites and landmarked government buildings; meeting with celebrated curators, authors, artisans, jewelers, chefs or astrologers; or exploring desert wilds while staying at plush mobile camps.

Dalton’s team—45 in Delhi and Mumbai, and 15 in the UK—helped extract some 40 clients from India at the start of the pandemic, as borders closed. Now she’s helping guests plan their return. On her radar currently are safaris to spot India’s rising tiger population, top-end hotel openings in Rajasthan and a new single-suite wooden boat that’s perfect for privately cruising the Ganges, Bhagirathi and Hooghly Rivers.

Jules Maury, Scott Dunn Private

Maury runs this offshoot of the UK-based travel firm, focused entirely on bespoke itineraries. Much of her work during the pandemic involved extended stays for home-schooling families who were looking to live and work in a new locale, whether spending two and a half months at Gili Lankanfushi in the Maldives or a month in residence at Antigua’s Jumby Bay. Another guest commandeered the five-room Sheldon Chalet in Denali National Park, an ultra-secluded property accessible only by a 45-minute helicopter ride.

The SDP team follows multiple pro-social protocols when it travels and encourages clients to follow suit, including the Pack for a Purpose program, in which visitors pack requested supplies in their luggage for distribution at the destination. It’s laser-focused on ethical practices, too. Animal welfare is a priority, so providers that offer bullfighting or elephant riding are not used, and there’s a pledge that 90 percent of all operators will not provide single-use plastics to guests by the end of 2023.

Deborah Calmeyer, Roar Africa

The Zimbabwe-born Calmeyer has carved out a discrete niche as the ultimate elite safari planner, with the ability to pull off near-impossible requests, even during the pandemic. Rwanda’s government requires a negative PCR Covid-19 test for visitors, but offers only the throat-swab version at Kigali airport—a problem for one Roar Africa client, desperate to go gorilla-trekking but phobic about anything touching his throat. Calmeyer set up a protocol change, arranging for a nose swab to be administered instead.

She has offices in Nairobi, Johannesburg and Cape Town, with the HQ in New York, and Roar Africa continued to pay drivers, freelance guides and its staff even during lockdown, as governmental support in situ was scant. Roar Africa supports several social programs, including an all-women anti-poaching academy in Kenya, which has so far graduated almost 30 fully trained rangers, and underwrites a scholarship at a college of tourism in South Africa that trains women to work at local hotels and lodges.

Catherine Heald, Remote Lands

Remote Lands’ expertise centers entirely on planning ultra-luxury trips for Americans to Asia, with offices in New York and Bangkok, plus country managers in every locale.

Heald and business partner Jay Tindall try to ensure a positive impression both for their guests and by them, encouraging clients, for example, to fund the digging of a water well for a local family whenever Siem Reap in Cambodia forms part of the itinerary. Conscious of the higher carbon footprint of itineraries that span the continent, the pair deliberately minimize the number of flights, private or commercial.

Last year, a Texas couple who were planning to go solo to Asia to celebrate both his 70th birthday and their 40th wedding anniversary had to postpone, and instead Heald helped them turn their three-week, four-country trip into a reunion with their grandchildren, whom they plan to take along this November.

Beks Ndlovu, Founder of African Bush Camps

Ndlovu has maintained momentum, despite the safari industry’s devastating year. The operator and hotelier kept his entire 600-person staff employed while also unveiling Khwai Leadwood, a new high-design lodge in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. It’s the latest in his eco-conscious properties; he has rolled out 16 of them in 15 years across three countries, a remarkable achievement. Each has a light footprint, via solar farms and water recycling, while also offering direct support to surrounding communities via the company’s ABC Foundation.

Even amid the logistical and medical constraints of the past year, Ndlovu seamlessly pulled off a recent journey for 14 people to Zimbabwe via private plane. “There was a lot of juggling, but it was well worth it,” says Ndlovu, who advocates for guests to spend their tourism dollars with brands that preserve wilderness areas and empower minorities and locals. “We continue to make the effort in identifying key talent that we can support and help rise to the surface.”

Cedric Reversade, Unique Properties & Events

Luxury travel was already tilting toward villa rentals before the pandemic made the idea of privacy, and self-containment, even more appealing. The London- and Paris-based Reversade and business partner Koskas offer discreet access to the world’s best rental homes in hot spots like Saint-Tropez, Ibiza and Capri while also acting as a travel concierge.

Take the California client who had bought a piano nobile on the Grand Canal in Venice, just before the first lockdown—and for whom they managed to secure a visa even when borders were shut. They also arranged excursions in the city, like a day on Burano with the glassblowers and a night visit to San Marco. Or the polo-loving English client who ditched her Chelsea townhouse for a seafront estate in Ibiza they’d wrangled on her behalf as lockdowns loomed; she then took trips around Spain, including lunching with a retired rejoneador from whom she bought two horses to ride at her country estate.

Cari Gray, Gray & Co.

Based in Santa Monica, Calif., Canadian expat Gray runs a lean team of about 10 with a particular expertise in active luxury. Take the trip to Argentina and Uruguay which shuttled her guests between cycling spots by private jet. It was due to start just as Argentina shuttered its borders last March, so Gray’s team pivoted, re-booking the group on a similar itinerary in California within 24 hours.

She’s determined that the lavish sums spent by clients truly uplift every destination, especially in developing areas. One pair of travelers sponsored GPS collars on a research project for rescued elephants at a local animal reserve in Namibia and witnessed the process firsthand. And an always recommended pit stop in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco is one of the late Eve Branson’s projects, which employs local women making crafts. It isn’t all do-gooding, though: Gray is renowned for arranging Michelin-caliber chefs to cater alfresco at the end of a day’s hiking.

James Jayasundera, Ampersand Travel

Sri Lanka is one of the rare destinations in Asia that have managed to create a program that allows visitors to experience the country during the pandemic, and no one is a better expert to help navigate an itinerary in that new normal than Rome-raised Jayasundera and his five-person, almost two-decade-old firm. Visitors can stay in designated hotels, he explains, and even go sightseeing, as long as they remain in “bio bubbles” to protect the local populace from imported infection.

Jayasundera started early, noting the preferences of each of his 12-strong family as they traveled constantly in his childhood, and has made such attention to detail a hallmark of his commercial operation. Inclusivity is a longtime passion, with a strong presence in the LGBTQ community among both staff and clients, and efforts to use female guides where possible to offset challenges around equality.

