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General

Why Use a Travel Agent?

Why Use a Travel Agent?

By: Sarah Marshall

There was a period in recent years when many people thought that the role of a travel agent might be a thing of the past. The ability to book rooms, flights, and rental cars online either directly or through discount travel sites was convenient and appealing to many travelers. Why use a travel agent when you could just as easily plan a vacation from your couch? The truth is that there are many benefits of using a travel agent—and once you’ve seen what we can do, you’ll never go back to making plans on your own.

Travel agents offer a personalized level of service and expertise that can never be replaced by an impersonal website. They have connections and information that can make your time away more rewarding. They handle all the details, and can help with any problems that come up while you’re away. For all these reasons and more, it pays to have a travel agent on your side!

Benefits of Using a Travel Agent

Let’s start with the basics: what does a travel agent do? You can think of your travel agent as a kind of personal assistant. Instead of checking apps and websites to build your plans, you can simply tell your travel agent what you want and let them take care of everything. If it sounds too good to be true, it’s only because you’ve never experienced the benefits of using a travel agent for yourself.

  1. Travel Agents are Travel Experts

Travel agents are experts on all things travel because we love to do it ourselves. One of the reasons I chose to become a travel agent is that I love to travel, so it just made sense to turn my passion into my career and pass on my expertise to you. Of course, if you’ve read the About section of our website, you know the story of our son Aiden and how travel changed his life for the better. We have been all over the world with Aiden, and I wake up every day excited to help other families like ours book trips and make memories together. I love to see your photos, hear your stories upon your return, and see families so excited about their experiences that they cannot wait to book their next adventure. 

  1. Travel Agents Handle the Smallest Details

What does a travel agent do? “What don’t we do?” might be an even better question. All of those little details that can seem like a nightmare for you to handle? I love that stuff!  I understand the ins and outs of navigating airports, finding the best airline for your destination, getting from the airport to your destination, and all of the parts of travel that are not always fun. If you need a specific type of rental car, I can help. If you need to figure out all of the documents required to travel outside of the country, I can help. For many people, the journey is part of the destination, and for others, their vacation does not start until they check into their room. Either way, I am happy to take care of all of the details for you.  Seeing all of the plans come together and making sure that your trip goes seamlessly from the moment you lock up your house until the day you return home just makes me happy.

Traveling with a special needs child can be complex, and I love to help families with special needs prepare for their trip. Whether you need information on renting medical equipment, navigating TSA with a special needs child, or help anticipating potentially stressful situations for autistic children—and how to handle them at 35,000 feet—I have information that I have gathered from my personal experiences and extensive research. An impersonal booking website simply cannot offer the same level of care.

  1. Travel Agents Develop Relationships with Resorts 

One of the most amazing parts of being a travel agent is that we often are invited to resorts and hotels to try out their services. Not only is this fun for our family, but it provides valuable information for me to share with you to ensure that your vacation is the best that it can be. No matter how incredible a destination looks online, there is nothing as valuable as the experience of someone you know and trust. Whether you’re interested in cleanliness, customer service, or other important attributes, a travel agent like me can provide unparalleled insight.

Even if we have not visited a specific destination, travel agents often develop good working relationships with resorts and hotels from booking our other clients. We often know specific contacts who can help us quickly and efficiently with specific needs and requests—so you don’t have to navigate through layer after layer of customer service phone trees. 

  1. Travel Agents Have Access to Special Deals and Perks

From free drinks to on-board ship credit to room upgrades, my fellow travel agents and I can often get you special deals and perks. Why? Well, resorts, hotels, and cruise lines love working with us, and love to help us make your stay extra special. Remember, we are continually building our relationships with the travel vendors (that’s travel agent speak for airlines, hotels, resorts, cruises, rental cars, etc.). When we find vendors we love and trust, we send you to them so that you get the best experience. In return, they give special freebies and discounts to you, our clients. It’s a win-win for everyone! 

  1. Travel Agents Have Great Problem-Solving Skills

If something goes wrong while you are on your trip, I am never more than a phone call away. I am able to jump in and fix things so that you can focus on fun and relaxation.  No matter how carefully we plan your vacation, things like unexpected weather events can happen. Hotels can flood or experience damage to a room from a prior guest. Flights can get canceled. Cruise lines can have unexpected situations occur. No matter what, I am here to help work through any situation on your behalf. 

Your Travel Agent Is Here for You!

So, why use a travel agent? At the end of the day, the real benefit of using a travel agent is that I am a living, breathing human just like you. We work hard, we want to cherish every moment of our time with our loved ones, and we want to see the world. We are just like you, and we get to use our knowledge and our love of travel to help you do all of those things with your own loved ones. That human touch is something that even the most technically advanced site can never match—and it’s the single biggest reason why you should use a travel agent for your next trip! Contact us to learn more about what TravelAble Vacations can do for you, or explore other common travel questions through our blog.

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