Is it best to make your own reservations and hope for the best or rely on a travel agent (either local or online) when arranging a vacation?
Is it best to make your own reservations and hope for the best or rely on a travel agent (either local or online) when arranging a vacation?
0 Answers
Marcia Miller wrote on :
Without hesitation I suggest you use a professional. If you need help finding one, you may contact me and I will email you the chapter from my soon to be published book on choosing an agent. marciam@yougogirlstravel.com
gerdi scheffler wrote on :
While we all hope to have a great vacation things do not always run smoothly. Flights are delayed, canceled and connections missed. The car rental company cannot find your reservation and hotels overbook. You get into an accident or get sick, lose your passport, get mugged (heaven forbid)
etc. etc. If you used a travel agent you are in luck because they will be able to help you out of any travel dilemma. As far as on line help is concerned, if you made your own arrangements, have fun trying to communicate with someone in India, Romania or the Philippines reading off a script. Even more fun will be had waiting in line with a hundred fellow passengers at an airline ticket counter to have your flight(s) re-booked. Forget trying to call the airlines when there is a major storm, volcano eruption, earthquake etc. wreaking havoc on air travel. The hold time can be hours and your trip delayed for days because for the airline you are just a number unless you happen to be a frequent flier holding premium status.
I would encourage people to check on line and then check with a travel agent to see if they are saving any money. Paying a service fee to a travel agent is worth having peace of mind when things go bump in the night.
Beverley@travel-bee.com wrote on :
Answering as an agent that has been a travel agent for 30 years I will say always use a travel agent! There are so many reasons why you should use one, experience, insider knowledge, personal service just to name a few. A good travel agent is here for you before, during and after your trip.
aztrails wrote on :
The short answer is it is Always best to use a “Professional” travel agent. Even before I became an agency owner, I used a travel agent. A live person is better than an online agency also. True professional travel counselors have all the same access to the online deals and pricing, but they also have a wealth of knowledge about the best way to approach arranging yoru trip, where the deals are and “value-added” specials that you as a consumer won’t find just searching the internet. There are numerous suppliers of services and all have different offers and rating systems. An agent knows how to interpret all that information and good one will find out what is important to you and match up your desires with what is available. They are also there before, during and after your trip for assistnace if necessary. The sale doesn’t end when you buy the vacation package! Just as you have a professional for other services such as dental, legal, medical, real estate, etc. you should have your own travel profeesional to help you with your trips both domestic and international.
Travelbydesign wrote on :
Well since I am a travel designer I would say use a firm, for several reasons: The have insider knowledge about destinations and they are someone to fall back on in case of an emergency. If you really want to spend the time to research you could but would you really know what you are getting?