Mark Duguid, Carrier

The 60-person, Manchester-based Carrier plans less than 5,000 trips per year, allowing it to retain a reputation for flexibility. It’s willing to change itineraries within hours of departure and never charging amending fees. Duguid and his team were well placed, then, for the challenges of last year: See the couple from the UK who seized the chance to travel when permitted during a break in lockdowns, heading impromptu to the Maldives as an add-on to a last-minute visit to Dubai. Carrier recognized the appeal of the outdoors for travelers in the last year, too, and created an exclusive trip to Octola in Finland’s Arctic Circle, a five-star private wilderness reserve where local guides hosted open-fire lunches and ran excursions on husky sleds and snowmobiles.

Duguid reports a surge in so-called revenge spending, noting that the average booking value for 2021 has risen 90 percent year over year, with clients indulging in once-in-a-lifetime trips after lockdown restrictions loosen.

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USA Tour Companies

List of usa travel companies & tour operators with 194464 reviews.

Bindlestiff Tours

• Excellent - 1,562 reviews for USA tours

Hogan was our excellent guide. We were a family of 8 ranging in age from teens to mid sixties of varying hiking ability and were all able to enjoy a wide range of activities. We paid extra for hotel accommodations and found it well worth it although, if everyone is willing to sleep in tents, you can save a lot and have basically the same adventure.

Trip of a lifetime! These guys know what they are doing. This trip was to celebrate my Mom's 90th birthday - she loves the southwest National Parks and Bindlestiff Tours absolutely hit the mark! It's a busy holiday - but you get to see so much. Our guide, John (The Boss ;-)) was phenomenal - the best! He knew so much about the areas and brought us together as a group (he has great taste in music too), but he helped make the tour so enjoyable. He made everything so easy for us just to enjoy the whole experience. We didn't have to think about transport as he drove us, we'd arrive at the national park - straight in and paid for, ideas for hikes that each group of us could realistically achieve. Lunch was provided, we just walked in and out of hotel rooms, ideas for restaurants too. Having done my own 'road trip' holidays before, this tour took so much of the organisation out of it and we enjoyed every minute. Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Arches, Monument Valley, Antelope canyon and Grand Canyon....then there were the extra visits to Route 66, sunsets and sunrises - all amazing experiences and memories!! We were so fortunate to have a lovely group of fellow travellers - ranging from teenagers to 90 and we all got along whilst doing our own thing too. This tour had travellers on their - which is something that I am considering now as it's a bit of company but you can still do your own thing. I am so grateful to all involved who helped us have such a wonderful time. Many thanks!

Southwest Adventure Tours

• Excellent - 108 reviews for USA tours

Maggy and Vassil's wonderful Magnifisent Alaska Tour with Southwest Adventure Tours! July 2024 The trip was awesome.The itinerary was very well planned. The places we visited were spectacular/you can enjoy the photos/. All of the above is due to our guide - Daniel(Dan) Sachse, He is a very experience tour guide with good driving skill. His knowledge of Alaska, its nature, history and culture made our trip wonderful. He is consummately friendly and courteous, always with a smile on his face. He created a very friendly atmosphere in our group. He was always cheerful, enthusiastic and showed great concern for the welfare of our group. A first class tour leader! Thank you, Southwest Adventure Tours and Dan for the fantastic trip!

This was my 1st solo group trip & felt safe & comfortable. The tour guide was so friendly, warm & knowledgeable! I really enjoyed my little Mighty 5 adventure!

• Excellent - 1,013 reviews for USA tours

The tour was overally amazing. I had a really fun experience and I would recommend this to anyone wanting to experience the west coast. However, the itinerary did start to fall flat from day 3. There was sooo much traveling and not enough sigh-seeing in my opinion.

If you plan on doing the Vegas and Best of the West Tour, don’t. It is basically two three day tour that has been mashed together. My tour guide for the first half of the tour (Sedona, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon and Valley of Fire) was passive aggressive and incredibly condescending. I understand she was speaking three different languages but she missed telling the English speaking people a critical piece of information, and when i told her what she did, she would not believe me and was incredibly rude to me, to the point it made me cry. The second tour guide for the last half of the trip was the same, attacking me when i made the point that i had already seen most of the things, and accusing me of not being grateful If you are an English speaking person and want to go on this trip- don’t. They cater almost exclusively to Italian people who speak no English. It will be an extremely lonely experience.

G Adventures

• Excellent - 22,568 reviews for USA tours

Exciting and enjoyable.

Great time and experience

• Excellent - 5,726 reviews for USA tours

The tour was amazing, the manager did a top notch job, it’s great for making lots of friends, such a blast. A little rushed and fast paced, but it’s better than the stress of organising your own trip. Definitely doing it again

I thought it was great and would do it again any time!

Intrepid Travel

• Excellent - 11,800 reviews for USA tours

Britt I the tour leader was obviously passionate about her work.

THis was our first touring experience and it was great. With the exception of a cancelled flight going to the tour and some miss communication in the beginning of when we would get there, it was fantastic. Our guide was great and well organized.

• Excellent - 938 reviews for USA tours

The tour guide gave conflicting information to different people which caused us to have to take an Uber from our hotel to the restaurant for dinner and then the bus (that was at the hotel) proceeded to take others from the hotel to the restaurant.

This is a trip of a lifetime ! We travelled from New York to Los Angeles and had a ball. This country has so much going for it! So much to see! The coach was brilliant, comfortable and fully air conditioned. Tour director Jon and driver Sam were exceptional, knowledgeable and helpful. Anybody looking to see America, we would recommend this tour. Lots of free time with special places like the Elvis experience and the hotels were brilliant! We will be back for another USA tour in the next couple of years! can’t wait!

BrushBuck Wildlife Tours

• Excellent - 24 reviews for USA tours

Neil our guide was amazing, my husband and I had a great time.

