• Travel Agents Will Go the Extra Mile
Travel agents work for you and will do everything they can to meet your travel needs. Some agents literally go that extra mile to help their clients. Your travel professional is your personal traveler advocate with your best interests as a priority.
• Save Money!
Strong working relationships with travel suppliers and the latest in computer reservations technology enable travel agents to access the most up-to-date information on how to get you the best value. Smaller niche travel companies with minimum overhead can offer you better deals these days than mega corporations who accrue larger overhead bills.
• Convenience
Experienced travel professionals offer one-stop shopping for all travel arrangements. Can give reputable referrals, guide you with airfare deals and process trip insurance
Customer Service – travel agents are knowledgeable and active in the industry. Current training and resource materials equip them with the tools to offer the highest quality of service.
How do I know if the travel agent is right for me?
Travel choices are personal decisions which reflect individual desires and lifestyles. By talking to and getting to know your travel professional and their core values you will know if it is the one that best suits your needs. Consider the travel agent’s willingness to listen and answer questions. The best agents want to establish a long-term relationship with a client, not just close the deal.
What special services do travel agencies offer?
Although most travel agencies provide a wide range of services, some agencies may specialize in areas such as family travel, group travel, adventure travel, ecotourism, niche travel or travel for people with special needs or who are disabled. Ask questions to see if your travel agent is willing and able to provide those services which you want and need.
Travel agents maintain a client database with individual profiles that include the client’s frequent flyer number, airline seating preference, smoking or non-smoking designation and other specifications for a custom-designed trip. Working with one chosen travel agent is a relationship of trust. Your personal information is safe and since it is kept an automated file you save time by needing to give the same information over and over again.
Arrangements can also be customized to suit business and vacation objectives, personal interests and budget concerns.
How do I know if my travel agent is consumer-conscious?
Check your travel professional’s credentials. Along with having the required up to date standard licenses for selling travel they should also be a participant in the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation. Reputable travel agents work with other travel companies and land operators who are fully insured.
How do I know if my travel agent is well trained?
Ask about your travel agent’s professional background. Good travel professionals know the industry and have been trained in business management, travel and tourism and geography. They have firsthand destination knowledge and have supplemented their agency experience with extensive education and training courses. Ask if they have been certified by a School of Travel or are a Certified Travel Counselor.
Bottom Line
Travel agents are the only unbiased travel professionals who work for you. Experience, constant industry interaction and computer reservations systems make travel agents the only reliable source to design and arrange that trip of a lifetime for you out of fluctuating and often confusing mass travel options.
By booking your travel with a qualified travel professional you save yourself time, money and frustration.
