The value of a travel agent
The Office of a traveling Travel Agent
A common question I get asked has to do with the value of a travel agent in the age of instant information and the ability to do everything yourself. At first I respond with the fact that a Google search on Caribbean cruise just turned up over 5.8 million results.
A travel agent can help you separate the wheat from the chaff and is far more valuable than just a method to book your next vacation. A great travel agent:
- Has experienced the destination, resort or cruise they are selling. If they haven’t been everywhere, in every hotel, or on every cruise; they have their own trusted sources that have.
- Can advise and recommend the right shore excursion for you and your family.
- Has relationships with a variety of vendors in various ports that offer personalized and exceptional service
- Has relationships and clout with a variety of suppliers and can serve as your advocate should something go wrong.
- Puts their professional reputation on the line with each booking and will stand behind that recommendation.
- Can recommend a special restaurant to make that vacation truly memorable.
- Continues to improve his or her product knowledge through attendance at trade shows; taking online refresher training and webinars and of course by experiencing the cruises and vacations as a consumer.
- Knows when you should book return flight so that you are not stuck at an airport just waiting to check-in (outside of security)
There are so many things you can do in life on your own now with the massive availability of information online. Does this mean that you should? Do you change your own oil; do your own taxes by hand; or even perform minor surgery on yourself or a loved one? Did you know you can do all of these things with the information online? However there is a huge difference between information and knowledge.
What is the value of a travel agent? Trust me should you really need the service of one, you will find a travel agent invaluable for all of the reasons listed above as well as many others!
Chuck and Laura Flagg own The Flagg Agency in Canton, GA and our number is 770-355- 9569
We are fee-based travel consultants and our specialty is the selecting,
planning, marketing and administering vacations for groups of all sizes.
We help people find a travel experience that matches both their wants AND their needs.