Ronnie and I loved the tour. Our guide Rachel, was extremely professional in her work. Full of knowledge about different animals as well as some history lessons. It took me a while, but they are called bison , not buffalo. ? But what really blew my mind, was her keen eye on the landscape as she was driving. She could spot animals very well, and gave us many opportunities to take photos and look through the high powered scope. Rachel is surely a people person, jumping right in there to become friends with strangers, laughing and carrying on with us. Even when we were all getting excited about stopping to see the two grizzly bears mating, questions being tossed at her. She was calm and gave answers and instructions like a mother with her children. ?? Not that we’d tell our young kids what was going on. They were the hugging bears. ?? It pays to ask someone on the road what they are looking at, and that video Rachel captured is priceless. Guys, pay attention! ? She was a very safe driver as we encountered many elements of weather. She also sent us pictures and videos from her scope of the many, many, animals we saw. I would highly recommend this tour, it’s worth every penny. The hotels were awesome and cute, especially in Cooke City Montana. It was as if we were going back to the early days. The restaurants were good and Rachel even recommended good eats. Met some wonderful people and will always cherish this trip, as we witnessed God’s creation. Thanks again. Ronnie and Mary Jane from Wharton Texas. See y’all. ?

Insight Vacations

• Excellent - 652 reviews for USA tours

The 40 seat luxury coach broke down at the end of day 1 of our 9 day Insight Vacations Wonders of the American West coach tour in May. It was replaced for the rest of our tour by a 56 seater coach with significantly less legroom, and seatbelts that didn’t have the side adjuster that enables you to stop the belt rubbing into your neck if you’re a certain body shape. For us, the reason for choosing Insight was their luxury coach, so every day on the 56 seater was a reminder that (to use a flying analogy) we had paid for business class and were getting economy class. We had booked through a travel agent because we’d read the online reviews warning of Insight’s poor communication. The travel agent Freedom Destinations, who supported us, put forward our complaint to Insight. Insight sympathised but cited their terms and conditions that don’t require them to replace the luxury coach with one of the same quality. To an extent I understand that they need to cover themselves for an instance where a luxury replacement isn’t available on the day of the breakdown, but not to provide one at any stage of the remainder of our tour feels like either poor contingency planning or cost-saving. Insight refused our request for a cash payment as compensation. Instead they offered a discount voucher for use on a future trip. We declined the voucher as we do not believe it to be fair to only offer compensation that is dependent upon customers re-using a service, and our faith in their organisation and their coach suppliers Holiday Motor Coach has been broken. Such a shame, because the sights on the trip were wonderful, as were the people we travelled with. 1 star to highlight the risks associated with a breakdown to other potential customers for whom the luxury coach is important.

Overall it was a good experience. Excellent tour director and driver. The food was inconsistent as to quality and service. The lodgings were fine for the type of trip. Too much time was spent at Monument Valley/Mystery valley and not enough time at Grand Canyon.

• Excellent - 1,966 reviews for USA tours

Would like to have walked down the main street of Chinatown. We're very disappointed in the side street we walked on. If you are going to offer snacks, please make sure all can participate. Found it a little offensive that even after the second day of not being able to receive a snack, all the same snacks were continually offered.

Extraordinary experience!!!! I’ll never forget!! Thank you so much for this great opportunity.

Bamba Travel

• Good - 1,697 reviews for USA tours

The itinerary provided by tour radar was not exactly how the tour was set up. One of our stops said we would be doing a cruise on lake Powell. That was not provided with the tour. Also the hotels that they said we would be staying at did not line up.

Overall, the tour was very fun and we'll put together. The tour guides were all friendly, and seemed to work well as a team. Accomodations were not bad, but there were better options directly adjacent. Food options were pretty much all fast food, which makes sense for the tour concept. However, dinner options could have been a bit better. We really would have appreciated a little more hiking and exploring time, and a couple of the guides did the best to accommodate that. However, 20 minute stops are just not enough time to get "out and experience" the areas.

Europamundo

• Good - 4,378 reviews for USA tours

On the first leg from Chicago to Niagara Falls, we had an excellent travel companion in a modern Mercedes coach. Later we continued from Niagara Falls to New York, Philadelphia and Washington. The now large coaches were regularly too cold, so that the passengers sometimes had to "warm" themselves with jackets and long pants. One major drawback, however, was that there was no WiFi available from Niagara Falls onwards. That is actually a shame. Nevertheless, all the tour guides made a great effort. The hotels were also "okay" to "good". Thank you very much for this trip, we met very nice people from all over the world.

Wonderful tour! Highly recommend

• Excellent - 19,705 reviews for USA tours

Amazing venues with the best tour guide!

This is a long overdue review and I don’t know why I didn’t take the time to write this before. This Ontario and French Canada tour with Susan was amazing. Everything was well organized and enough time were spent at each attraction. Totally have no complaints!

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Trip on balance was a positive experience and I would do it again. The key negative was the Golden Nugget hotel which added nothing positive to the trip. The hotel was past its prime, and was too busy and loud. The rest of the accommodations were good.

Good time with lots of riding in the van going to interesting places

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My Travel Secret For Not Overpacking? The 10-$10 Rule

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When traveling, packing less makes it easier to experience more. When you’re not weighed down by bulky bags, you have more freedom to jump on public transit or walk long distances without tiring. You’ll have fewer worries about repacking or losing items. With carry-ons only, you’ll avoid checked bag fees , waiting at the luggage carousel and the risk of lost luggage .

If you travel backpack-only, you'll be forced me to leave even more at home than you otherwise would with a full suitcase. It means sacrificing just-in-case items.

And that’s where my 10-$10 rule comes in.

What is the 10-$10 rule?

The 10-$10 rule is a packing strategy that helps you decide what to bring and what to leave behind. The premise is straightforward: If you can acquire a just-in-case item upon arrival for less than $10 and within 10 minutes, don’t pack it.

For cheap, small items that you’ll absolutely use — say a toothbrush, deodorant or underwear — pack them regardless. But for large or just-in-case items, buy them upon arrival, granted they cost less than about $10 and are easily purchasable within 10 minutes.

Under the 10-$10 rule, items you generally shouldn’t pack include:

Books (perhaps pack one, but will you really read that second one?).

First-aid kits.

Over-the-counter medications that you only sometimes use (e.g. antacid tablets or ibuprofen).

Weather-contingent items like ponchos and umbrellas (particularly if it’s not even rainy season).

Of course, the 10 minutes is key. There probably aren't drugstores in the wilderness, in which case packing something like a first-aid kit for a camping trip can make sense.

I’ve come up with this rule over the years of traveling carry-on only , and then progressing to backpack-only. When all your possessions are on your back, overpacking is not just unnecessary weight, but it makes it especially tough to sift through the items you really need.

