Why You Need A Travel Agent In Todays Day And Age
In a world full of book yourself platforms, like Expedia and Priceline, many people ask, “why do I need a travel agent? I can book my own vacation and get a great deal.” The truth is, platforms like Expedia are not giving you the best possible deal. Travel agents are the ones getting the best of the best deals out there. We also get perks included in many vacations that Expedia just can’t offer you.
Even I thought I was doing something by catching deal on Expedia, but man was I ever wrong! It is impossible to break down each and every benefits of using a travel agent for your booking, but here are some examples. Let’s say you are booking a hotel on your own, you got a great room rate and now they’re trying to upsell you on a breakfast package each morning. This same hotel could very possibly offer free breakfast each morning included in your great room rate, plus a happy hour voucher, but you would never know since you are booking on your own. These types of perks are offered for bookings through travel agents. Airlines also will distribute X amount of seats to multiple different channels at different rates, Expedia, Tripadvisor, travel agents etc. More times than not, the flight rate offered to travel agents is way better than what is publicly advertised on the actual airlines website or other third party platforms. You can even sometimes get a better cabin class for your intended budget. Sometimes travel agents can even help you save points while still getting your preferred flight. So, if you want to make sure you are getting the best deals and perks, best practice is to use a travel agent.
Now before you get discouraged about having to contact an agent, you can self serve the entire process, as long as you are using an agents link. You may want to book a trip late at night and want to guarantee yourself the best deal. You can do that, just using an agent link. Here is mine for your convenience.
By self serving, you avoid any fees that agents may have to plan your trip for you and you’re not on anyone else's time waiting around for a response. It’s as easy as using any other platform to book yourself a trip, just with some added perks. Now if you want to maximize your savings and get the best value, including saving some points, I would highly suggest working directly with a travel agent one-on-one.
