I used to wonder what the benefits of using a Travel Agent are, and what it would be like to work with one. “Why use a Travel Agent when I can just book it myself?” Is the first thought that runs through people’s minds. ESPECIALLY experienced travelers. Turns out there are many reasons, and you CAN still plan your trip the way you want it – the benefits of working with Travel Agents go way beyond that, including saving you money.
Travel Agents provide you with a service to help make your vacation easier, relieving you of the headache that comes from having to plan, build an itinerary, research the best prices, find the best companies, and do the paperwork for booking the trip. All that stress goes POOF, and you sit back like a queen, receiving the best service you’ve had! I only wish I’d discovered the benefits of Travel Agents sooner.
Here are the benefits of using a Travel Agent!
Many people still considerusing a Travel Agent“old school” or “old fashioned”. However, research shows that the demand for Travel Agents is starting to rise, thanks mostly to the millennials (Rock On friends!) Some people may even think Travel Agents are just for the wealthy or frequent flyers.
But they aren’t! They’re perfect for a couple’s weekend getaway, a family road trip down to Florida, and the month-long luxury European trip exploring several countries. Everyone is welcome.
Why Should You Use a Travel Agent
Did you know there are certain days of the week that offer the best flight rates? or that oftentimes prices are negotiable? How about the best time to purchase to get the best rate? Travel Agents do. They monitor the weekly, everchanging sales and promotions and where the best deals are.
Benefits of Using a Travel Agent
Travel Agents do so much more than just book your vacation. They will make sure you are prepared from the time you leave your home, until the time that you return.
They work directly with their partners (Delta, Marriott, Emirates, Disney, Hertz, Carnival, etc) who have passed the screening of top-of-the-line travel arrangements- so you have peace of mind that you are touring with award-winning high-quality tour companies and partners.
You may not realize it, because the fee is hidden in “taxes & fees” which is included in your overall total. Instead of sending that money to the 3rd party middleman, why not support your local Travel Agent instead?
Keep your money in the community, and help support your local businesses.
Advisors are not just for people who don’t like to plan
My frequent flyer friends have said to me “but I enjoy researching and planning my own trip.” I completely understand this, I really do. So why can’t you? Work WITH your Travel Agent to plan your trip. Plan it, and work with an advisor to book it.
Advisors specialize in the destination that you’re going to on your trip & know the most efficient planning methods, so geek out and have fun talking about your plans together. Your Agent will help guide you, brainstorm with you, ask you questions you may not have thought of, and help you to relax and have fun planning your trip in an informative way.
PRO TIP: if you are researching and googling parts of your trip such as airfare or hotel costs, the companies put cookies into your computer. That means each time you look up the price, they know how many times and which dates. So guess what? You’ll start to see the rates go each time.
They will Save you Money
Sneaky, right!? So remember, as you’re researching, you are unintentionally costing yourself money. I‘m not saying don’t research, go nuts! Then reach out to your advisor, tell them what your thoughts are, and let your advisor make the arrangements for you.Use their expertise, resources, and connections to save you money!
Travel Agents have a partnership with the hotel, and that will often come with added perks or benefits for you as their client. Benefits that are only available to you because you worked with a Travel Agent to make your vacation reservations for you.
VIP Treatment
How do you and your special occasion stand out in Las Vegas from the hundreds of other Travelocity reservations?Sorry, but you don’t.
Imagine what would happen if you called your hotel before your arrival and requested VIP treatment, with a bottle of wine & Bonbons waiting in your room, oh! and a room upgrade for a better view… because you don’t get to travel often, and this is a special occasion.
The hotel most likely will think you’re ridiculous and pompous, probably won’t be accommodating all of your requests, and will ask themselves “who does this person think they ARE?” When you book with a travel agent, they CAN and WILL ask for VIP treatment for you and the others you’re traveling with. That could be a free breakfast, room upgrades for better views, and resort credits to use once you arrive at shops, spas, restaurants, etc at the hotel.
