Why Even Use a Travel Agent/Consultant

Why use a travel agent? After all, sites like Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity have all the best deals. Well, if your only goal is to get the cheapest price then I would say go for the big box travel websites. The problem is, there is more and more travel information on the web. You can research and search until the cows come home. In the end, you may get the best price but you’ve spent hours researching and finally you may not have the best vacation value.
One value point to consider is the value of your time. You might spend hours on the web researching when turning your vacation desires over to an experienced travel agent may be a better use of your time – and your money. The travel agent knows where to go to find the best vacation value for you and your family. Often, the travel agent will pick up the telephone and speak with suppliers that she has a relationship with. These suppliers will help the agent find the best value for the money. You as an individual can’t develop these types of relationships by booking your own travel once or twice during a year.
I recently picked up the phone and talked with a Norwegian Cruise Line travel agent representative. This representative knew that I belonged to a large travel consortium and was more than ready to help me get the best deal and the best cabin for my client. The price that I received was the same price the client could have gotten if they booked their own cruise. But, the big thing the client would have missed by booking on their own was the relationship between my consortium and NCL and the willingness of the NCL agent to find my client the best cabin available. I also knew, without doing hours of research, which hotel at the departing port was the best for the precruise overnight stay.
A travel agent is going to be your advocate as you travel. Your travel agent is going to do everything in their power to help you if you run into a problem while you are traveling. When my clients book with me they get my home telephone number, my cell phone number and my fax number. If they run into a problem they can call me night or day and be assured that I will be available to help them through any travel related crisis. Try to get that service from a big box travel website!
If you are looking for the cheapest price when you travel then don’t use a travel agent. Chances are the smart travel agent doesn’t want to work with you if you’re only focused on price. However, a travel agent is good for you if your time is important and you want to get the best value for your vacation dollar. A travel agent adds value because of their knowledge, experience, networks and service.