Make the 10-$10 rule your own

The 10-$10 is more of a guideline than a rigid, one-size-fits-all rule. Embrace its spirit, and adjust the timing and dollar figure to your liking. Factors you consider might include:

A single, able-bodied adult might easily pop into a store and make a quick purchase. Others who are less mobile, or families with kids, might find that a single convenience store run exceeds 10 minutes, in which case packing more from home makes sense.

I sometimes make exceptions for an item’s size depending on the likelihood of using it.

Antihistamine cream is small and easy to pack, but I’ll never know whether I need it for a bug bite until it happens. Though such an item might never get used, I’ll more likely use it on a lakefront vacation in Florida than a trip in downtown Denver, where high elevations make it relatively bug-free.

Meanwhile, bulky items like beach towels never make the cut.

For budget-conscious travelers who can’t afford inflated hotel gift shop prices, the $10 threshold might be too high. Adjust it according to the flexibility of your budget.

As my own savings account has grown, I’m more willing to push the $10 rule higher. But in my younger years, my $10 rule was more like a $3 rule. Back then, I was more likely to pack a just-in-case umbrella, because the thought of forking over cash amidst a downpour felt wasteful. These days, I’m usually willing to gamble that it won’t rain.

Your own flexibility

If you’re picky, realize that it might take more than 10 minutes to find the item you want, in which case the 10-$10 rule doesn’t apply. I’m generally okay using any sort of skincare products. But if you demand a specific brand, pack your own.

And in some situations, like traveling with babies, taking 10 minutes to track down something like diaper cream might not be worth it when you could have packed it from home. The 10-$10 rule isn’t for you.

Items that make the 10-$10 cut on one trip might not on another. In New York City, where there’s no shortage of retailers, I’m more willing to underpack. That’s less often the case on trips to small towns or national parks where storefronts are limited.

Don’t overpack, but don’t overshop either

It’s usually okay to spend a little more than you would to buy the same things at home. I don’t mind paying the markup for sunscreen sold on the beach versus dealing with checked luggage to pack sunscreen from home.

On the other hand, watch out for wasteful spending. Once you’ve found a cheap souvenir stall, it can be tempting to buy anything under $10 — like fanny packs, sunglasses and hats. Don’t overlook the minimalist spirit of the 10-$10 rule, which is not only packing what you absolutely need — but also only buying what you absolutely need.

Benefits of the 10-$10 rule

Packing light taught me that I often don’t even need stuff I thought I did.

Hotels often supply items you might’ve packed anyway

Many hotels these days are tightening up on the free toiletries left on your bathroom counter, presumably to mitigate waste. But often, hotels still offer those freebies — you just have to ask.

On a recent stay at the Hotel Virginia Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, Calif., the lobby attendant gave me complimentary toiletries like toothpaste and razors. I was delighted by the complimentary sunscreen at the Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani in Honolulu.

Even at Disneyland, I’ve picked up free bandages for my blistered feet at a first aid station in the park.

Most hotels and vacation rentals provide irons, hairdryers and towels, so definitely don’t pack those bulky items. Some also offer items like robes and umbrellas.

You net a great souvenir

On a trip to Thailand, I intentionally under-packed. Buying a sundress, shirts, sandals and floppy hat from vendors who lined the beach was all part of the experience. Plus, they’re functional souvenirs that I truly love.

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Tyumen city, Russia

The capital city of Tyumen oblast .

Tyumen - Overview

Tyumen is a city in Russia located in the south of Western Siberia, about 2,100 east of Moscow, the administrative center of Tyumen Oblast. Founded in 1586, Tyumen became the first Russian town in Siberia.

The population of Tyumen is about 828,600 (2022), the area - 698 sq. km.

The phone code is +7 3452, the postal codes - 625000-625062.

Tyumen city flag

Tyumen city coat of arms.

Tyumen city map, Russia

Tyumen city latest news and posts from our blog:.

5 May, 2024 / Tobolsk - One of the Most Beautiful Cities in Siberia .

11 December, 2018 / Tobolsk - the view from above .

5 November, 2018 / Tyumen - the First Russian City in Siberia .

21 June, 2018 / Photos of Tobolsk in 1912 and 2018 .

13 May, 2018 / Nenets Reindeer Herders of Yamal .

More posts..

News, notes and thoughts:

2 April, 2012   / Passenger plane ATR 72 crashed this morning in Tyumen airport Roshchino. It was carrying out the flight from Tyumen to Surgut. There were 43 people on board of the aircraft: 31 died, 12 were hospitalized with burns and severe injuries. Our condolences to the families and friends of the dead and injured.

History of Tyumen

Foundation of tyumen.

In the 13th-16th centuries, on the banks of the Tyumenka River, there was the capital of the Tyumen Khanate - Chingi-Tura. The construction of the Russian fortified settlement of Tyumen began near the remains of Chingi-Tura in the summer of 1586, during the conquest of Siberia by the Russians.

In the Russian chronicles of the 16th century, the Tyumen Khanate was called “Great Tyumen”. “Tumen” (“tyumyan”) in Turkic languages means “lower reaches of the river”, “lowland”. The same word also means a military unit 10 thousand people strong.

Tyumen was founded as an outpost for the conquest and development of Siberia and the Far East on the old caravan road from Central Asia to the Volga region. Waterways connected Tyumen with the lands of the Far North and East. The original population of Tyumen, as a frontier town, consisted of boyars (Russian nobility), streltsy (Russian firearm infantry), and Cossacks. In 1616, the Trinity Monastery was founded in Tyumen by the monk Nifont.

In the first years after its foundation, Tyumen was subjected to attacks by Tatars and Kalmyks. Over time, with the disappearance of the military threat, crafts became the primary occupation of the townspeople (blacksmithing, bell-making, soap-making, and tanning).

More Historical Facts…

Tyumen in the 17th-19th centuries

One century after its foundation, about 2 thousand people lived in Tyumen. In 1695, a fire broke out, as a result of which the wooden town burned down. After that, stone construction began in Tyumen. Of the stone structures of that time, the complex of buildings of the Trinity Monastery has been preserved.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Tyumen was a major transit point for trade; trade routes from China and all of Siberia to the center of Russia passed through the town. Tyumen was famous for the production of furniture and other wood products. In 1763, 6,593 people lived here, of whom 317 were artisans.

