What does a travel agent do?
Over my years in the industry, I have realized that there is a common misconception in the general public about what travel agents do. I want to help share some information to better educate potential travelers about the advantages of using a travel agent, what a travel agent does, how much a travel agent costs, and more.
Travel agents add value
I came up with an analogy for what a travel agent does. (Video version below, but here is the gist.) Imagine you’re at your favorite restaurant; you’re hungry and ready to order, but no one comes to take your order. You go back to the kitchen and decide to prepare your own food. You make your own food all the time at home, right - no big deal? You sit back down at your table to eat it. Then when you get the check at the end of your meal it was the same price as if you had been served a chef-prepared meal.
Did you feel like you got your money’s worth? Was that dining experience as valuable as it could have been? No — but you still paid for it. It is same thing with travel. You’re paying the same amount for that vacation package if you book it yourself, or if one of our experienced travel agents booked it for you. But now you have to do all the research, planning, reservations, itineraries, coordinating, etc. yourself. Wouldn’t it be more enjoyable if you didn’t have to worry or stress or plan anything? You just got to show up and enjoy your vacation? That is the value a quality travel agent adds.
Who needs a travel agent?
While the overarching theme (wanting to have a great vacation) is the same, every family is different. For some, convenience is most important and for others it is budget. I always say that I’m your “Disney fiduciary” — helping provide recommendations that fit your family best. Whether it is an adults-only anniversary trip or a multi-generational trip for the kids’ first visit, there is a destination for you. My first step is to understand what is most important to you this trip and then I tailor my recommendations to build your package and itinerary.
If you’ve gone online and realize — woah! There are a lot more options to choose from than I initially thought (p.s. there are over 30 resorts at Walt Disney World), where do I go from here? You need a travel agent.
If you go to Disneyland every year, but you’re looking for something new… you need a travel agent.
If you haven’t been on a cruise since before covid… you need a travel agent.
If you believe in supporting small business… please use a travel agent.
There is nothing more heartbreaking to a travel agent than hearing someone say — “I just booked my trip to _______!” Life is busy/stressful/complicated, so don’t make it any harder on yourself than it needs to be! Let a travel agent book it for you. In addition to it not costing you anything extra, you may also get perks based on our relationships with the supplier*. And you’re supporting a small business!
Remember, you’re paying for it either way, you might as well get our time-saving assistance.
What do travel agents do?
Now you know what additional value a travel agent provides and who needs one, but what does a travel agent do? Travel agents wear many, many hats; here is a list of just some of the various things that we do:
Initial travel consultation
Vacation package quotes and proposals
Booking the vacation
Communicating special requests or needs (i.e. adjoining rooms, ground floor, special assistance, celebrations, etc.)
Advising on current policies and procedures
Guidance on every step in the planning process
Examples for Walt Disney World: Creating Friends & Family in MyDisneyExperience, linking reservations, sending instructions for Park Pass Reservations, dining recommendations, making dining reservations, making activity reservations, applying payments on the package, reminding of deadlines or important dates approaching, and more!
Coordinate transfers or ground transportation
Reserving strollers or ECV scooters from preferred suppliers
Researching and booking excursions and activities
Providing information on Travel Insurance plans
Making changes and/or cancellations
Major added value since you don’t have to wait on hold for hours, which was common in the early days of resumed travel after the pandemic
Remember the Southwest Airlines debacle in December? I had a client that was supposed to fly to Orlando that day to meet up with extended family at Walt Disney World. Without any flights for days, they decided to load up the car and drive. I was able to get everything adjusted for them - from the resort stay to park pass reservations, dining adjustment and more. She could just focus on her family and getting there safely.
Create a customized itinerary before you travel with tips, tricks and recommendations
Including the new Genie+ instructions and tips
A personal resource for you to ask any/all your questions!
This is one of the most valuable of all, if you ask me. Please avoid those Facebook groups that often have misinformation in them. Things are constantly changing and the one time that one acquaintance went 4 years ago isn’t going to be as helpful today as it was… well, 4 years ago. Rely on an expert in the travel industry.
How much does a travel agent cost?
It might seem repetitive to say, but I’ll say it again — It doesn’t cost anything extra to work with us as along as we book the vacation package. So it is free? Yes! Or, rather, as explained above, you’re paying for it regardless in the cost of your vacation. So the next time you’re looking online, remember that you can contact us and we can save you time, stress, and often money on your next vacation.
How can I save you money? As a benefit to all of my clients who already have a non-discounted vacation package booked with me, I will go in whenever Disney releases a new offer and apply that to their package if it qualifies. My client just receives a fun email saying, “Hi! This offer came out today, I applied it to your package, and it save you $XX!” You don’t have to watch for discounts, you don’t have to “mention this offer” with me to receive it, I’ll always do what is in your best interests.
As we’re expanding into other destinations, like all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican, it also doesn’t cost you anything extra to have us book this for you. Not only is it the same price as what you see online, but we can help you decide between this resort or that one, understand the ambiance of different properties, quality of the food, cleanliness and service.
Also, we may have booking incentives which offer you things like resort credit to use at the spa or on excursions, complimentary airport transfers to/from the resort, and additional savings that aren’t always promoted online.
Contact us
Hopefully this helps explain a little more about what a travel agent does and how we can help you. So what are you waiting for? Give yourself back the gift of time in your busy schedule and let us do the heavy lifting. Contact us today for a free vacation quote to get the conversation started.
Watch:
Click the image below to watch the video explaining the analogy between a travel agent and an experienced chef at a restaurant.
*Supplier is the company you’re booking with — for example the Walt Disney Travel Company, Royal Caribbean International, Universal Vacations, Excellence Resorts, etc.
