What does a travel agent do?

MizzouSnives

MizzouSnives

500+ Posts
seriously, with the advent of online searches for travel and accomodations, are travel agents becoming relics?

what services can they provide me that orbitz/travelocity/kayak/etc can't?

is it ease of use? are they expensive? i'd be interested in using one for future travel if they provided some kind of benefit, but i really can't see why i would right now.
 
One advantage is they can specialize and become expert in certain locals or trips. These could be cruises, Europe, Mexico, outdoor adventures, etc. So they may know out-of-the-way places that are good or places that are to be avoided. They may have the inside scoop on deals and discounts that are not widely advertised.

If you use an agent, seek out one that knows your destination or the trip you want to take.
 
For far away, multi-day, expensive trips such as Hawaii, Austrailia, or even the Caribbean; travel agents will almost ALWAYS be able to set you up with a cheaper trip. They go thru travel companies that book by bulk that the general public can't deal with.
 
travel agents are very good at putting together complicated trips

they know which cruises and tour operators are better than others
 
Trust me: trying to coordinate two separate flights to Europe to the same city (a month apart) with the same flight home from a different city while aiming for the lowest possible price was incredibly difficult online.

For me it is frustrating, for a travel agent it is his job. And my peace of mind.
 
some of you have had better experiences than i have - I used a family friend that owns a Carlson Wagonlit franchise for our honeymoon....and he just ended up booking it through Pleasant Holidays. There was no difference than if I had done it myself. Not to mention I happened to see his computer screen when it displayed that he would be making a $600 commission off of me. I don't know if I would have saved that money if I had done it on my own or not.
 
I worked with a travel agent for setting up my destination wedding. Not sure the price we got was any better than I could have got myself, but:

1) He came up with a list of places that met our criteria, most of which I had never heard of before. The place we ultimately chose was perfect

2) I just gave his number to all our guests and he dealt with all the logistics and changes people wanted to make. I didn't have to do much more than put down the initial deposit.

3) He followed up regularly and made sure everything was good at the resort. When we got there, he called to make sure everything was fine.

Like I said, I don't know that I saved any money, but he did a fantastic job and unless I know exactly where I want to go and stay, I'll be using him in the future for my vacations.
 
as far as i know they just screw up simple requests like "we're booking these flights 6 months in advance so my girlfriend and i can sit next to each other on the flight back from venice." that sure didn't happen.
 
When I was planning our honeymoon to the Carribbean, I went to a travel agent and she found me the same flights and hotel I found on orbitz, priceline, etc, but it was $700 cheaper going through the travel agent.
 
In short, travel agencies get paid. They get paid by airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, tour operators, travelers, and even the computer systems they use to do their jobs. Despite the great expense, it is to this day customary in the airline industry to make special fares available to travel agencies that can only be used in combination with hotel/car/etc. packages. So, if you're going to buy a package, you might get a better deal from an agency.

That said, all of the online players you mentioned in your post are also travel agencies (except kayak). Many of them have access to the same special deals that a "human" travel agency has.

Another place to go would be to the wholly-owned travel packaging subsidiaries of major international airlines. AA Vacations is one. In some cases, an airline may be in a better negotiating position than a travel agency to get cheaper hotel/car deals.
 
My FIL travels for business weekly. His travel agent is a goddess in his eyes. She just tells him when and where to be.

When we went to Branson for Spring Break (me, my mom, and 4 kids) I had trouble deciding which hotel to stay at and one that would fit our unusual needs. I turned it over to her and she found us one that was perfect that I had actually decided against. We had a great trip due to the hotel.

I'm planning 2 major trips in the next year and will be calling her.
 
LLB, would you mind passing me her name and number? sounds like she knows her stuff.

right now i'm trying to find a good flight to fiji, i've got the hotel already picked out (starwood points).
 
If you travel on business a lot, a good travel agent can be priceless. Prior to moving to my new job, I had a travel agent who would also look after my flights and if weather or other delays were imminent, she would start booking me on other flights to try and get me home.

In reply to:
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CaptianEd:

An agent cannnot control what the airline does once the reservation is made. It is becoming routine, particularly on European flights, to be bumped or have repeatedly confrimed seat assignments changed.
 
this was definitely not a case of "changed plans" - it was simply "thanks for the money, no plans were ever made."
 
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