The benefit of Travel Agents – They Save You Time
Another benefit of working with a travel agent is communication. Instead of waiting on hold whenever you have a question or issue with your booking, you can text your agent. Or use whatever your desired method of communication – text, e-mail, phone, or facetime, etc, your agent will accommodate you.
Have the comfort of knowing you can reach your agent personally, instead of waiting on the phone for hours for “the next available representative that will be with you shortly.” Your agent will provide much more personal, speedier assistance with your questions & concerns regarding your vacation.
Traveling to the United States? For international travelers coming to the U.S. I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing travelers insurance that will cover medical incidents. Our medical care in the U. S. is extremely expensive, and even a quick trip to the emergency room is enough to drown you in debt.
The comfort in knowing you’re covered.
Calling the insurance company is a pain in you know what. When you book with a travel agent, you can call them and get. The benefit of Travel Agents is that they know what insurance policy is best for your trip. They will recommend the best option for you, and ensure your trip, giving you the comfort of knowing if any emergencies came up, you’re covered.
Is insurance a waste of money if you don’t use it? Yes and no. I don’t know about you – but I would much rather have insurance for $100, that I don’t use. Instead of paying $10,000 for an emergency that I didn’t purchase insurance on. I’m prone to getting ill on trips, so having insurance gives me security, knowing that worst case scenario – I don’t have to pay all the expenses that come with the illness.
One Last Thing… Travel Agents provide excellent quality service and dedication to the highest standards. They LOVE traveling, it’s their passion, and it’s not just “a job”. They are extremely knowledgeable about how the travel industry operates, opening doors for you more than if you were to book on your own.
Have you worked with a Travel Agent before?
What did you like or dislike about the experience?
If you’re a travel agent looking for job opportunities that would allow you to travel, you can search for such opportunities by clicking on this link: https://jooble.org/jobs-travel-agent-remote
As a travel agent, I highly support this post! 😀 I had a client lately that had some issues at a hotel they were staying at, they were so happy to just give me a call and have me deal with the hotel to resolve the issues. There are definitely so many advantages to using a tra ek agent that people just don’t realize and usually it doesn’t cost more than booking the trip yourself!
If you’re ever interested in receiving a free quote for one of your trips shoot me an e-mail 🙂 It would be my pleasure to discuss your trip with you and see what type of savings are available.
I have used a travel agent for a few things, mostly I do my own travel planning as I love the research side of things. But there are things like my trip to Petra in Jordan that I used an agent to get an awesome deal for my mum and I!
I really don’t use travel agents much just because I am one of those people who actually enjoys planning a vacation, but this article has definitely brought up some points I hadn’t thought about before. I could see how using a travel agent could be beneficial to my travels.
I’ve never used a travel agent because I LOVE the process of putting my own trip together. But it definitely seems like there are some perks of going through an agent!
Wow I never really thought about it this way because I always travel solo and assume it was just better to sort everything out on my own! Definitely gonna take a leaf out of this book! 😉
I have to admit, I normally have a lot of fun planning and booking my own trips, but when things get busy, I would happily you a travel agent again. Last time I used one was for my honeymoon (as things were way too hectic with wedding planning to sort everything!)
This is a good reminder that I should think about using a travel agent when I get busy…rather than stressing myself out with bookings!
These are some very interesting points – and I bet a lot of people during these times are wishing they’d booked through independent agents like yourself.
These are such valid points! It’s easy nowadays thinking that we can do everything ourselves with Google, but especially if you don’t have time to plan your trip it can be so much nicer just outsourcing it to someone else to sort out for you!
For sure…especially if you have an idea of what you want- that makes it easier to plan your trip for you. The more detailed you get, the more personalized the agent can make it for you.
I never use a travel agent, I always do it online and I had no idea about the cookies on the site making the prices go up! That’s so interesting! Thanks for sharing
I’m glad you had a good experience!! Supporting each other (bloggers, agents, travel partners) is a way to help us (the travel industry)get back on its feet again after the covid-19 pandemic.
right?! take covid-19 as an example – i’ve had clients calling me everyday to get information on if their trip will be affected/what they can do if it is/what other options there are. You don’t get that when booking by yourself – you would have to do all that work yourself!
