Travel Agents - Are they worth it?
- Thread starter sleuth
- Start date
Club'nBabySeals
Where are my pants?
It depends what kind of a vacation you're looking for, and where you want to go/what you hope to accomplish.
99% of the time, I do without the travel agent because I've found that you can usually do it cheaper and more flexibly without one; but on rare occasion, an experienced one can be helpful.
Where are you planning your honeymoon, just out of curiosity?
99% of the time, I do without the travel agent because I've found that you can usually do it cheaper and more flexibly without one; but on rare occasion, an experienced one can be helpful.
Where are you planning your honeymoon, just out of curiosity?
For something as important as a honeymoon, I would definitely use a travel agent. And I say this as someone who's been booking on Expedia since they started operation.
Go down to Carlson Wagonlit in Laurel Glen - they put together mine and Larry's wedding/honeymoon and did a fantastic job.
Go down to Carlson Wagonlit in Laurel Glen - they put together mine and Larry's wedding/honeymoon and did a fantastic job.
SmallTown
Football season!
A good travel agent is invaluable if you are going some place you have never gone before. You might be able to save a few bucks doing it yourself, but you are going to spend a lot of time doing it. I value my time, it is definately worth telling an agent where you want to go, where you want to fly out of, and let them get back to you with all of the numbers and everything already reserved. No idea about the kickbacks they receive, but I'm sure they exist. But on the same note, if they happen to deal with a particular property often, they might be able to throw in a few extras that you might not receive otherwise.
C
cyphertext69
Guest
sleuth said:
I have an awesome Cruise Travel Agent if you want her number....she hooks me up with really good prices!
desertrat
0_0
SmallTown said:
Key word "good" . I was watching the news a couple of nights ago and they had a piece about a couple who booked a vacation to a resort and when the cab dropped them at the site it was a huge empty lot. Seems the resort had never gotten built. Check out whatever you book for yourself. They do recieve kickbacks and don't always offer every possibility. You can do better on your own, but they do take a lot of the work and worry out of it. Good luck!
SmallTown said:
If you know exactly what you want to do and it's complicated to arrange (i.e., lots of stop overs, stays, etc) then it probably makes sense to use a travel agent to save yourself time.
Personally I prefer to do the research myself because I'm a control freak and I'll find things I never knew I never knew. For example, I'm planning a trip to Italy now. When I told a travel agent I want an outdoor, REI type vacation, they gave me lots of brochures with bicycle tours but nothing else. I hate bicycling. But from doing some research I've found a place to kayak. I'd hate to be bicycling in Tuscany and THEN find out I could have been kayaking on the coast. Also, I've always gotten better rates myself than using any travel agent.
FromTexas
This Space for Rent
As said above it comes down to two things... Your ability to do the research and your ability to know what you are getting yourself into as a traveler. If going out of country, this exponentially can make a situation worse if you do not know what you are doing. If you are not an experienced world traveler, definitely go with an agent to arrange everything if you travel overseas. If you aren't an experienced travel shopper and know plenty about where you are going within the country, still use a travel agent. Travel agents often can make sure you not only have a good place to stay (not luck of the internet), have everything you need, but they can also point out what you should see and do there within your interests (so you don't just get there and spend half the time trying to figure out what to do ... pre-plan). Never think something is as simple as just getting plane tickets there and a hotel.
That said, I do not use a travel agent. However, I have traveled enough over the years to generally know what to expect in different types of travel or how to get the correct and appropriate information. If I were going someplace completely foreign to me, I would probably find a travel service that specialized in that location to make sure I had an easy going trip.
The last part.. This is your honeymoon. It is incredibly important to the person you are marrying. No matter how much you know or think you know, getting the best travel agent should be your preferred route. Vrai mentioned Carlson above. I also recommend American Express Travel Group.
That said, I do not use a travel agent. However, I have traveled enough over the years to generally know what to expect in different types of travel or how to get the correct and appropriate information. If I were going someplace completely foreign to me, I would probably find a travel service that specialized in that location to make sure I had an easy going trip.
The last part.. This is your honeymoon. It is incredibly important to the person you are marrying. No matter how much you know or think you know, getting the best travel agent should be your preferred route. Vrai mentioned Carlson above. I also recommend American Express Travel Group.