The Planning Process/Why use an Advisor?

1. Save time

We all know time is money, so why waste it researching airlines, cruise ships, hotels, and other travel suppliers when you can lean on an expert who has experienced them first-hand? While you should research which places you want to go (research shows that even the act of planning travel creates happiness), there’s no need to spend your valuable time over the tedious and less exciting details such as hotel reviews and flight options.

2. Avoid Stress

Things that require a significant amount of time and money inevitably tend to create headaches and stress. If recent times have taught us anything, self-care is of prime importance. Working with a Travel Advisor who can do the complex parts for you is an easy way to reduce the amount of stress in your life while still being able to get excited about future travel.

3. Rely on an Expert

Travel advisors are constantly educating themselves on the industry, and what’s coming next. For many, the thought of planning travel in the time of coronavirus and ever-evolving options makes them feel lost or overwhelmed, but that’s where a Travel Advisor can step in and provide expert advice, recommendations and even alternate options when need be.

Would you invest your life savings without an expert? Or build a home? Your vacation is just as important for your well-being, and you should rely on an expert when it comes to planning and booking.

4. Travel Options are More Complex Than They Used to Be

With the current environment, including retiring cruise ships, Covid testing requirements, Vaccine travel passports, Staycations, Pod vacations, never mind the new resorts, and new airline fare categories, keeping up with the options is a full-time job. Having a professional help with the planning and logistics can have a significant impact on how much you spend and how much you enjoy your vacation.

5. The Personal Experience

Often, the best travel deal isn’t the one that best suits you. By working with a Travel Advisor, you’ll make sure that you get the best possible deal for the trip you want to take. Unlike a search engine, a Travel Advisor will consider your personal preferences before seeking out your ideal getaway.

6. You’ll Support Small Business

Like many other small and family-owned businesses, travel agencies are often small businesses, and they need support from those same people whom they’ve helped over the years. Supporting your local Travel Advisor is just another way you can support small businesses and do your part to help jumpstart your local economy.

7. Get Special Access

Travel Advisors have Access that Online Travel Sites and average travelers themselves don’t have. They are much more likely to enhance your trip with some unexpected and authentic moments. It might just be a surprise bottle of champagne upon arrival at your honeymoon resort or a last-minute suite upgrade. There’s no guarantee, but working with an advisor ensures that you have someone looking out for you behind the scenes.

8. Leverage Their Passion

The role of the Travel Advisor might be different than what it was decades ago, but this group’s relentless passion for exploration is among the many reasons they remain so vital today and have been able to overcome past crises, including 9/11 and the Great Recession. A great Travel Advisor can get you excited to see the world and keep you inspired to stay the course in those moments when you aren’t so sure. A good agent will never pressure you to travel but can help plan your dream trip for the time when you are more comfortable and ready to travel.

9. You Get an Instant Network

When you work with a Travel Advisor, you benefit not only from their expertise but also from their many connections. No travel professional has been everywhere, and it would be impossible for them to know everyone and everything. But they’ve undoubtedly participated in FAM (familiarization) trips where they were able to network with other agents and initiate lasting relationships with key players in the travel and tourism industry. This network is something they lean on when it comes to planning the best vacation for their clients. You are getting so much more than just one Travel Advisor when you work with them.

10. A Human Connection that Travels with You

Unlike an online travel engine, your Travel Advisor is with you for the duration of your trip. If you run into any problems, such as a last-minute change, you will have a real person to contact for assistance. Even when an unexpected obstacle is outside of their control, a trusted advisor will go to bat for you and keep in communication until the situation is resolved. You’re never alone when you have a Travel Advisor to lean on.

11. Travel Advisors Not Only Save You Money, They Deliver More Value for Your Vacation Dollars

When working with Travel Advisor, the value you receive will be more significant than what you paid. Cruise lines, luxury hotels, and many resorts get the majority of their customers through Travel Advisors, and they reward the best ones with perks to share with you. Travel Advisors consistently get Access to the best rooms, upgrades, and unique features that are just not available in online databases.