Below is a guest post from Travel Agent Laura Gibson of Love Shack Vacations. She shares the importance of trusting a travel agent’s experience to get you the best deal.
Trust your travel agent!
Whenever you make a large investment, like buying a car, it’s a good idea to do some research. But when you’re actually purchasing the car, it’s always helpful to have a professional on your side.
The same should be true for planning an important trip! If you want to get the most experience for your money, you should consult a travel agent, someone who is an expert on all things travel.
A lot of online advertisements for vacation packages flash low prices, and that’s what sucks people in. When all you’re focused on is getting a good deal, it’s easy to get lulled into believing that the price is all that matters. But that’s not the full picture.
I was working with a couple recently that was planning their honeymoon. We had decided on their resort in Maui and were working on the details when the bride-to-be emailed me saying she found a great deal online. It was $700 cheaper than what I had found for them.
When I looked at the details for this “great deal,” the fine print showed that their first layover was only 32 minutes long in a large airport. Someone not accustomed to traveling might not notice a detail like this. Luckily, I caught this detail and explained to my clients how problematic this could be.
They decided to let me plan the rest of their trip, and I was able to find them a reduced price for accommodations at their first choice resort in Maui. I ended up saving them $500, and they had more than enough time during their layover to get to their connecting flight without feeling rushed.
It’s small details like layover times that travel agents know to pay attention to. The average traveler may not know to watch out for those kinds of things. That’s why it pays to consult with an expert.
The other danger I’ve seen clients run into when trying to research their own trip is getting bogged down with choices. An online search for trips to Jamaica, for example, brings up pages and pages of options. It can be extremely tedious filtering through thousands of search results trying to find the best deal.
When you hire a travel agent, all of the filtering and sifting through options is done for you. As an experienced travel agent, I know where to get the best deals. I’ve been planning these trips for years and know exactly which resorts to look into without the help of a search engine.
About a year ago, a couple came to me to help plan their honeymoon. They told me their budget and that they wanted to travel to the Caribbean, but they were having trouble deciding on a specific location. I knew right away which locations would be a good fit for them. I sent back three options for their honeymoon, all within the couple’s budget and meeting the criteria they wanted for their trip.
About a week later, the bride responded with a few options she had found through her own research. There were several locations on the list that were bound to be more expensive. I explained to the client that non-chain resorts were going to be more expensive and include less in the travel package than the options I had suggested. After several conversations, the bride ended up choosing one of the resorts I had originally suggested.
Trust is an essential part of any relationship, and that includes one between a travel agent and their client. I trust my clients to give me the details of what they want out of their romantic getaway, and my clients trust me to get them the best deal possible for an unforgettable trip.
My best experiences with clients are the ones where they trust me completely to plan their dream vacation. I truly feel bad when clients miss out on deals because they are holding out for a better opportunity, not always trusting that I have their best interest at heart.
Leave the stress of planning and research to the professionals and enjoy your vacation. Trust me, you deserve it!
If you want to learn more about the benefits of hiring a travel agent and about what Laura Gibson could do for you as you plan your vacation, check out her profile in our directory by simply clicking here.
