If you’re thinking of booking a last-minute getaway or planning a holiday later in the year, it’s worth taking note of this advice from a travel expert to avoid paying more
Holiday-makers booking last-minute breaks or planning trips later in the year could find themselves facing suddenly inflated prices whilst browsing for flights and hotels. This occurs because numerous travel firms employ sophisticated tracking technology to predict when and where customers will make bookings, then hike up costs accordingly.
Ricardo Seixas from One Day Agency has revealed how businesses are deploying AI-driven prediction systems that scrutinise previous purchases, browsing patterns, and social media behaviour to bombard travellers with increasingly tailored holiday advertisements. However, there are methods to shield yourself from these price surges.
Ricardo has recommended that web users decline any pop-up notifications requesting cookie consent permissions. He explained: “Most people tick consent boxes without reading them properly. They don’t realise how much access they’re giving to their personal information.”
Rather than accepting the terms, Ricardo suggests selecting ‘Reject All’ where available, or choosing ‘More Options’ and switching off any opportunities for targeted advertising and cookie monitoring.
How do cookies work?
Ricardo said: “What many don’t realise is that cookies can track when someone is planning a holiday up to three months in advance.
“The algorithms pick up tiny digital breadcrumbs we leave online like increased searches for sun cream, flight prices, or swimwear.”
When searching for flights or hotels for your getaway, you might discover that costs have risen when you revisit the same website. This is due to the use of cookie tracking software and advanced AI tools that can identify consumer behaviour.
This allows companies to increase prices when the software detects you’re planning a trip to a specific location or on a certain date.
The technology employed is similar to dynamic pricing, a system that has frustrated many who attempt to buy concert tickets.
If you’ve already permitted cookies on these sites, Ricardo recommends disabling them prior to making any bookings.
To delete cookies, all you need to do is:
- On your browser, find the History information and click on this.
- Find the option to Delete All Browsing Data
- Ensure that you select Delete All Cookies
In three simple steps, you will have removed these from your browsing session. You can then try to look for the same trip without the price shooting up when you go to book it.