diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/client/Hop.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/client/Hop.java
index a28fd8da..49b020aa 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/client/Hop.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/client/Hop.java
@@ -79,6 +79,15 @@ public class Hop {
 		return new Hop(rel, parameters);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Returns whether the {@link Hop} has parameters declared.
+	 * 
+	 * @return
+	 */
+	boolean hasParameters() {
+		return !this.parameters.isEmpty();
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Create a new {@link Map} starting with the supplied template parameters. Then add the ones for this hop. This
 	 * allows a local hop to override global parameters.
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/client/Traverson.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/client/Traverson.java
index 4a61b9e0..54249bdf 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/client/Traverson.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/client/Traverson.java
@@ -391,8 +391,9 @@ public class Traverson {
 			}
 
 			HttpEntity<?> request = prepareRequest(headers);
+			UriTemplate template = new UriTemplate(uri);
 
-			ResponseEntity<String> responseEntity = operations.exchange(uri, GET, request, String.class);
+			ResponseEntity<String> responseEntity = operations.exchange(template.expand(), GET, request, String.class);
 			MediaType contentType = responseEntity.getHeaders().getContentType();
 			String responseBody = responseEntity.getBody();
 
@@ -409,7 +410,7 @@ public class Traverson {
 			/**
 			 * Don't expand if the parameters are empty
 			 */
-			if (thisHop.getParameters().isEmpty()) {
+			if (!thisHop.hasParameters()) {
 				return getAndFindLinkWithRel(link.getHref(), rels);
 			} else {
 				return getAndFindLinkWithRel(link.expand(thisHop.getMergedParameters(templateParameters)).getHref(), rels);