I've read some interesting comments regarding whether or not to use a Travel Agent to book honeymoons or destination weddings or any trip for that matter.
It's logical to assume....as many people, particularly younger people do today, that the Travel Agent went the way of the dinosaur when the internet was invented.
That assumption would be wrong.
Travel Agents....or Travel Consultants as we should officially be labeled...are now more relevent then ever in the internet age. Just Googleing the words..."All Inclusive Vacations," you'll find over 17,000,000 hits. Which one of those offers the best deal?
I can't tell you how many times I have talked to people who are willing to spend hours on the internet searching for just that right place to go on vacation or to have their honeymoon or destination wedding. And they are increasingly getting frustrated by the amount of information and don't know where to turn. But here's the question.....can you trust the source you are looking at? Numerous reports have surfaced over the past year or so of people booking on online booking engines, and finding that they didn't get what they paid for. Or the resort looked nothing like it did in the pictures online.
Yes....that's right....it's called "marketing." No brochure or website at any vacation destination is going to say that their rooms are in a bad location or that their beach is small and rocky or that their food is barely edible. No....they are going to paint their hotel....resort....cruise line....etc., as being the best place on earth. Even websites that write travel reviews have been under investigation for people writing bogus hotel and resort reviews. Their have been reports of people being hired by hotels and resorts to do just that.
A previous writer in this posting mentioned that Travel Agents must use certain travel suppliers thereby not being able to offer you the best deal. Not so! While it's true that we use certain suppliers....for instance....Apple Vacations, to book trips, we are by no means locked in to using them exclusively. We use certain suppliers because by making more bookings with them we get a higher commission percentage. And that's the name of the game. But if it comes down to making a sale and sticking with a certain travel supplier....most agents will make the sale.
Most agencies will price match anything on the internet. And most agencies will not charge for their services...unless you have a complicated and time consuming itinerary.
A good Travel Agent can save you time and money. If we know what you're specifically looking for in a destination....hotel...cruise.....etc., we can often recommend something in minutes. We take a lot of online courses and at least once a year or more....travel to many of the destinations we sell, so we can relate that information to our clients first hand. The next time you book your all inclusive trip to Mexico or the Caribbean online.....call the customer service department on that website....if they are even in the United States.....and ask the person you talked to if they've ever been to the destination or hotel you are going to.
So, the next time you find yourself spending hours looking on the internet, give your local Travel Agent a call. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what we can offer you.
Fred Kerner
Central Ohio Travel Consultants Association