Reasons to Utilize a Travel Agent when Planning a Vacation
Posted on | November 28, 2009 | 18 Comments
Utilizing the services of a travel agent to plan your next vacation is something that you might want to consider. It is usually a good idea to proceed with caution when dealing with money. However, when planning out a vacation, which has many different variables which can impact the amount you spend, you do not want to leave anything to chance. Here are some reasons why working with a travel agent to plan your vacation is a good idea.
Reason #1: Your travel agent has extensive knowledge about trip planning
When you’re planning a vacation, the process can become pretty stressful. In many cases, you are not sure what the weather conditions will be like when you arrive at your destination, and it can be difficult to find your way around if you are not familiar with your surroundings. Also, in many cases, once you have finally settled, you are not sure which activities and sights to experience! A travel agent can help you navigate through all of these obstacles.
If you’re the type of person who enjoys simply choosing a destination, getting there, and letting the rest take care of itself, then planning your trip isn’t necessarily difficult. But if you prefer to have your itinerary carefully laid out before you head off, then a good travel agent can really save you some time and unnecessary frustration.
Your travel agent can help you choose when to fly, find a comfortable hotel within your budget, plan your itinerary for you, and provide you with up-to-date information about travel documents, vaccinations, and anything else you might need to travel to your chosen destination. With the help of your travel agent, planning your trip should be much easier and less stressful, leaving you free to enjoy yourself that much more.
Reason #2: Your travel agent can help you save money
Typically, working with a travel agent won’t cost you any more than if you had planned the trip yourself. In fact, you are more likely to save money than to spend more money. Typically, travel agents have access to cheaper flights, lower hotel prices, and more, because they deal in bulk, rather than just booking one trip (as you would do if you booked the trip yourself). They have access to bulk discounts, which means that even with their commission added on you will rarely pay any more than if you had booked the trip yourself. You will also save yourself the hassle of planning and booking the trip alone.
A good travel agent can help you save money. They know when the cheapest times to fly are, when hotel off-peak seasons start, how to get bulk flight deals, and other tricks of the trade that can help you get more for your money.
Reason #3: Your travel agent is familiar with your destination
If you are traveling to an exotic or obscure location which you have never visited before, then working with a knowledgeable and experienced travel agent is a must. Your travel agent can help you find accommodations, events and activities, and provide you with tips on traveling safely. If you manage to hit the jackpot and find a travel agent who has actually visited your destination, they might also be able to tell you about those little bonuses that most people won’t know about. Places such as the weekend markets, where to find authentic souvenirs, and the best restaurants, all the things that will make your trip even more enjoyable.
Reason #4: Your travel agent can help you get the vacation you really want
From rock-climbing in the Swiss Alps to a relaxing beach vacation in Spain, there are vacations to suit every requirement and personality type. With so many choices available in terms of destinations and activities, it’s not always easy to know what you want.
What do you want out of your vacation, and do you know how to achieve it? Your travel agent definitely does, and can use his or her experience and knowledge to make sure you get the trip you really want. A good travel agent will quickly find out exactly what you want out of your trip, and will go the extra mile to make sure everything, from flights, hotels, and activities, meets your needs.
Reason #5: It just makes sense
Working with a travel agent won’t cost you any more than booking the trip yourself, and you may even save money. Also, a travel agent can save you a lot of time and headaches, and you may even find that a knowledgeable agent will be able to help you access some of the best and most exclusive events and activities at your destination, which you might not have known about without the help of your travel agent.
Really, it just makes good sense to plan your vacation with the help of a travel agent. With all of these important factors coming into play when you book your next trip, there’s definitely no good reason not to use a travel agent!
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Tags: Cruises > holiday > hotels > leisure > Recreation > travel > Travel deals > Travel Tips > vacation
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18 Responses to “Reasons to Utilize a Travel Agent when Planning a Vacation”
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November 28th, 2009 @ 9:11 am
Hi Bob, We Have A Lot To Talk About. I've Been In The Travel Business Over 10 Years & Have Had My Own Home-Based Agency Over 5 Years With A Well Established Deb Free A Publicly Traded Company, Revenue Growth Over 90% & Continuing To Grow Strongly..Over 38,000 Home-Based Agents..Up Over 450% From Jan 2005 (8,400) Been In "The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine" & Other Press Releases 25 Times With An Extremely Lucrative Bonded Copyrighted Compensation Plan & Has Become The Choice For 1000's Including Former Baseball Star Lou Brock, Dallas Cowboy Randy White, Heavyweight Boxer James Bonecrusher Smith, Tampa Bay Running Back Mike Alstott & Other Celebrities Who All Earn Income As Agent/Reps With Their Own Full-Service Home-Based Agency With This Agency.
To Help Answer Your Questions, Over The Past 5 Years Over 200,000 Travel Agency Stores In The USA Have Closed, Cause About 85% Of Travel Business Is Booked Online & Yes It's True That Airlines No Longer Pay Agent Commissions, But Over 38,000 Agents With My Company Do Get Paid Airline Commissions & On All Travel Booked Worldwide With Major Travel vendors!