In the 19th century, simultaneously with the decline of Tobolsk, rapid growth began in Tyumen. In 1836, the first steamer in Siberia was launched in Tyumen. It became one of the largest river shipbuilding bases in the Russian Empire. In 1885, the Yekaterinburg-Tyumen railway was put into operation. At the end of the century, the cargo turnover of the Tyumen port reached 230 thousand tons per year, and the port itself was called “the gateway to Siberia”.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the number of residents of Tyumen reached 30 thousand and exceeded the population of Tobolsk. In Tyumen, there were 117 factories, including 3 shipyards, 2 steam mills, 70 tanneries, and other enterprises. In 1913, the Tyumen-Omsk railway connected the city with the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Tyumen in the 20th century and beyond

From 1923 to 1934, Tyumen was the center of the Tyumen District within Ural Oblast. On January 17, 1934, this huge region was divided into three oblasts - Sverdlovsk Oblast with the center in Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg), Chelyabinsk Oblast with the center in Chelyabinsk, and Ob-Irtysh Oblast with the center in Tyumen. From December 7, 1935 to August 14, 1944, Tyumen was part of Omsk Oblast. In 1939, the population of Tyumen was 79,205 people.

During the Second World War, the industrial potential of Tyumen increased significantly due to the enterprises evacuated from the European part of the USSR. In total, 22 evacuated enterprises were operating in the city, producing armored boats, mortars, motorcycles, electrical equipment for tanks, shells, mines, short fur coats, felt boots, and food. About 20 thousand residents of Tyumen fought at the front.

On August 14, 1944, Tyumen Oblast was formed - the largest region in the country in terms of area. The distance from the southernmost point of the region to the northernmost point was 2,100 km, and from west to east - 1,400 km. Tyumen became the administrative center of this new region.

In the 1960s, large deposits of oil and natural gas were discovered in the north of the Tyumen region, which became a new page in the history of Tyumen. In 1966, the construction of the Tyumen - Tobolsk - Surgut - Nizhnevartovsk railway began. A lot of enterprises of the city began to work for the oil and natural gas extraction industry.

Tyumen became the starting point and transshipment point for the delivery of goods to the North. New specialized enterprises, design institutes, and higher educational institutions were opened in the city. From 1959 to 1979, the population of Tyumen doubled - from 150 to 359 thousand people.

Tyumen Oblast became the country’s main oil and natural gas energy base. By the end of the 1980s, about 400 million tons of oil and 574 billion cubic meters of natural gas were annually produced here. In 1989, the population of Tyumen was 476,869 people.

In the 2010s, Tyumen was significantly transformed: new micro-districts, roads, bridges were built, streets were expanded. In 2015, the 700 thousandth inhabitant of the city was born. In 2020, the population of Tyumen exceeded 800 thousand people. In today’s Russia Tyumen is one of the fastest growing cities.

Streets of Tyumen

Summer in Tyumen

Author: O.Frolov

Apartment house in Tyumen

Author: Nesmachnykh Konstantin

Spring in Tyumen

Author: Shatalov Vladimir

Tyumen - Features

Tyumen is located in the south of Western Siberia, in the Asian part of Russia, on both banks of the Tura, the left tributary of the Tobol River. Tyumen is a large industrial city, the oil and natural gas capital of Russia, as the administrative center of the largest oil and natural gas producing region. The City Day of Tyumen is celebrated on the last Saturday of July.

The climate in Tyumen is transitional from moderately continental to sharply continental. The average temperature in January is minus 15 degrees Celsius, in July - plus 18.8 degrees Celsius. The warm period lasts only 3-4 months here. The longest seasons are autumn and spring. The weather in the city can change quickly, in the morning it is sunny and warm, and in the evening it is snowy and frosty.

Today’s coat of arms of Tyumen is generally very similar to the historical coat of arms approved in 1785. The image of a wooden river boat, according to the historical description, means that “from this town begins sailing along the rivers of all Siberia.”

The Trans-Siberian Railway “Moscow - Vladivostok” passes through Tyumen. At present, it is the only transcontinental railway that completely passes through the territory of Russia. It is adjoined by the Tyumen - Novy Urengoy railway line, which serves the transportation of the northern regions. The main feature of the Tyumen transport hub is that it is the only point of connection to the all-Russian transport network of the main transport communications of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

The main air gateway to Tyumen is the international airport “Roshchino” named after D. I. Mendeleev. Located about 13 km west of Tyumen, this airport offers regular flights to such cities as Kaliningrad, Krasnodar, Moscow, Nizhnevartovsk, Novy Urengoy, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Salekhard, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Surgut, Ufa, Khanty-Mansiysk, and a number of others.

Oil and natural gas of the Tyumen region contributed to the rapid growth of scientific organizations in the city. In total, several dozen research and design institutes are located here. Fundamental science is represented by the Institute of the Earth’s Cryosphere and the Institute for the Problems of the Development of the North. Applied science is focused on the needs of the oil and natural gas industry. Thousands of students study in 15 higher education institutions.

The beautiful wooden architecture of Tyumen should be noted separately. The unique carved decoration of the Tyumen buildings of the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries uses the traditions of Russian decorative art, folk motives, as well as creatively reworked artistic techniques of the Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism, and partly Art Nouveau. Often, styles are combined, complemented by local motifs, forming a unique look of wooden architecture, characteristic only of Tyumen.

There are 17 federal cultural heritage sites in Tyumen. Among the specially protected natural areas in the city are the Botanical collection of the biological faculty of Tyumen State University (3 hectares), as well as the regional natural monuments Forest Park named after Yu.A. Gagarin (105 hectares) and the Zatyumensky Forest Park (77 hectares). In the vicinity of Tyumen there are about five hot (37-50 degrees Celsius) geothermal springs.

Interesting facts from the history of Tyumen during World War II

During the war, the body of V. I. Lenin was evacuated from Moscow to Tyumen; the functions of the mausoleum were temporarily performed by the building of the current Tyumen State Agricultural Academy.

In 1942, a single copy of a winged tank was built in Tyumen. Developed by aircraft designer Antonov from 1941 to 1943, it was a T-60 tank loaded on a glider (“Wings of a Tank”).

In February 1944, for two weeks, the Tyumen militia were catching cats in the city to send them to the Hermitage (Leningrad), where during the blockade numerous rodents bred, posing a threat to works of art. 238 cats were sent to the northern capital of Russia and gave rise to a new population of Leningrad cats.

