Tourist attractions, suppliers and places worth visiting
Travel Trade Jargon
Introduction
This page explains a few terms used in the travel trade which you might
encounter while planning, booking and taking a fly/drive holiday to the
USA and/or Canada.
CDW - Collision Damage Waiver
An optional payment made to a car rental company which provides cover should
the rental car suffer any damage, whether that is judged to be your fault
or not. You normally have a pay a relatively small excess. CDW is optional,
but highly desirable since without it you could be liable for the full
value of the car. Same as LDW - Loss Damage Waiver, and often called CDW/LDW.
See also the Car Hire page.
CoC - Chamber of Commerce
A somewhat confusingly named organisation responsible for the promotion
of a town, city, county, area or region to tourists, especially private
individuals. The Chambers of Commerce in many American and Canadian towns
operate tourist information offices where much useful information on the
area can be obtained. You can freely visit these offices and browse around.
CVB - Convention and Visitors Bureau
An organisation responsible for the promotion of a town, city, county,
area or region to potential visitors, especially convention organisers.
Drop-Off Charge
The charge made by a car rental company for a one-way rental - hiring a
car at one location and returning it to another. Drop-off charges can sometimes
be considerable.
LDW - Loss Damage Waiver
An optional payment made to a car rental company which provides cover should
the rental car suffer any damage, whether that is judged to be your fault
or not. You normally have a pay a relatively small excess. LDW is optional,
but highly desirable since without it you could be liable for the full
value of the car. Same as CDW - Collision Damage Waiver, and often called
CDW/LDW. See also the Car Hire page.
Locator
-
A reference number found on airline tickets. If you wish to reserve seats
in advance over the phone with the airline then it always helps, and is
often essential, to know your locator number. If you are booking through
a tour operator then they will be able to tell you this information at
some time after you book but before you receive the tickets.
-
A component of the aircraft automatic landing systems at airports (not
that the average holiday-maker is likely to encounter this usage, of course).
Open Jaw
An air fare which applies if you fly out to one airport and return from
another. The total cost is calculated by taking half of the return fare
to each airport and adding these two figures together. If you fly back
from a different airport then you also need to check the drop-off charge
made by the car rental company for a one-way rental - this can often be
a significant amount.
Top-Up Insurance
An insurance policy which provides extra third-party liability cover, should
you be deemed to have been responsible for an injury to another person
while driving. Also provides additional compensation should you be involved
in an incident with a motorist who is not insured or under-insured. This
can be purchased from the car rental company or usually much more cheaply
in your own country before travelling. See the Car
Hire page.
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