It's OK to Trust a Travel Advisor
Published Wednesday, March 20th 2019 - Updated Tuesday, October 15th 2019Being a Travel Agent isn’t always easy. It’s actually one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But my passion for building itineraries, geography, culture, adventure, and making life easy for others drive me to keep at it. One of the top questions I get asked is, “Why do I need a travel agent when I have the internet?” One comment I hear often is, “since you are a travel agent, you can get me some good deals.”
I used to be offended by questions and comments like these. I’ve wasted time and energy putting together trips for people that ended up being purchased elsewhere AFTER I did the work. Though I felt disrespected, sometime bitter, and a few times just down right angry, I know my value in this industry and know that 85% of those people will come back.
Trust and believe that the pretty little number you thought you saw two screens ago will change.
What was the thing crawling in your room, that you expected to be luxury, because of the filtered photos you viewed not noticing it was an eco-friendly resort?
What about the hotel selected off price, only to arrive and find it full of college students celebrating when you were looking for a romantic relaxing getaway with your significant other?
Ok, last one. What about the cruise room category you chose because it was $30 “cheaper” only to end up in a tiny space on the bottom of the ship?
A lot of times I’m called upon to “fix” a problem that I wasn’t granted an opportunity to create. And guess what. I can't fix it.
While you’re taking away 30-40 hours of your life searching endlessly for the “perfect trip” on one or maybe even two online booking sites, we have the ability to offer you a vacation with the shortest flight plans, top hotel categories and views, and the comfort knowing that you booked your trip without having to worry about the quality of your investment in 24-72 hours depending on where you’re going and what you envision your experience to be. Travel agents add value to your vacation not because we “give you deals” but because we care about the quality and safety of your travel experience. We save you time and create custom itineraries based on the knowledge we’ve learned through training and certifications, developing relationships with property owners, managers, and sales teams and by experiencing properties ourselves.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against the use of the internet. After all the internet is my best referral source. Let’s just say, use it to browse and view but when you’re ready to book, call a travel agent for advice on what you’ve found. Often times, they can get you a better value based on your true needs.
