10 Types Of Travelers That Need A Travel Agent

Most people would wonder how travel agents continue to stay relevant when booking a trip online seems to be so easy and convenient for anyone that has access to the Internet. The most straightforward answer to any question in that regard is that travel agents continue to be very relevant because there are a group of travelers that need customization and a more personalized level of service when they are making their travel plans. These types of customers are either too busy with their regular lives to invest the time in doing the research necessary to put a trip together, or they have complicated travel itineraries that go way beyond the limitations of internet booking engines. Those out of the loop of what’s happening in the travel industry may find the idea of talking to someone on the phone to book trip very old school. However, recent research conducted by ASTA (American Society Of Travel Agents) shows that travelers are once again going back to using travel agents to help with vacation planning. Who exactly are these travelers? Let’s look at the main categories of travelers that has travel planning requirements that calls for the assistance of a travel agent.

Business Travelers

There isn’t much room for errors when business travelers are going on a business trip. A missed flight connection, inconvenient hotel locations, a simple mistake, could mean missing out on an opportunity worth hundreds of thousands even millions of dollars. When business travelers are traveling, they need to be fully organized and have someone that they can call on to make quick last minute changes if necessary. Who else can provide the service and assurance business travelers need better than a trained travel specialist? By having a travel agent take care of the travel portion of their business trip, business travelers can focus their full attention on the business aspect, which makes taking a business trip way less stressful.

Travelers Going On A Bucket List Trip

When someone has waited all their lives to take this one special trip, they need everything to be perfect. This means the more accurate information and expert guidance they get the better. Doing independent research online may present conflicting information, which may make it difficult at times to know exactly what to believe. This is when these travelers call on a destination specialist that have spent years sending others like themselves to the desired destination, and who have also been there themselves and have first-hand knowledge of the experience. By enlisting the services of a destination specialist, bucket-list travelers not only ensure their trip is properly planned, but they also benefit from useful destination insight to help improve the overall vacation experience.

Large Groups

From cooperate incentive trips to large family vacations, when it comes to putting itineraries together for large groups, travel agents rule. Not only does internet booking engines lack the inventory options to cater to large group bookings, but these booking engines also lack the flexibility to cater to the broad range of budget and personal preferences. A travel agent will take the time to have a conversation with each person within the group to find out their needs and customize their trip within the group bookings. By using a travel agent, group leaders saves themselves time on dealing with the overwhelming logistics that is involved in booking a trip for a large group.

When Planning A Destination Weddings

A destination wedding is a term used to describe marriages taken from a bride and groom's local residence to a foreign tourist destination. When getting married in a foreign country, certain legal and planning requirements have to get fulfilled to ensure a successful ceremony. When nervous brides and grooms want to make sure everything goes well for their destination wedding, they look to the services of a travel agent working as a destination wedding specialist. The travel agent will ensure all the legal and travel arrangements get handled properly, allowing the bride and groom to relax and focus on getting married.

Travelers That Like To Travel In Peak Travel Season

Peak travel seasons are called "Peak" for a reason. That reason is usually that those times of the year are some of the best times to go on a vacation. This is when hotel rooms and airline tickets become expensive, and availability may be hard to find at some of the most popular destinations. This is a great time to contact a travel agent. Travel agents have exclusive access to suppliers and wholesalers that buy inventory that's only made available to travel agents. Travel agents also have relationships with vendors that they can leverage to get you special favors such as a free upgrade at a hotel, when all other avenues are showing the premium rooms as "Sold Out".

Special Needs Travelers

Special needs travelers need to ensure that the airline and hotel of choice, have the correct setup to accommodate their mandatory travel requirements. These travelers cannot afford to leave the guaranteed comfort of their stay to limited online information, so they instead prefer to work with a travel agent. The travel agent will take care of all the planning and communication with the hotel to make sure all requirements can be fulfilled.

First Time Travelers

Traveling for the first time can be pretty nerve racking. First-time travelers find comfort and peace of mind in consulting a travel expert to provide them with useful travel tips and location insight that increases the chance of a smooth and enjoyable first-time experience. When traveling, even though things work out great more times than not, if something does happen and you are not an experienced traveler, a simple situation can become even worse if you do not have the knowledge to fix it. Having an expert on standby that you can call, prevents you from having to try to figure out or fix anything.

Travellers Booking A Cruise

Every cruising experience is different, and your travel agent will be able to help you find the best cruise for your preferences. A travel agent will assist you with flight arrangement, pre and post cruise stays, in port excursions and help in finding deals for meal and drink packages. Best of all, travel agents are incredible at finding the best deals for cruises.

Booking A Disney Trip

Using a travel agent to book a trip to Disney world is a strong recommendation, even by the sales and reservations team at Disney. Disney offers special training for travel agents, so agents that are Certified Disney Specialist, will know how to create your Disney itinerary, as they have all the information needed to let you know when is the best time to go, what rides to try, how far in advance you need to reserve special activities.

Booking A Special Interest Trip

When you are looking to go on a special interest trip such as a Safari, Eco or Adventure tour, it is almost impossible to find the perfect itinerary by simply searching online. Finding a specialist that has experience in your particular travel interest will save you time on research, and help you create the perfect itinerary.