Thanks Michelle! I hope you try working with an agent (shop local! :)) sometime, especially now – we’re hurting with all the covid-19 cancellations/travel bans 🙁
I love this! I use travel agents for large international trips and usually book small ones myself. One of my good friends is a travel agent so I like supporting him, and he gets us great deals!
Like you said, they definitely know the best deals and use their partnerships to the customers advantage.
I love the convenience of having everything done for me!
24 comments
As a travel agent, I highly support this post! 😀 I had a client lately that had some issues at a hotel they were staying at, they were so happy to just give me a call and have me deal with the hotel to resolve the issues. There are definitely so many advantages to using a tra ek agent that people just don’t realize and usually it doesn’t cost more than booking the trip yourself!
Thank you for the support! Has business been slow since the pandemic?
I’ve never thought of using a travel agent before but you’ve made some great points here so I might look into it!
If you’re ever interested in receiving a free quote for one of your trips shoot me an e-mail 🙂 It would be my pleasure to discuss your trip with you and see what type of savings are available.
I have used a travel agent for a few things, mostly I do my own travel planning as I love the research side of things. But there are things like my trip to Petra in Jordan that I used an agent to get an awesome deal for my mum and I!
I really don’t use travel agents much just because I am one of those people who actually enjoys planning a vacation, but this article has definitely brought up some points I hadn’t thought about before. I could see how using a travel agent could be beneficial to my travels.
I’ve never used a travel agent because I LOVE the process of putting my own trip together. But it definitely seems like there are some perks of going through an agent!
Wow I never really thought about it this way because I always travel solo and assume it was just better to sort everything out on my own! Definitely gonna take a leaf out of this book! 😉
You have some good points for considering a Travel Agent. I am the one who books everything herself, so maybe next time I will give this a go
I havent worked with a travel agent before but I’m convinced I should give it a try, maybe next time I’ll do this!
Great tips – especially about supporting a local travel agent as opposed to booking through a third party.
We all need to remember this!
I have to admit, I normally have a lot of fun planning and booking my own trips, but when things get busy, I would happily you a travel agent again. Last time I used one was for my honeymoon (as things were way too hectic with wedding planning to sort everything!)
This is a good reminder that I should think about using a travel agent when I get busy…rather than stressing myself out with bookings!
These are some very interesting points – and I bet a lot of people during these times are wishing they’d booked through independent agents like yourself.
These are such valid points! It’s easy nowadays thinking that we can do everything ourselves with Google, but especially if you don’t have time to plan your trip it can be so much nicer just outsourcing it to someone else to sort out for you!
For sure…especially if you have an idea of what you want- that makes it easier to plan your trip for you. The more detailed you get, the more personalized the agent can make it for you.
I never use a travel agent, I always do it online and I had no idea about the cookies on the site making the prices go up! That’s so interesting! Thanks for sharing
If you ever want to try out the agent experience to see if it’s for you – I’d love to work with you! I don’t charge service fees 🤗
I used a travel agent for my Europe trip last year June/July. There are definite benefits!!
I’m glad you had a good experience!! Supporting each other (bloggers, agents, travel partners) is a way to help us (the travel industry)get back on its feet again after the covid-19 pandemic.
I hear you! I can do so much more for my clients than the internet can. And what things go bad they call me and fix everything for them!
right?! take covid-19 as an example – i’ve had clients calling me everyday to get information on if their trip will be affected/what they can do if it is/what other options there are. You don’t get that when booking by yourself – you would have to do all that work yourself!
This is fabulous information. I learned a lot, especially about travel insurance and I love your PRO Tips! Thanks for the really useful article!
Thanks Michelle! I hope you try working with an agent (shop local! :)) sometime, especially now – we’re hurting with all the covid-19 cancellations/travel bans 🙁
I love this! I use travel agents for large international trips and usually book small ones myself. One of my good friends is a travel agent so I like supporting him, and he gets us great deals!
Like you said, they definitely know the best deals and use their partnerships to the customers advantage.
I love the convenience of having everything done for me!