DooTravel

Do Travel Agents Still Exist? 

"Why do travel agents still exist?"

With today's technology do you truly need a travel agent? The answer is a resounding "YES"!  Ok, maybe not for the simple things, a round-trip ticket on US Air to visit Grandma or a one-night stay in at a Comfort Inn in Florida, but for family vacations where you are paying over $1000 for a week or two, YES!

Think of it this way.  With big ticket purchases, wouldn't you want to know there was a human you could reach if there were problems versus a computer support email?  Wouldn't you rather know that person lives in your country and has most likely visited the places you're going and been on the cruises you're taking to give you the best advice?  This is difference between punching buttons on an automated phone call where you can never find a human being and calling and getting a helpful person with a single call.

Will you pay more for a travel agent?  In 99% of the cases no, in fact I generally save my clients money by helping them find the best deals and prices.  The fact is we get paid by the suppliers, the cruise lines and resorts, not by the clients.  

My honest belief is that the pendulum is now swinging the other direction, away from the Internet and back to human services and personal touches.  When the Internet first came out and people realized they could now book travel themselves most people went that direction.  However, too many families ended up on vacations that were wrong for them, had too many problems when there was no one to call, and spent way more money than they anticipated at the end.  These are the families and people who are coming back to the professionals and these are the people who spread the word that yes, Travel Agents do exist!