Why use a Travel Agent?

10 Reasons to Use a Travel Agent – Especially NOW

Are you starting to think about that next vacation? Wondering when and how you can get to some amazing destinations? Maybe you should use a travel agent?

Yes, we’re still around. Actually, we never went away. And our expertise is needed now more than ever before.

Read on to learn how I can be of service to you in your vacation planning.

1. We are specialists – Experts at what we do

Teeth = Dentist

House = Builder

Taxes = Accountant

Haircut = Hairdresser

Legal needs = Attorney

Teaching your kids = Teachers

Planning travel = Travel Advisor

We are all quick to call an expert when we are in a jam or out of our skillset. 

From cutting our hair to preparing our taxes, there are just some tasks that are better left for the pros. 

Travel is one of the biggest three purchases you’ll make in your lifetime after a home and car (or college tuition if that’s in the cards for you). 

You use experts to save yourself time and stress, but most importantly, to get a better outcome. In this case, a better vacation.

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2. We are Cruise Match-Makers

30 million travelers cruised in 2019.

There is a ship and an itinerary for every cruiser, but not all of them are a match for you.

We are cruise match-makers.

There are 323 cruise ships to choose from. This year alone, 28 new cruise ships will be launched. 

There are over 2200 ports of call around the world to cruise to of which almost 600 are by river only and the other 1600 by ocean cruising.

That is a LOT of options. 

There is quite literally a ship and an itinerary for every style of traveler BUT not every ship or itinerary is for everyone.

We are experts at matchmaking travelers to the perfect ship and itinerary. I’d love to do that for you.

3. The Fine Print

The fine print on every travel booking you make can be frightening.

We understand the fine print and will make sure to avoid potential booking issues.

Every element of your vacation including but not limited to your accommodation, flights, tours, cruise, and travel insurance, all have “fine print” also known as terms & conditions. This isn’t new news at all.

But what is new is the number of changes that each travel company is currently making to their services. Changes come out of nowhere and are often effective immediately.

Navigating all of the date changes, and schedule change fees and rules can be a nightmare.

The good news is… we’re really good at it. You can trust that we have checked the fine print – and understood it before we lock in your travel bookings. 

If you want flexible travel arrangements – I’ll make sure to book it that way.

4. COVID-19 😱

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Covid-19 travel restrictions change daily. We keep on top of entry and re-entry requirements for your destination, accommodation, and activities booked with us.

Choosing a destination for your vacation is different now. 

Travelers around the world consider different factors than pre-pandemic. These include the destination’s Covid-19 protocols such as mask-wearing, social distancing, whether restaurants, businesses and the big attractions are open (and at what capacity). 

You also need to know the entry requirements for your destination. 

Will you need to be vaccinated? 

Will you need a negative Covid-19 test? 

What kind of test will be accepted? 

Antigen, NAAT, PCR? 

Will you have to quarantine?

These are all super important questions to consider and the most challenging part?

The rules are shifting goalposts. They change often.

As a professional travel advisor, it’s my job to navigate this for you. So hand over the reins and let me take care of the details for you.

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5. Complex Itinerary? – No Problem!

Most itineraries have many moving parts making it complex to stitch them together.

We use our expertise & experience to take that task on for you.

The average 7-day vacation to Europe or the Caribbean has up to 15 separate bookings in it.

• Accommodation (maybe 1-3 properties)
  
• Flights (perhaps a few booked separately with different airlines (for better value and logistics)
  
• Airport transfers to and from your home, accommodation and the airport (between 2 and 6 of these)
  
• Travel insurance to match exactly what you booked
  
• A few day trips or excursions with the same or different tour companies
  
• Museum, gallery, or social attraction tickets to avoid waiting in line
  
• Car rental
  

Did you know that each of these separate bookings (usually through different companies) comes with its own rules and fine print? They can be incredibly complex to stitch together into one itinerary.

Just take a flight layover for example. Did you know that different airports around the world have “legal connection times”, a minimum amount of time required to connect two flights together?

Why on earth would you put yourself through the stress of researching and planning all of these bookings when you can rely on a professional travel advisor (like me) to do it for you for one low planning fee.

6. Travel and Hospitality Connections – All over the World

We have connections and relationships within the travel industry to get great benefits, upgrades, and perks for our clients.

One of my favorite things about working in the travel industry is the relationships and friendships that we form.

It’s not uncommon for travel advisors to go to several conferences and training events each year and meet with the CEOs and Presidents of the biggest travel companies in the world. We have email addresses, phone numbers, and most importantly open lines of communication with decision-makers and problem solvers at many cruise lines, resorts, hotel chains, and airlines.

We won’t hesitate to call them out if we need them whether it be planning your vacation – or troubleshooting while you are away, know that we put in that call for you.

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7. We get rid of the Overwhelming Options

There are 16.97 million hotel rooms worldwide.

We won’t put you in the wrong one!

Have you ever arrived at a hotel to find that your room is nothing like what you thought you had booked? It happens more often than you know. 

