For years you have done your own planning when it comes to trips and vacations. This is the era of Expedia, Kayak, AirBnb, and other well known travel apps to help you plan. Who uses a travel agent anymore? And why? It seems so antiquated.
Now, however, amongst the Covid restrictions, flight delays (or worse, cancellations), and the ever fluctuation of prices, travel has become a lot more frustrating. We are all alone to navigate flight changes, room reservations, car rental fiascos, and all sorts of mishaps that turn our vacation into a bit of a nightmare at times.
The new “super-hero” to save the day? A travel agent.
You say, “Travel agents are expensive, only for cruises or weddings, and keep me from creating a more spontaneous itinerary.” Bollocks. Let us debunk the five most common myths about using a travel agent to book your next trip.
- It will cost more to use the services of a Travel Agent
This is definitely the most common myth about Travel Agents. We all think we can find better deals through our own searches without paying a Travel Agent a service fee to do it. However, most agents in the business often do not charge a fee at all! In fact, the latest survey of travel agents from travelhostreviews.com reported only 25% charged a service fee when booking vacations for their clients. (hostagencyreviews.com/report)
Travel Agents can, however, find you exclusive deals that you often won’t find on your own search. Even if they may not be able to beat the price you found for a flight or lodging deal, they can often match it with extras not included in the price you found. And let’s not forget that they found it using their own time, instead of yours!
- Travel Agents are only used for booking cruises or tours
It’s a fact. Travel Agents often have a focus on booking cruises and tours. However, that is not the only type of travel in their wheelhouse. Most travel agents have niches they focus on. So maybe you are looking to take a road trip with your dog. There are travel agents specializing in travel with pets. They can find pet friendly hotels, eateries, attractions, and activities to make the most out of traveling with your pet.
Solo travel is a growing segment of the travel industry. The whole goal is to go it alone to discover both new places as well as maybe even yourself a bit. There are travel agents who specialize in helping you plan this type of trip. You might decide to take a month in Italy by yourself, “Eat Pray Love” style…okay well the “Eat” part of it. Italy is a wonderous place to travel solo. Travel Agents can help you design a trip that gets you enrolled into a pasta or pizza making class, find hotels and transportation (such as car rentals), or an Italian guide to walk you through the very best parts of Venice.
- Making a change in the itinerary is more difficult
In most cases, changes in the itinerary become possible when using a travel agent. Your agent needs to plan for all contingencies. They are trained to read the fine print you might have glossed over, like a fee for your pooch’s stay, cancellation policies, and weird rules which could make the experience a no-go for you. They also encourage you to purchase travel insurance.
How many times have you booked a flight with a layover and the first flight is delayed to the point you miss the connecting flight? Make that booking on your own and you find yourself at the ticket counter or airline company customer service usually after a considerable wait while others in similar predicaments are helped first. It’s a frustrating and anxiety inducing situation. Had you used a travel agent, you could have easily called the agent to help you with a new flight solution. You are now out of the line and at the lounge. Seems the change of plans is much easier to cope with when you have a travel agent.
- I must abandon the idea of using my points to help pay for the trip
This is not an absolute. Yes, there are agents who will not be able to help you utilize points for your trip financing. However, there are many agents who can. Depending. For example, some agents have relationships with particular card companies and in turn, can enable bookings to be funded with points. If this is important to you, do not assume but ask if the travel agent you are working with can indeed help you use your card points.
Some airline points programs require booking directly with the airline. If this is the case, consider booking the airline separately from the rest of the trip. A good agent will understand and can work with your needs.
When in doubt, ask, don’t assume. You may be surprised at the answer.
- A travel agent is only doing what I can do myself
Sorry. This is false. Travel Agents definitely have an advantage over us. They have dedicated time to research, understand, and pull industry experience. They are often part of a community of agents who are looking to make the most amazing experience for their customers.
Are you one of those planners that spends hours scrolling to see what other trip-goers have said about a property, or service, you are considering for your trip? Your agent can often find unpublished reviews. They have the ability to ask other agents and they also may have first hand knowledge from other customers (including themselves) on which they can draw. This is key. You do not know the background of the person making an online review and in general, the reviews are likely to skew to the negative side. The word-of-mouth reviews and firsthand knowledge will be so much more balanced as a whole. You will likely have better trip experiences, trusting the agent has your needs/expectations top of mind for your vacation.
What do you think of Travel Agents now?
Have you decided to use a travel agent to help in the planning and execution of your next big vacation? You have realized they save you time and money. You want to reduce the hassles of traveling without an agent’s support.
How do you find these wonderful agents? Some will be in your local neighborhood, some will be found online, and some can be found word-of-mouth. They are easy to discover. And like other professionals, they have their specialties and reviews of their services.