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Take Care, Hope To Help You Soon.
November 28th, 2009 @ 9:14 am
lemme just say… you are my new hero.
November 28th, 2009 @ 9:52 am
I am a travel agent with YTB. The company provided me with a website that people can go on to and book there travel. They also provide all the training and support I need to be a successful travel agent. It is really a great program and I've already booked travel for some friends of mine and seen the commission. When you sign up with the company you get your creditials in a couple weeks after signing up. This is a very legitimate and trustworthy company that has been in the business for over 5 years. Also publicly traded. Watch this presentation for a little more information: http://www.travelproinsider.com my personal site is http://www.ytbtravel.com/kuhlber
Contact me and I will answer any questions you may have and give you more information.
-Dane
November 28th, 2009 @ 10:14 am
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November 28th, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
Hello,
I am a travel agent. First, I will say that in this industry, your success depends on you. A travel agent has an unlimited earning potential. My husband and I together are travel agents and we love it. We've been travel agents since January, and already, we haven't looked back! We work out of our home, and we set our own hours!!
You know what, I'm going to save you some of the $$$ that you were about to dole out to Penn Foster, click this link, and when you're on the front page, click "view the company presentation" http://www.cassandralane.org
November 28th, 2009 @ 6:44 pm
superb!!
November 29th, 2009 @ 1:31 am
Beautiful video!
November 29th, 2009 @ 6:00 am
wow!
November 29th, 2009 @ 7:26 am
You are amazing!
November 29th, 2009 @ 9:18 am
I'm a travel agent with YTB International. It's a publicly traded company that has allowed me to become a Referring Travel Agent without any training. They provide all the tools you need when you sign up. My site uses the same booking engine as travelocity. It's awesome because I can write off all of my travel on my taxes and I collect commissions when someone books travel on my site. It's an incredible opportunity. Check out my site when you get a chance. http://www.danestravel.com click on "book travel" to see the booking engine it uses. Please email me I can answer any questions you have and show you much more about this.
November 29th, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
Yes, travel agents, relatives, or friends may do the visa application on behalf of you. An additional handling fee of $20.00 is to be paid in this case.
http://www.brazilhouston.org/ingles/visafees.htm ..
November 29th, 2009 @ 4:31 pm
Omfg, it just looks like a picture
November 30th, 2009 @ 11:42 am
Hello, I can give you some tips, first of all, you really don't need to use a travel agent to come here. Everything here is very cheap. The people normally don't speak English, but you will fell welcome in almost places you go.
Try to search another place to go, Rio de Janeiro is the most dangerous town in our country.
Recife is a very Beautiful place and it has a famous carnival parade, "o galo da madrugada". Where there are almost 2 million people walking, dancing and singing trough the streets for 3 miles.
The beaches around this town are marvelous. "Porto de Galinhas"…"Tamandare"….."Boa Viagem"….You will apreciate.
Good luck and be wellcome.
November 30th, 2009 @ 2:23 pm
Not in every situation, but in many cases they can. Sometimes your rate is going to be the same price, but an agent may offer you some onboard credits, or other specials that may be available to them.
I would definitely book with an agent or directly with Carnival. The discount sites, which as you have seen aren't really discounted, can cause a lot more problems than they are worth, so if there is no savings, I would definitely avoid them.
There are a lot of travel agencies that you can use online as well. If going to a travel agent office and working on things doesn't really fit in your schedule, which is what I have found to be true for myself, online works so much better. I can e-mail my agent whenever I need, when I'm no the road, etc. I have actually found my online agent to be a lot o better than my old agent that in my local town, since they seem to be more specialized. So you may consider checking into an online travel agent, which is not to be confused with the online discount sites like Expedia, Oritz, etc.
So anyhow, you can't always get a lower rate with an agent, but you may be able to get some extra benefits by booking with an agent, such as onboard credit or upgrades. Also, you always get the service from the agent, very rarely, if ever do I find that my agent is higher than Carnival.
Hope this helps!
November 30th, 2009 @ 6:25 pm
Nothing as far as I know But are you sure about going into an industry where over 50% of it is now done online, and the numbers are moving away from travel agents in favour of online every day?
I would look to go into a very niche area of travel, like luxury tours, where the odds of it going online are lower. Get in there before all the other travel agents need new jobs!
November 30th, 2009 @ 7:43 pm
All you have to do is go to your college. You can get either a diploma or a degree, but a degree will better help you to achieve this. I am a travel agent and I graduated in December with my degree. It takes about 2 years, depending on how much time you put into it and how many classes you take. If you want to, you can try to do it between 6 months and a year if you can, but it will be very hard. It will cost you about $10,000 for everything, tuition, books, classes everything. Apply for scholarships, especially if you had great grades in high school. I kept a 4.0 GPA throughout my academic history, and scholarships and grants got me through college and whatever was left over was like a gift, to do as you wish with. I must have gotten refunds of up to $3000 in that first year. It's easy, just apply for Financial Aid. Good luck and I wish you well. You can do it. If I was able to, you most certainly can.
December 1st, 2009 @ 6:13 am
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December 1st, 2009 @ 9:18 am
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