And it’s so disappointing. 

When you check into a hotel you have expectations about the room design, space, cleanliness, and of course the room amenities. 

You also probably have specific ideas about what breakfast, parking, the gym, room service, or lobby cafe will be like.

We are experts at navigating the complexities of booking hotel rooms and knowing what to look for in the clever marketing speak that hotels throw out there like “partial sea view”. Nobody loves a partial sea view standing on the toilet and covering your left eye to catch a “glimpse”.

Not only will we make sure you don’t end up at the wrong hotel, in the wrong room, or in the middle of constructions or closures, but we also have access (that you can’t get) to upgrades, perks, and amenities.

7. Insider Information 🧐

We know about unique experiences, trending destinations, and new properties & ships before you do.

We can create an itinerary that will surprise and excite you.

That feeling of wanting to go on vacation, of needing a vacation. You know it right? When you’re so fed up with the monotony of day-to-day life and you just need a break?

The first decision you need to make is when to go and then the second decision is where to go.

Let me ask you a question though… have you considered letting a professional travel advisor give you a shortlist of destination ideas? Perhaps somewhere that you’ve heard of but never been to, or maybe a totally new destination full of new experiences.

As professional travel advisors, we hear about new destinations and experiences before they go to market – that new overwater bungalow hotel in the Caribbean? The new all-suite hotel with Eiffel Tower views and private balconies? Or maybe that new state-of-the-art river cruise ship in Egypt sailing on the Nile River.

If you’d like to receive a shortlist of vacation ideas to match your personal travel style I’d love to help you.

8. We save you hours of Internet Research

The average vacation takes in excess of 30 hours to plan.

Hours of research and reviews with 100 tabs open are no fun for you…

but it is for us!

Do you ever feel like you need a vacation to cover from planning your vacation? 

Are you the person who always ends up organizing everyone, researching everything, collecting everyone’s payments, and making sure everything is booked?

It is stressful and time-consuming to book travel.

More than likely you end up with dozens of browser tabs open looking at options you’ve already looked at one thousand times over.

You don’t need to do that anymore.

I’m sure there are so many other things you’d rather do with your time.

Me on the other hand, that’s my profession and I love it. I’d love to do all the work on your next vacation.

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9. We help you plan and take care of the Unexpected

If and when unexpected emergencies arise on your vacation we are only one call, text, or email away, when you use a travel agent.

Actually, sometimes life will throw you a curveball when you’re on vacation. It could be a family emergency back home, a border closing, Covid-19 protocols changing, civil unrest, an airline strike, or Mother Nature getting sassy.

In fact, all of these things have happened in the past year. When something happens on vacation, you want to know that someone has your back.

When a professional travel professional (like me) manages your travel, I can support you and advocate for you no matter where in the world you are. I can jump on the phone to airlines, tour operators, and tourism boards. I can change your plans or make new plans.

I can get you home or move you somewhere else. And I’m only ever one click away from – my messenger, email, or phone.

When you book travel on your own or through an online travel website, you don’t get that. You are left on your own to troubleshoot everything – often in a foreign country, language and currency.

Don’t let that happen to you. I’d love to support you if an emergency arises while you’re traveling. That peace of mind is everything!

10. We keep you within your Budget

Stay on budget. Whether you’re traveling lean or luxury, there is a Travel Advisor for everyone.

By using a travel agent just pay a one-time planning fee and I’ll work with your travel goals.

Recently a friend of mine told me that she thought you had to be rich or spend tens of thousands of dollars on a vacation in order to use a professional travel advisor. 

Myth: A professional travel advisor will always try to upsell you and make you spend more than you have or want to so that they earn a commission.

Truth: FALSE. Big fat lie. Big fact misunderstanding. Here’s how it works…

1. Qualified and certified professionals like myself often charge a one off planning fee (just like if you went to see an attorney or tax specialist. For that one fee, we do all of the planning, research, verifications, and bookings. We then put together all of the individual elements into one set of easy to follow travel documents.
   
2. We ALWAYS work inside your budget. If your budget is $1000 or $10000, all you have to do is let us know. We will present flight and accommodation/cruise options that fit in that budget. We may suggest adjusting the length of your vacation or the style of accommodation, or perhaps a different flight to help your budget.
   

Let’s sum it up!

When you use a travel agent, like yours truly, the bulk of the not-so-fun part of the vacation planning is done for you. Then, when you are on your vacation, having a blast, I’m behind the scenes, helping facilitate. And when you get home, I’ll check back in to make sure everything went according to plan.

To get started on your next holiday, all you have to do is schedule a complimentary vacation consult call 👉Here. I can’t wait to chat about all your travel dreams and turn them into a reality for you.

Looking for some fun inspiration? Then check out these articles: First Trip to Paris – Top Ten Tips, Top Tips for Your First Trip to Portugal, Guide to Seeing the Best of Rome in 3 Days. Until we chat, Happy Armchair Traveling! And by the way, I’m always available at jennifer@gourmetadventurestravel.com. 🌟