Finding accommodation and activities
Search
You can find accommodation and activities by using the search box, located at the top of the site.
Just start typing where you would like to stay to see a list of available locations.
Use the 'show more options' link to enter more specific search criteria.
By default, accommodation and activities listings are ordered by 'Best match', which places the
most relevant results at the top of the list. You can also order listings
by name, price or best reviews, using the links at the top of the grid.
We place New Zealand listings at the top of auto-suggest in blue, and then all other destinations worldwide are listed below.
Favourites
Click the "Save to Shortlist" button on any listing to save something to the
Shortlist page.
Best Match
On our search results pages we present listings to you ordered by what we call
"best match". This is our way of putting the businesses that best match your needs
at the top of the results grid to make it easier for you to find somewhere great
to stay or play.
Popular businesses with good reviews and deals will rise to the top, but most importantly
we will give preference to those that are available on the dates you require.
You can also narrow your search by selecting only certain types of accommodation and activities,
only those with deals, or only those which accommodate the number of guests in your party.
Best deals
Every day we have a new batch of businesses with "best deals", prices that our system
has calculated to be excellent value based on the price normally available for the
same room or activity.
If a business has a rate that qualifies as a best deal it will get the "deal" sash
and the price of the deal itself will show in orange on that business's booking
calendar.
Booking accommodation and activities
We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Q Card payments for bookings made on Travelbug.
Bookings for dates not otherwise marked will be instantly confirmed. Bookings that
are subject to manual confirmation are marked with an orange triangle.
What happens if a booking is "subject to confirmation"?
Nights or days marked on the calendar with an orange triangle are subject to confirmation
by the provider. Providers should confirm or decline your booking
within 24 hours and your credit card will not be charged until the booking is confirmed.
Choose a night that doesn't have the orange triangle and your booking will confirm
instantly.
Travelbug and financial services
If you have an issue with how we've handled your credit or funds, we can help resolve
your issue
here.
Changing or cancelling your booking
To cancel or make changes to your booking, you should contact the accommodation or activity
provider directly. Please note that providers' cancellation policies
may differ but you will be prompted to review these policies before confirming your
booking. A non-refundable fee of NZD$20
applies to all cancellations regardless of the provider's cancellation
policy. Where you are entitled to a refund, the refund will be made to the same
credit card that you used to confirm the booking.
Redeeming a Trade Me auction
When you win a Trade Me Travelbug auction, you will receive a promo code via email.
To confirm and pay for your booking, use the
redeem code link in the footer at the
bottom of any page of the Travelbug website. This will take you through the date confirmation
and payment process. Promo codes expire within 24 hours of the auction's closure.
Placing a review of your stay
You can place a review of your stay on the provider's listing
page or from the email we send you after your booking. Reviews can only be placed by those
who have booked through Travelbug, and they will show as 'Travelbug verified' on the
listing page. Providers have the ability to place a public response to each
review. Please take note of the Travelbug terms and conditions as they relate to traveller
comments.
International bookings
All non-NZ accommodation booked on Travelbug is made through the Expedia Affiliate network.
Charges for non-New Zealand bookings will appear on your credit card as from "travelbug.co.nz" and you will get a confirmation email from international@travelbug.co.nz. Support for international bookings is taken care of by the Expedia Affiliate network and you can contact them on 0800 442 857. If you call our NZ support number our NZ Travelbug staff will need to ask you to call that number directly.
Problems receiving email
You may experience problems receiving our emails due to SPAM and junk mail filter
settings. Here is a guide on how to ensure you receive our emails:
If you use Gmail
To prevent your Travelbug emails being added to Gmail's Spam folder, login to your
Gmail account and follow these steps:
1. Click "Settings" at the top-right of the page and then select "Filters"
2. Click "Create a new filter" at the bottom of the page
3. Enter "travelbug" in the 'From' field
4. Select 'Next step'
5. Tick 'Never send it to Spam'
6. Click "Create Filter"
If you use Yahoo!
To prevent your Travelbug emails being added to Yahoo!'s Bulk folder, login to your
Yahoo! mail account and follow these steps:
1. Click "Mail Options" at the top-right of the page
2. Click "Filters"
3. Click "Add"
4. Enter "travelbug" as a 'From header'
5. Select "Move the message to Inbox"
6. Click "Add Filter"
If you use Hotmail
To prevent your Travelbug emails being added to Hotmail's Junk folder, login to your
Hotmail account and follow these steps:
1. Go to Hotmail and login to your account
2. Click "Options" on the right hand side
3. Click "Safe and blocked senders"
4. Click "Safe senders"
5. Enter "travelbug.co.nz" and click "Add to list"
If you use other email providers
Most email providers now have a junk mail or spam folder. You should check this
folder regularly to ensure that email from Travelbug isn't being put here rather
than your Inbox.
You should also add Travelbug to your contacts list or safe list to ensure that
emails from Travelbug are not blocked.
