Why Use a Travel Professional?
Why Use a Travel Professional?
Let’s look at a few key reasons to use the services of a Travel Professional (commonly called a travel agent or advisor):
Your Time is Important
A Travel Professional can save you lots of precious time. Years of experience and industry
connections can help navigate the sea of options and eliminate the guess work in the planning stage. A top-notch Travel Professional works closely with you to discuss what it is you are looking for and your best options. They know where to go and the time of year to get the best experiences that exceed your expectations at every turn. The devil is in the details and the details take time!
Unload Your Stress
A Travel Professional takes the stress out of developing an itinerary and makes planning part of the adventure. Their knowledge and experience will give them the ever-important foresight to prevent potential issues before they arise. Booking transfers, suggesting favorite restaurants, securing the “room with a view” and finding those “just right activities – your advisor will ensure no stone is left unturned! She will even help with the packing (okay, not literally but you’ll be sure to receive a detailed packing list!)
Experience Pays
The best Travel Professionals not only talk to the talk; they walk the walk. When not at her
desk planning your next adventure, she is out experiencing this great wonderful world of ours firsthand. You can’t recommend what you don’t know. While a Travel Professional’s career may seem like it’s all fun and adventure, it’s actually much more than that. Countless hours are spent researching a trip online and on phone calls in advance. Time in destination is spent looking at every room option at every hotel in town. It might take five vetting interviews to find the perfect provider for a kayaking excursion or transfer service. She looks at every facet of every destination, especially things like weather and safety, things as travelers we might overlook.
They Listen
A Travel Professional has the uncanny ability to listen intently and make recommendations that will exceed your wildest dreams. They know the right questions to ask to get you excited about the planning stage. Oftentimes the toughest part of planning a trip is knowing where to even start. Travel Professionals will ask the big questions about who is traveling, your budget, travel time frame, and where you want to go. Eventually you’ll reach discussions on the smaller details like bedding configurations, preferred meal options, and how you want to spend your free time. It’s common that a Travel Professional comes up with an itinerary that far exceeds your expectations because she knows to listen to what you say but also knows how you want to feel while on vacation.
Expect the Unexpected
We all know when it comes to travel to expect the unexpected. A Travel Professional is the
customer advocate in the event something doesn’t go quite right. Weather delays, natural
disasters, flight cancellations, lost luggage; a myriad of things can go wrong during a few weeks of vacation. Travel Professionals have seen it all and know how best to react to save the day. She is your trusted “phone-a-friend” from start to finish. An excellent Advisor is available 24/7/365 to give you the comfort you deserve on your hard-earned vacation.
The Big Picture.
It’s easy to get bogged down in the details. A Travel Professional can be at your side (virtually) to keep you on track and remind you the objective is simply to have the vacation of a lifetime and create memories that will last a lifetime. Travel can change the way we all see the world and sometimes we just need someone to remind us of that.
That about sums it up! A trusted travel Professional is worth her weight in gold if you find one that “gets” your travel wants and desires.