It is always interesting to think about the world of being a travel agent (we are referred to as Travel Advisors or TA’s these days). Oftentimes, I will speak with people who think that travel advisors no longer exist because of the world of online booking and travel. People will say, “how can you compete with online travel companies (OTC) that give access to the lowest possible price?” It’s quite simple, actually, we can often compete with the lowest prices and offer much, much more value to your trip. Travel Advisors are your most valuable contact to have when planning travel, traveling, and upon your return. Full-service vacation planning done with real, knowledgeable people who build a relationship with you, who’ve been there and that you can trust.
Travel Advisors will custom design a specific trip to match your personal travel needs and budget. They are here for you (just a phone call or email away) from the beginning to the end of your travel experience and upon your return. With so many changes affecting travel plans this year, travel advisors have spent hundreds of hours (usually at no charge) rescheduling and canceling clients’ travel plans. By doing so, we’ve saved our clients countless hours of frustration and their own valuable time changing the trip plans. Our experience and contacts have also allowed us to obtain refunds for our clients that they could usually never have received with online travel companies. Travel Advisors are also very knowledgeable about when and what travel insurance you should have, where you can and can’t go and the current COVID-19 requirements necessary to enter different destinations. We also give you the correct advice on whether you will need passports or visas and often can get the visas lined up for you.
Why You Should Avoid Online Booking Travel Companies for Your Travel Plans
Most online travel companies are reading from a big script book. They likely have never traveled to the destination and are simply regurgitating bullet points of facts and stats provided by the parent company. A huge call center filled with eager sales reps that are typically looking to provide you a turn-key purchase so they can move on and sell something else to the next person to come along. You will often get short-changed on your trip comforts, getting cut-rate prices for a cut-rate travel plan with no extra perks.
The only relationship the online travel salesperson has with the destination is basic facts. When it comes to hotels they have access to the same website and feature list that you do… How big is the hotel? Is there a pool? How many nights? How many beds? Whereas an actual Travel Advisor will make sure the vacation and accommodations are a perfect fit for you based on your preferences and budget. Travel Advisors have personal relationships with the tour companies, wholesalers, hotels, and cruise lines. That allows you to get add-on VIP services and better rooms at hotels that you would not get with OTC’s. We practice what we preach – we travel often to popular destinations so we can gain valuable experience in making suggestions and recommendations for your travel itinerary that you won’t get when booking with OTC’s. Most importantly, in this ever-changing travel world, you want an advocate to go to bat for you, if necessary. You do not have the same personal contact with an OTC employee like you will with a travel advisor. This makes a huge difference in how hard they will work to make sure all of your changes or cancellations are taken care of easily, properly, and to benefit you the most financially.
When flying, each airline has little details that set it apart from all the other airlines. Travel Advisors have access to dependable air consolidators so we are able to get you much lower pricing on Business and First Class airfares then you can reserve yourself directly or through an OTC. Need to get somewhere in comfort? We can recommend whether Business or First Class is truly worth the price (or miles). We can help you maximize your airline miles or credit card rewards to gain an advantage over price fluctuations. You want to fly from this airport to this airport, but do not want to hit any stops between? We work hard to get you the best schedules at the best prices. No more 20-hour trips that should take 6 hours. We can arrange specific seating and special arrangements for your needs. We handle so many more details than just simply entering a start and stop point and telling you a price. We cater to your specific goals and custom tailor a flight plan to get you to your destination in comfort and well-rested. Basically, travel advisors take care of all the little details that OTC’s won’t.
Why You Should Use a Travel Agent to Book All Your Travel Plans
Most people think that an online travel company has a secret connection with the wholesale travel world. But for the most part, we all have access to similar pricing. Our repeat customers are loyal because they know that for roughly the same price, if not the exact same price as a big-online-booking-engine. We can offer you much more and can often add significant perks and VIP benefits that OTC’s either are not able to or will not go out of their way to get for you.
One recent example was a wonderful couple from Northern California celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. They wanted to plan a beachside getaway without having to fly on a plane during COVID-19, as well as get some fresh air from all of the California wildfires that were causing air quality to dip in their hometown. A short drive down the coast allowed them to stay at one of our wonderful hotels, the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach, CA. It was for the Labor Day holiday weekend. Not only was the hotel booked solid, but the rates were through the roof. Our travel agency is located in Huntington Beach, allowing us to leverage the fact that we have direct and personal relationships with the local hotels. We were able to secure a room, at a decent price, and provided several VIP upgrades including a free upgrade to an ocean view room that made their 50th wedding anniversary extra amazing and special.
If they had booked their wedding anniversary trip online, they likely would have been shut out of being able to book a room at all, not to mention there would not have been a simple way to get an upgraded, ocean view without doubling or tripling the price of the room.
Travel Agents Know How to Make It Happen
Our goal is to consistently give our clients the absolute “red carpet” treatment when they travel, and this happens all across the globe due to our long track record of providing exceptional travel planning services. Travelcom has been in business for over 30 years. We’ve helped thousands of people get the perfect vacation, family reunion, couples retreat, honeymoon, destination wedding, or staycation.
We have relationships with every level of service provider in just about every country around the globe. If you are looking for something exotic and tropical, a get back to nature setting, or a fully pampered and taken care of in every way kind of trip, we’ve got plans for you. We are worldwide travel specialists.
The best part, planning the perfect trip is as simple as a phone call or email. No matter what your grand vision for a unique and special trip may be, we are here to help make that happen.
If you are ready to start making plans, we’re here to help. Just give us a call or send us a message and one of our travel planning specialists will get in touch and get started.
At Travelcom, we always preach the message… You don’t deserve just a vacation, you deserve the PERFECT VACATION! So what are you waiting for?