Main Attractions of Tyumen

Embankment of the Tura River - one of the main walking areas of Tyumen. It is especially pleasant to walk here in the summer heat. The length of the embankment is 4 km. It runs along the right bank of the Tura River in the central part of the city. The four levels of the embankment have a total height of 24 meters. City holidays, festivals, concerts, etc. are held here.

At night, the Tyumen embankment looks especially beautiful, thanks to the illumination of the Lovers’ Bridge (a cable-stayed pedestrian bridge, where newlyweds come after the solemn registration of marriage). There are cafes and restaurants within walking distance from the embankment. The Tura River is navigable, so you can look at the Tyumen embankment from the water during a boat trip.

Tsvetnoy Boulevard - a pedestrian street 800 meters long, passing through the center of Tyumen between Ordzhonikidze and Pervomayskaya streets. It is a very popular place for recreation and walking among locals and tourists. In summer, city celebrations, concerts, and festivals take place here, in winter they organize an ice town with slides, ice sculptures, and bright lighting. Along the street there are cafes, shopping centers, a movie theater, a sports complex, and a circus. On one of the squares there is the fountain “Four Seasons” with a picturesque stained glass dome.

There are a lot of sculptures on the boulevard, the characters most beloved by the locals - clowns Nikulin, Karandash, and Oleg Popov - can be found near the Tyumen circus. The name “Tsvetnoy” was coined by analogy with Tsvetnoy Boulevard in Moscow, because a circus is also located on it. In the amusement park, you can enjoy a beautiful view of Tyumen from the Ferris wheel.

Siberian Cats Square - a unique place of its kind, often included in the lists of the most original sights of Tyumen. In 2008, on this then unnamed alley, 12 cast-iron gilded figures of cats were installed, sitting in different poses on stone pedestals.

This was done in memory of the fact that during the Second World War, after the blockade of Leningrad was broken, about 5 thousand cats were sent to the city from different places of the country to catch numerous rats. By that time, there were no cats in Leningrad, they were all eaten. 238 cats were taken from Tyumen to the northern capital specifically to protect the priceless storage facilities of the Hermitage and other Leningrad palaces and museums. Pervomayskaya Street, 11.

Tyumen Regional Museum of Fine Arts - one of the best art museums beyond the Urals. The exposition includes a unique collection of Russian portrait painting of the 18th - early 20th centuries, paintings created by Western European artists of the 17th-19th centuries, as well as art works by Soviet and contemporary artists and sculptors. Decorative and applied art is represented by porcelain from the Imperial Factory, a collection of Tobolsk carved bones, clay toys, and much more. Sovetskaya Street, 63.

Museum of Local Lore “The City Duma” - a museum located in the very center of the city, not far from the embankment and the Lovers’ Bridge, in a building that is an architectural monument (the first civil stone building in Tyumen, built in 1828-1834). Previously, the City Duma and the Tyumen archive were located here. Today, here you can see ethnographic, archaeological, natural science collections, as well as objects of handicrafts and decorative and applied arts. Lenina Street, 2.

Holy Trinity Monastery - a majestic religious monument with gilded domes and laconic white facades located on the bank of the Tura River, an architectural monument of federal significance. This is one of the oldest monasteries in Siberia, founded in 1616.

Today, it is one of the most famous and popular architectural religious complexes throughout Siberia. It is advisable for tourists to dress according to the weather, comfortable and not provocative, in accordance with the rules of the Russian Orthodox Church (women must have a skirt, as well as a scarf covering their heads). Kommunisticheskaya Street, 10.

Church of the Exaltation of the Cross (1774-1791) - one of the most famous architectural landmarks of Tyumen, built in the Baroque style. Lunacharsky Street, 1.

Church of the Savior (1796-1819) - one of the oldest and most expressive churches in Tyumen, an architectural monument of federal significance. This building combines in its architecture the Siberian Baroque of the late 18th century and the Russian style of the early 20th century. Chelyuskintsev Street, 44.

Znamensky Cathedral (1786-1801) - the main church in Tyumen built in the Siberian Baroque style. This majestic, snow-white building with an abundance of blue and gilded details looks incredibly sophisticated. Semakova Street, 13.

Gilevskaya Grove - a picturesque forest park with almost 80 hectares of dense forest, a river, and a lake, one of the most favorite places for recreation and walks in Tyumen. On the territory there are scooter and bicycle rental, asphalt paths for jogging and cycling, gazebos for picnic and barbecue, etc. Gilevskaya Roshcha, 1

Hot springs “Verkhniy Bor” - a recreation center located about 15 km from Tyumen. Here you can swim in pools both in summer and in winter, when it is minus 30 degrees Celsius outside. The water temperature reaches plus 40 degrees Celsius. Bathing in healing hot waters has a positive effect on human health. A visit to “Verkhny Bor” is recommended for people with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

Monument to Grigory Rasputin - an art object located in the heart of Tyumen, in Aptekarskiy Garden, near the city Perinatal Center. Grigory Rasputin (1869-1916) is a highly controversial personality in Russian history known for his friendship with the family of the last Russian emperor Nicholas II. They believed that he had the talents of perspicacity and healing. This gave Rasputin the opportunity to exert a great influence on the administration of the Russian Empire in the last years of its existence.

This monument was erected here for a reason. In the summer of 1914, Rasputin was taken to a hospital located near the garden with a knife wound to the abdominal cavity. He was brought from afar, from his native village of Pokrovskoye. Later, for some time, Rasputin worked here as a medical orderly.

The sculpture is a full-length image of Rasputin - a tall man with a thick beard. He is dressed in the so-called “Siberian coat” - a traditional Russian caftan. The left hand rests on a Viennese chair - an exact copy of the original chair from the Rasputin Museum located in the village of Pokrovskoye. There are city legends about this monument. It is said that men, by sitting down on this chair, can be cured of their illnesses, as well as get a career progression. Daudel’naya Street, 7.

Grigory Rasputin Museum . This museum is located in the village of Pokrovskoye (Sovetskaya Street, 79), about 80 km from Tyumen, if you drive in the direction of Tobolsk. A lot of secrets, mysteries, and hoaxes are associated with the name of Rasputin. Therefore, visiting this museum will be interesting for those who are interested in Russian history.

The museum was created thanks to the enthusiasm of fellow villagers of Rasputin in 1990. They collected things and documents related to his personality and family. It was the first private museum in the USSR. The building of the museum is not much different from the rest of the village houses on this street, but this is not the original house in which the Rasputin family lived, but a reconstructed one. The original one was demolished in 1980. Every Saturday and Sunday, at 11:00 am, a two-hour excursion is held.

