So, you’ve decided you need a vacation. You may have a destination in mind, or maybe all you have is a general idea, nothing set in stone. Now you just need to decide whether you are going to plan the trip yourself or draw on the expertise of a travel adviser.
When deciding to use a travel adviser, you should first consider the trip’s scope and duration. If it’s going to be a shorter, closer-to-home kind of furlough, one that lacks an abundance of complicated moving parts—maybe your idea of a great vacation is to chill for a week somewhere close to home, knowing exactly how to have a good time—then it probably makes sense to plan the details on your own.
However, if your idea of a dream vacation contains many moving parts, several different locations; maybe you’d like to personalize your trip, have a customized experience, then using an agency or adviser is going to be your best bet.
Here are a few reasons why:
Experience Matters
If you’re anything like me, by the time you finally zip your suitcase closed and are ready to head to the airport, after booking hotels, securing flights and connections, making all the transportation arrangements and all the other particulars involved, you don’t feel much like going on vacation anymore due to the three new ulcers it already caused.
Travel advisers are medicinal in this way. They prescribe a little pre-vacation relaxation by taking care of the nuts and bolts for you, which allows your vacation to begin the way every vacation should: stress-free.
They take care of virtually everything for you:
- Book flights and hotels
- Arrange transportation
- Ensure accommodations match the itinerary
- If going with a group, they will make sure everyone’s schedule lines up and are squared away
But the experience of a travel adviser extends far beyond simply booking flights and hotels.
It’s likely they have visited the place you’re headed; or have clients who’ve been on the same trip, and can anticipate potential problems before they become, well, problems.
Connections
Life is easier when you’re connected, and a travel adviser is as connected as a wiseguy.
Travel advisers have access to deals and promotional discounts you will never see. Over the years, they have developed and maintained relationships with chefs, hotels, cruise lines and tour operators around the world, which often yield extras, like, say, extra spa-time or a meal credit.
Fixers
Due to the nature of travel, travel advisers are natural “Fixers.”
The idea that we are in control is an aegis we hide behind to bolster feelings of security, of safety. When traveling, any number of things can cause the wheels to pop off the tracks. Advisers make sure there are no unpleasant surprises, like previously-hidden-suddenly-surfacing resort fees or weather-related cancellations. And when (not if) something does go wrong, when something breaks, agents are there to get things fixed and back on track.
Architects
If perhaps, the vacation of your dreams exists only as an abstract concept you have no idea how to actualize, a travel agency or consultant can help you customize an experience you will never forget.
Click here to create your custom tour with an experienced travel advisor.
