Debunking The Top 5 Myth About Using A Travel Agent

It has been almost two decades now since the emergence and eventual dominance of online booking travel websites. This means, there is an entire generation of adults today that do not even have a clue how people used to book travel before Expedia, Kayak and Air B&B. Even though a lot of Millennials are catching on to the benefits of using a Travel Agent, there a still many that do not even know travel agents exists. What this lack of knowledge about Travel Specialists and the services that they provide has left us with, is a large group of our population who’s perception of a travel agent is based on a variety of myths and misconceptions delivered to them by sources that are equally as ignorant about the subject. My belief is that consumers of any product should choose what and how they purchase based on accurate and adequate information. So if your reason to not use a travel agent rests on any of these 5 myths, I am here to tell you why you may have been misled.

1. Travel Agents Charge Extra Fees And Surcharges

There are travel agents that work with premium clients to organize and schedule their travel plans, and many of those travel agents may charge an extra fee for that service, and those clients are aware of the costs and is willing to pay them. However, most travel agents make their earnings from commissions paid to them by the vendors and suppliers they use to book their clients travel. When they bring a vendor a customer, they get paid a commission for that referral. This is no different from a real estate agent working with a client looking to buy a home. The person purchasing the home does not pay the agent. It is the person selling the home that pays the commission. So if your reason for not using a travel agent is due to your belief that they will charge you additional fees for their services, I am here to tell them you that most travel agents do not charge any extra fees for their services.

2. There Is No Benefit To Using A Travel Agent

This one is always funny to me. In my opinion, there is always a benefit to having someone else do the work for me instead of doing it myself. Especially when the cost is free or minimal. However, there are others that may prefer to invest hours online price shopping and reading through hundreds of reviews. Even still, there are still a few benefits you get from using a travel agent that you simply cannot get anywhere else. I am talking about benefits such as; having someone to call to fix any issues for you that may arise during or before your travels, having an unbiased representative to ask specific questions about the different products and services, having someone answer the phone that speaks your language. If these things are valuable to you, then you will definitely get a lot of value using a travel agent to plan your trip.

3. Online Deals Are Better

There are a lot of amazing deals online. However, what many consumers fail to realize that, the same deals you see online, travel agents know where to find them too. What many consumers also fail to realize most times before it’s too late, is that what looks like a good deal online, may turn out to be not so good when you show up at the hotel. Your travel agent is more than capable of finding you the same or better deals than what you find online. They have access to inventory and net prices that you will not find on any website available to the public. However, a travel agents job is not to find you the best deal, but the best value for your budget.

4. Travel Agents Try To Sell You Products They Get Higher Commissions On

Travel Agents very rarely spend money on sales and marketing. The almost strictly rely on relationships and referrals to drive their business. For this reason, any smart travel agent will always make sure that the client’s needs are met first because their business growth depends on it. So while it is true that most travel agents prefer to sell the products that they make the most commissions on, as would any business person, they simply cannot afford it. Happy clients equal successful agents.

5. Consumers Can Put Together The Same Packages On Their Own

If you have never used a travel agent, you would probably not understand when I say, that there are certain packages that only a travel agent can make happen. As a consumer, your flexibility and options are limited to whatever you can find on the public websites. The inventories you see on these sites are usually limited to whatever contract that particular site has with the hotel. Room options, travel dates additional perks and benefits, are all things that may not be displayed to you on a travel booking site. Travel Agents, on the other hand, have access to everything. They can work with any or all of the vendors to do research and come up with the best possible value for your money.