Tyumen city of Russia photos

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Circus in Tyumen

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Monument to Lenin in Tyumen

Modern architecture in Tyumen

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Pictures of Tyumen

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Tyumen Drama Theater

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Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance,   2024

     Today, we honor the brave Americans who met the terror of September 11 with extraordinary acts of courage and sacrifice.  In our darkest hour — when terrorists believed they could bring our country to its knees — those Americans proved that our Nation’s unbreakable spirit would prevail.      In the moments, days, and years after the attacks on September 11, heroes were forged.  Firefighters, police officers, and first responders ran into the inferno of jet fuel and debris at Ground Zero, risking their own lives to save the lives of others.  Service members and civilians rushed into the fiery breach at the Pentagon again and again to rescue their colleagues.  The patriotic passengers of Flight 93 made the ultimate sacrifice to prevent their plane from being used to take more innocent souls.  And in big cities, rural towns, suburbs, and Tribal communities, hundreds of thousands of American hands went up — ready to serve our Nation in uniform.       We owe these patriots of the 9/11 Generation a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay.  They were deployed to Afghanistan to make sure the United States would not be attacked again.  They served in Iraq and other war zones to defend our democracy and deny terrorists safe haven.  They followed Osama bin Laden to the ends of the Earth and ultimately sent him to the gates of hell.  And 2 years ago, we made sure his deputy met the same fate.      The First Lady and I hold all those whose loved ones gave their last full measure of devotion in this fight close in our hearts.  And we will never stop working to fulfill our country’s sacred obligation to them and every military and veteran family, caregiver, and survivor:  to properly prepare and equip those we send into harm’s way and to care for them and their families when they return home — and when they do not.      Over the last 23 years, what was destroyed, we have repaired.  What was threatened, we have fortified.  What was attacked — the indomitable American spirit — prevailed.  That is who we are.  That is the soul of our Nation.  There is nothing we cannot accomplish when we defend with all our hearts that which makes us unique in the world:  our democracy.  That is what the heroes and patriots of 9/11 did.  And that is what we must all continue to do today.        To observe this day with service, find opportunities to volunteer in your community at americorps.gov/911-day.      By a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-89), the Congress has designated September 11 of each year as “Patriot Day,” and by Public Law 111-13, approved April 21, 2009, the Congress has requested the observance of September 11 as an annually recognized “National Day of Service and Remembrance.”      NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2024, as Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance.  I call upon all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States to display the flag of the United States at half-staff on Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance in honor of the individuals who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.  I invite the Governors of the United States and its Territories and interested organizations and individuals to join in this observance.  I call upon the people of the United States to participate in community service in honor of those our Nation lost, to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, including remembrance services, and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to honor the innocent victims who perished as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.    

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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Applying with a Disability

Expand the boxes on this page to see how much you need to pay for a passport, and what types of payment to use. You can also  use our fee calculator  to figure out the cost of your passport. The fees you pay depend on:

• If you want a passport book, passport card, or both documents
• How fast you need your passport, and 
• Where you apply

What fees should I pay?

I'm applying for the first time as an adult (16 and older).

You will need to pay both an application fee and an acceptance fee. Pay the acceptance fee to the facility which takes your application, and the application fee to the U.S. Department of State.

Our Apply in Person page has more information on how to submit your application.

I'm an adult (16 and older) and I'm renewing my passport

Pay an application fee to the U.S. Department of State.

Adults (16 and older) may be able to renew their passport.

• Renewing by Mail : Steps to mail your application to us
• Renew Online : Steps to submit your application online, if you are eligible

My child is under 16 and I'm applying for their passport

You will need to pay both an application fee and an acceptance fee. Pay the acceptance fee to the facility which takes your child's application, and the application fee to the U.S. Department of State.

All children must apply in person. Our  Children Under 16 page  has more information on how to apply. 

I'm changing or correcting my passport

I need to rush my passport or pay for a special service.

Add these fees to your total application fee. Include the amount in your check or money order which you make payable to the U.S. Department of State.

Passport fee calculator

Answer a few questions and we'll calculate your passport fees..

Where do you currently reside?

Check with your local U.S. embassy or consulate for information on how to apply for a passport.

Do you still have the passport in your possession?

Note: If you want to renew both a valid passport book and passport card, you must submit both documents. For example, if you can submit a passport book, but you lost your passport card, you cannot renew the passport card. If you want to renew either a valid book or a card, you must submit the specific document you want to renew.

Is the passport damaged or mutilated?

Do you know the issuance date of your passport?

Do you know if your passport is still valid?

What is the Issuance Date of your passport? (MM/DD/YYYY)

Have you reported it lost or stolen to Passport Services?

Are you replacing a "Limited Validity" Passport?

Was your passport issued domestically or overseas?

What was the validity of your limited passport?

Was your passport limited due to an ongoing change of your gender marker or a naturalization certificate replacement?

What is the Issuance Date of your Limited Validity Passport? (MM/DD/YYYY)

Do you require any changes or corrections to what is currently printed on your passport?

Select all that apply:

Do you have an original or certified copy of your marriage certificate or the government-issued document demonstrating your legal name change under federal or state law?

Passport Options

Passport type, passport type: book, passport type: card, passport type: book & card, change/correct passport, renew passport, processing method, processing method: standard, processing method: expedited, processing method: expedited at agency, processing method: overseas processing.

* To be eligible, you must make an appointment and provide proof of international travel.

If you have a life-or-death emergency or other need for urgent travel abroad, the passport agency or center will do everything possible to issue a U.S. passport in time for your trip.

Total Payable to Department of State

Total Payable to Department of State - Information.

• list example

Acceptance Facility Fee

Acceptance Facility Fee - Information.

We accept different forms of payment

Applying at a passport acceptance facility (post office, government office, library).

Go to our Apply In Person page to find the steps to apply.

You will need to pay both an application fee and an acceptance fee. Pay the application fee to the U.S. Department of State, and the acceptance fee to the facility which takes your application.

To pay for the application and special services such as expediting your application:

• Submit a check  (personal, certified, cashier's, traveler's) or  money order  payable to "U.S. Department of State"

To pay the separate acceptance fee:

• Personal checks and money orders
• Credit cards. The facility may add a surcharge to cover the cost of the credit card transaction.
• Cash. You must provide the exact amount.

