It was with great amusement we read the above title as a press release earlier today.
“Professional, well-connected and experienced travel agents score high marks when it comes to making complex travel arrangements for luxury vacation customers,” says Nancy Yale, President, Cruise Resort & World Travel, Inc.
We tend to agree with the above statement…although we find the press release lacking in any useful information. The problem is that most travel agents lack what they once did…In the old days, they received many discounted fares and commissions…now they get little of either…much of their advantages have been eroded by the internet.
The appeal of agents comes now from their familiarity with hotels, tours, and other arrangements…essentially, the full service expertise. However, with job sites like Craigslist offering people the opportunity to be part-time travel agents at home with no experience…a large percentage of these people are merely sucking the money out of your pocket.
We have no objection with paying someone to do the work for you(even if self-service is cheaper)…but agents usually build their labor into the price…so you have no idea how much money they’ve saved you, or bilked you out of. And the pressure to keep their prices competitive with self-service options means that when there is a problem…there is little incentive for them to go the extra mile for you.
We know there are travel agents out there who are not cut-rate, disinterested, and undertrained outfits….but the ones who are exceed them in great numbers. Unless you find someone who demonstrates to you they know what they are talking about…do it yourself. Ask the airline for help…they often have discounts on various parts of their trips available…ie vacation offers…if you do it through them. Do your research.
If you don’t…you might find yourself caught between an unqualified agent, and an airline who didn’t book the ticket, even if they are transporting you, and doesn’t consider themselves responsible for helping you.