The Value of a Travel Advisor
I am a travel consultant / agent / designer / curator / professional /insert your favorite word for “expert” here… Why should use me to plan your vacation travel? The benefits of using a travel professional to plan and book your travel can be priceless. Just ask anyone who's been stuck in an airport because of a cancelled flight, been walked from an overbooked hotel or stranded when a tour or airport shuttle didn’t show up. So let’s start with the reasons you don’t…
1) I like researching and booking my trips myself. – OK, I can’t argue the first point. I love learning about new destinations too. But do you really like spending hours reading countless online descriptions and reviews of the various hotel/tour/transportation options to make sure you’ve found the “perfect” one… How much time do you spend second guessing yourself? Do you really WANT to book, confirm and reconfirm all the elements of your trip? My best clients love to research their trips – they come up with a destination, sometimes a desired itinerary or list of things they want to do… that’s the fun part. Then they let me do the heavy lifting. I research through all the options presenting them with a curated selection of options to choose from. I do the due diligence, working with in-country partners, local experts and industry connections to select the best options. I also handle the booking, confirming, communication and follow up before, during and (if necessary) after your trip.
2) Travel booked through an agent will cost me more than booking online.
Yes… and No! When you compare the total value of the vacation package I will create for you with the package you might purchase through an online travel agency or discount website, you are not comparing apples to apples. It’s kind of like trying to compare the cost of a packaged loaf of bread in the grocery store with an artisanal bread made by a baker or the cost of a piece of clothing from a large department store with a tailored piece of clothing that was made SPECIFICALLY to fit you. The accommodation I select for you will be in the size, style and locale I think you will enjoy with amenities I think you will value. The room I reserve for you will be guaranteed to be in its stated category regardless of the mood of the individual at the front desk. I am able to offer you exclusive amenities in select hotels because of preferred relationships with hotel partners and in-country destination partners. The flights I book for you are with schedules that work for you, on your preferred airline carrier in your preferred class of service. Touring will be at your leisure in your style – private, small group, well-priced. Get the difference?
3) The travel agent has never been to insert destination here…
I travel…A LOT. At least 2 to 3 times per year, usually to new destinations or visiting new areas of somewhere I’ve already been. That means that I have visited and have first-hand knowledge of many of the destinations my clients want to experience. But no, I haven’t been everywhere (it’s on my list)! If I haven’t been to a given destination I tap into my personal “black book” of travel industry professionals. These are people I meet at annual industry conferences, am referred to by fellow agents or have used for previous travelers to a destination. I have the resources of a member-owned community of travel agencies (Signature Travel Network) at the tip of my keyboard providing me with amazing online tools for connecting with destination experts and suppliers. Signature partners with over 1,200 of the top cruise lines, tour operators, in-country suppliers, air, car rental companies and hoteliers. This network includes more than 1,100 of the world’s best hotels, resorts, villas, lodges and spas in 90 countries and 450 unique destinations. I’ve got you covered.
If you want to make travel a priority in your life – make it easy. Let me design a customized trip for you that will create wonderful experiences and lifetime memories!