I hear it time and time again, “I would never pay for a travel agent.” or “I don’t need one. I can do it myself.” or “I like having control of my own vacation.” Everyone has a reason for NOT using a travel agent, but most of these people may not actually understand how a travel agent works. So, let’s clear the air, shall we?
First and foremost, it’s FREE. Yes, you read that right. Using a travel agent is absolutely free to you. When you enlist a travel agent to help plan your vacation and take care of all the tedious booking, you don’t have to shell out an hourly fee or an upfront charge.
Secondly, you aren’t actually “losing control” of your vacation. If you book a cruise through me, you can still access your cruise planner account to choose your own excursions, buy your drink packages, sign up for specialty dining, etc. It’s all still right there, at your fingertips. You can access your Disney account to make dining and FastPass+ reservations or you can ask me to. Either way, you’re still in control. The only thing you must allow the agent to do is book the trip, make payments on the trip, and handle any changes/cancellations to the trip. And seriously, why would you want to call a 1-800 number just to be on hold for 45+ minutes when someone else can do that for you? This is about saving you the hassle, not taking away your control.
See, having a travel agent is similar to having an insurance policy (without the cost, of course). By booking through me, you’ll always have someone there to take care of things whenever something unexpected comes up. I’m looking at you, Hurricane Dorian. We plan our vacations far in advance. That’s the nature of the industry. But we can never really know for sure what’s going to happen when the time comes to take that trip. Will you have time to sit on the phone with Royal Caribbean or Disney or Sandals or any number of resorts if something suddenly changes? I will. I’ll figure out what your options are and present you with the best scenarios for adjusting your travel plans. You don’t have to worry about any of it.
If that doesn’t already have you sold on booking with a travel agent, don’t worry. What I’m about to tell you might just put you over the edge…
Travel agents get you the BEST deals. We have access to hundreds of suppliers that regular travelers don’t, meaning that there are deals out there you’ll never be able to find without booking through me. And I assure you, if it’s out there, I’ll find it. In fact, if I book your vacation with a great deal only to discover a newer, greater deal months later, I can automatically add the better offer to your vacation. Big corporations like Disney aren’t going to do that for you, but I can. Just like I can sometimes provide special perks like Onboard Credits for cruises, special group rates, and more.
As you can see, there are several reasons why using a travel agent to book your vacation is beneficial to you—and I haven’t even mentioned the wealth of knowledge we all have regarding destinations and activities—but to me, the most important reason to book through a travel agent is the simple fact that you’ll be supporting a small business. I’m not a multi-billion-dollar company; I’m a mom. I’m a mom who’s paying for her kids to go to college, to take dance lessons, to inevitably go over their cell phone minutes. I’m a mom who loves to travel hassle-free with her family, and I want the same easy, convenient experience for yours. That’s why you should book with me.
So, what do you say? Are you starting to see the perks of booking through a travel agent? If the answer’s yes, don’t waste any time waiting. Request a quote with me today!
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