If you are renewing by mail :

• Send us a check  (personal, certified, cashier's, traveler's) or  money order  payable to "U.S. Department of State"
• When renewing by mail from Canada, you must pay by check or money order payable in U.S. dollars through a U.S. bank.

If you are renewing online :

• Use a credit card or debit card

Applying or Renewing at a Passport Agency

Go to our Passport Agency and Center page  for steps on how to apply at one of our 26 locations across the country.

We prefer that you pay with:

• Credit cards : Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover
• Debit cards (or prepaid cards that are not linked to a line of credit or bank account): Visa or Mastercard
• Contactless payments such as Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay

We also accept checks, money orders, and cash. Make checks and money orders payable to the "U.S. Department of State."

• Checks: personal, certified, cashiers, and travelers
• Money orders: U.S. Postal, international, and currency exchanges  
• Cash: must provide the exact amount  

Requesting a Refund for Expedited Service

Service Commitment

If you paid the $60 fee for expedited service when you applied and you did not receive expedited service, you may be eligible to  request a refund  of this fee. We cannot refund any other passport fees or your travel expenses if you miss your trip.

Non-Refundable Fees

We cannot refund the passport application fee and the execution fee. By law, we collect both fees and keep them even if a passport is not issued.

Learn more about refunds on our Refund of Expedited Passport Fee page.

By marshrutka

Taxis are plentiful and you can even negotiate hourly rates.

Tyumen has many unique statues and monuments.

• Monument to the Homeless Dog
• Monument to students from Tyumen Schools Who Did Not Come Back From The War
• Monument to Conductor
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• Sculpture of Street Cleaner
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• Monument to Liquidators
• Fountain-Monument to Tyumen Oblast
• Monument to Afghan Soldiers
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• Monument to Country Doctor
• Monument to the Postman
• Monument to Workers in Rear Area
• Monument to Grigoriy Rasputin
• Globe Monument

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Customer Service Tips for the Savvy Traveler

Updated: June 3, 2024

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None of us like dealing with unexpected issues during our travels, but if you’ve done a fair bit of traveling , you know that occasional hiccups do happen. When we’re stuck in a situation that we can’t solve ourselves, it’s nice to know that customer service is there to help. Here are a few tips and tricks to get the most out of your customer service experience, and to help your customer service representative help you as efficiently as possible.

Know Your Numbers

Before contacting customer service, be sure to have all of your information in front of you. The customer service agent will need your personal information, reference or booking code, and any other identifying numbers relevant to your itinerary. Having these codes directly in front of you will really speed up the process and help the agent understand how to help you in an effective manner.

Ask for What You Need

This seems like an obvious one, but it helps to formulate a clear request before chatting with customer service. If you know exactly what you need, then customer service can help you to find the most relevant solution. For best results: be clear, concise, and direct.

Use the Most Convenient Interface

These days, there are several ways to get in touch with customer service but not all interfaces offer the same experience. Sometimes, the best way to get a hold of help is by utilizing a live chat function or internal messaging system. These services help alleviate phone lines and erase the need to sit on hold for a long time. If you are able, try to use built-in chat interfaces first before calling directly.

Use “Hold For Me” Services

Even though it has become pretty rare to speak to an actual customer service representative over the phone, there are certainly times when direct phone conversations are the only option! In those cases, phone lines can get pretty backed up. Instead of waiting on hold for hours on end, check to see if your phone offers a call-holding service. For example, Pixel phones (3 and later) offer a “ Hold For Me ” service which allows Google Assistant to wait on hold for you. When the customer service agent is ready to speak with you, you will get an alert from Google Assistant and you can take the call from there. This essentially removes the need to take hours out of your day to sit on hold, making your need for customer service a little less painful!

Offer Contact Information

If you are speaking to a customer service agent over the phone, ask upfront if it is alright to give them your phone number. During busy hours or conflicts that affect a large number of people, it can be difficult to keep a stable phone connection with your customer service agent. Nothing is worse than waiting on hold for a long time only to be dropped due to a spotty connection. If the agent has your phone number, they may be able to call you back, and that could save you the annoyance of having to start from the beginning again.

Save Your Reference Number

A similar tip applies to chat-based customer service experiences. If you are disconnected or later realize that your problem hasn’t been solved, taking note of your chat reference number is very important for helping the next agent figure out what you need. It can also help the company follow up with customer service agents if something goes wrong after the fact.

Ask to Waive Fees

It is possible that your customer service agent will alert you to fees associated with the types of services you need. For example, there may be extra booking or rebooking fees that apply to your case, which may be part of standard policy for the company. However, it is worth asking the customer service representative whether it is possible to waive those fees. The representatives are required to alert you of any applicable fees, but they may honor a request to waive them under certain circumstances. It is not guaranteed that you have the right to a waived fee, but it is worth a polite ask.

Ask for Another Option

If you’ve missed your connection or need to rebook your entire itinerary, it is likely that customer service will try to rebook you as quickly as possible. Sometimes, this means that they will first present you with the quickest solution, which may not necessarily be the most convenient solution for you. In this case, it is okay to ask for another option! Again, it helps to be as specific as possible. Asking them whether they have a solution within certain parameters can help them narrow the search and find something that is suitable for your needs.

This should go without saying, but we usually don’t need customer service unless something has gone wrong. In high-stress situations, it is sometimes difficult to get a hold of our frustrations and disappointments. Before speaking to a customer service agent, try to take a few deep breaths in order to take away the initial edge. Then, try to work with the agent as calmly as possible, remembering that they are here to help you solve your problem. Politeness goes a long way in the customer service industry!

Remember that Representatives are People Too

This one ties into the last one, but it’s always worth noting that, unless you’re speaking to a robot, customer service agents are humans. Whether you’re speaking face to face, over the phone, or over chat, always remember that you are speaking to a fellow person. Ultimately, the goal of customer service is to help solve your problems. By being patient, understanding, and helpful along the way, you will be able to help your representative understand how to find the best solution possible.

Final Thoughts

Dealing with customer service is never something that we want to do. When we need to get in touch with customer service, though, there are several things we can do to alleviate frustration and minimize confusion. By following these 10 tips and tricks, you’ll be well on your way to being a savvy traveler when it comes to dealing with customer service!

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Charlie Lewis

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