Hello everyone. Thought I’d write about working with a Travel Advisor (or not). Why should you work with one and when actually?
I’m going to be brutally honest in this article. Not everyone is a candidate for using the services of a Travel Advisor. There are good reasons to use one. I mentioned this in one of my first articles, nearly 4 years ago. There are certainly things to look for: qualities, personalities, etc., because you do have to work as a team when using one. Planning your hard-earned travel is exciting, until you start talking money for your investment. Then, you have to get into inquiries about insurances and the like. This article is really about responsibility of both the traveler and the advisor. But first, are you a true candidate for using an Advisor? I’ll be writing about the good and bad of both.
To begin, I ask you, as a potential traveler, how much time do you have to devote to the planning for your trip? I hear all the
time, “I’ve been on a ton of cruises, I know how it works. I don’t need someone to do that for me.” That attitude is justified by what I consider the type of personality that like and want to have total control of the travel plan. Also, it can be the fun part, a sense of accomplishment and all, and I can’t argue that. But, I can tell you that, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” Yes, even seasoned travelers can’t get everything from the Internet.
Travel Advisors, for the most part, belong to consortias that give their valued clients the BANG FOR THE BUCK not offered by vendors to individual direct bookings. The control factor may be worth it to you, only you can answer that one. Research is fun though and there are a lot of things thrown at you once you start your research on your own. Planning for yourself OR using a Travel Advisor relies on only two (2) things: Time and value. What do I mean but that? Doing research on your own can be fun. Sometimes you’re inspired by an ad on TV or through social media channels, enough to whet your appetite, and give you some great ideas/suggestions of where to go, what to do, etc. You have to keep in mind that when finally checking out the options for any IDEA can be daunting. There are lots of vendors out there who offer the same product, services at various pricing…they are not the same relative to that. Some will give you a bigger bang for your buck, while others may simply work with your enthusiasm and move you to spend more than you were hoping, just because of that. An Advisor may offer you an opportunity for the product or destination that would give you a BEST VALUE, added perks you didn’t know about. Maybe upgrades or other freebies. You won’t know until you inquire. I had a client call me who had worked weeks on planning her trip to Costa Rica. She finally found a vendor over the internet and simply felt she wanted confirmation that she was making the right choice. I recognized the vendor she found and got all the information about what she planned and even what she wanted to add in optional excursions and activities. I asked her if she would let me use that information and check out a vendor I had used that did the similar trip and compare the two. She was game. Well, about 20 minutes after I hung up, I recognized I had a vendor that would give her all she wanted, included insurance and even offered the excursions she wanted and additional ones as well. She as shocked to learn I got it all for nearly $500 less than she had. I sent her the invoice in hard copy to show her the additional information, terms and conditions and WHOLA…remember, 20 minutes rather than three (3) weeks. Again, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” The travel industry is all about relationships between the Advisors and the Vendors. A little knowledge goes a long way.
Secondly, If you have no idea what you want to do or where to
go, an advisor can do just so much. I’ve had clients call asking me to help them plan an Anniversary experience (for example), but are all over the place talking about domestic and international travel, rustic or luxury, active or lazy, romantic or group. You simply have to know more about your needs and wants than relying on an advisor to guess your personal desires. Have some idea of what you want to do: Fly/drive, cruise, tour are just a few things to think about. It doesn’t stop there. Be explicit about what you DON’T WANT TO DO. Examples of things you should know before you contact an Advisor: What time of year do you want to travel? How long do you want your trip to be? Who will be going? All travelers names and birth dates, passport info if needed and who is the main contact person for the trip? Give a list of optional airports? (This is where so many people are unaware of a savings by being a tad flexible). And Finally, are you ready to make a commitment and actually deposit money to secure your trip?
Be prepared to tell how you plan on paying for your trip. Some clients come in thinking they want to use cash rather than a credit card, there are no discounts for cash. In fact, a credit card can give you a tad security. The cash method can cause issues too. Why? Most vendors require deposits and final payment to be ON TIME or your reservations can and will be canceled. Credit cards can secure your trip NOW, whereas, a cash payment would require slow mail to the vendor to save your space. A Travel Advisor will most probably require a cashiers check. On your own you’d have to work with the vendor to meet all their requirements. In this case, you have to be prepared to submit your payments to the vendors sooner than a contracted invoice for Final Payment date to meet the ON TIME requirement. Tell the advisor how you intend on paying for the trip from the start. Another thing about payments: Some vendors require that whatever card is used to purchase the trip be presented to the vendor for verification for its use. There are lots of scammers out there and purchases you make on-line with one credit card must be verified. This can be difficult when the purchaser is using their card for a GIFT OF TRAVEL….the travelers didn’t pay for it. Working with an affiliated travel agency with a relationship with the vendor can alleviate some of that.
One of the frustrating things a Travel Advisor has to deal with, is a client/traveler who makes it difficult to communicate with. I’ve had calls for travel inquiries but the caller doesn’t have ability for e-mail and requires mailing all correspondence through the Post Office!!! Many deposits being made for vendors are time sensitive. Vendors will only hold reservations with deposit for a couple of days before they simply go away. Unless it is a short-notice purchase, most Final Payments are done weeks or months after that initial deposit. If you are purchasing through the internet directly with a vendor, many times they require Payment in Full at time of booking. I’ve had clients meet with me in person, it is very helpful and can allow for avoiding the time constraints. I’ve callers say they have an email address, but, they have to use the local library to access it. One person told me he goes to the library once a week to check his emails. That doesn’t work well for Advisors. We want to help people, certainly, and put a lot of time into researching a GOOD FIT for the clients. But, there gets to a point where the client is just too much work, unnecessary work that can be used helping more accessible clients. That didn’t sound good but I have to be honest, our responsibility is not just to the client/traveler, but to themselves also. Don’t expect to make the Advisor have to go beyond reasonable to communicate with. They know time constraints with vendors and most advisors are not going to waste a lot of their time chasing the sale so to speak. Try to be as helpful as possible and build a truly appreciative relationship from the onset.
