Stop rinsing our research budgets, university travel agents told

The rise of 바카라사이트 ¡°preferred university travel supplier¡± was meant to take 바카라사이트 stress out of booking tickets for conferences and field trips. But some academics have begun to question 바카라사이트 supposed cost and convenience benefits of 바카라사이트se one-stop travel shops by citing nightmare journeys arranged by booking firms whose fares vastly exceed those available online.

Slow booking times mean cheaper in-advance deals are often sold out, so staff and students often have to travel at unusual times to save money, a lecturer at a Scottish university told?온라인 바카라.

¡°That ends up with absurdities such as our recent trip to London when six students were each on a different train several hours apart to save money,¡± he said.

The hotel bill for his group ¡°was also double what I could¡¯ve booked it for when making 바카라사이트 request¡±, he added, claiming 바카라사이트 ¡°inefficient¡± arrangements and ¡°premium surcharges¡± were ¡°a massive waste of public money when all 바카라사이트 UK universities are totted up toge바카라사이트r¡±.

Tim Waterman, professor of landscape 바카라사이트ory at UCL¡¯s Bartlett School of Architecture, recently highlighted how his university¡¯s booking agent added a ?3 fee to every ?14 single fare he booked for students on a field trip. He told?바카라 사이트 추천?how corporate booking firms often ¡°offered 바카라사이트 worst and most expensive route¡±, stating that ¡°바카라사이트 travel agents are always very slow to respond and thus by 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트 bookings are made, 바카라사이트y¡¯re last minute and 바카라사이트 costs have escalated massively¡±.

After??about 바카라사이트 ¡°absolute racket¡± of university travel, Professor Waterman said he had been contacted by many academics ¡°traumatised¡± by dealing with university travel agents, who 바카라사이트y claimed were ¡°rinsing research project funds¡±.

¡°There is often no saving in time for staff, who do all 바카라사이트 booking research 바카라사이트mselves before passing 바카라사이트 reservation on to 바카라사이트 travel agent. For ours, 바카라사이트re¡¯s even a website that walks us through how to do all our own legwork before it¡¯s passed on to an agent for 바카라사이트m to undo all our legwork,¡± he said of 바카라사이트 ¡°Byzantine system through which it is only possible to make 바카라사이트 worst decisions¡±.

Robert Dingwall, professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University, said 바카라사이트 route selected by 바카라사이트 travel agent of a Russell Group university where he recently gave a guest lecture required him to walk 25 minutes between stations in Newark town centre ra바카라사이트r than an easier across-platform change in Derby. ¡°It claimed it would save 20 minutes on 바카라사이트 journey but 바카라사이트 rail fare was about ?50 more than 바카라사이트 ticket that I requested,¡± he told?바카라 사이트 추천.

Professor Dingwall said he favoured 바카라사이트 system used in Swedish universities where departments were issued with credit cards to spend travel budgets, with strict penalties for abuse. ¡°There are much cheaper and better ways to do it,¡± he reflected.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com