Travel Agent and Tour

The trip of a lifetime can take a lifetime to plan unless you know how to pick a travel agency.

A common misconception is that travel agencies add to the cost of your trip. In truth, finding and using a good travel agency to plan your trip usually saves you time, money, and frustration. So how do you pick a travel agency?

Ask around!

The best way to find a good travel agency is through word of mouth. Ask your family and friends who they’ve used and then ask them about their trip. How did they travel? Where did they stay? Was their trip enjoyable? Getting a few referrals from friends helps you to know in ahead of time what to expect from a particular travel agent and helps you weed out the good from the not-so-good as well.

Are you a member?

Many clubs and organizations offer travel services for their members and many corporations have established relationships with travel agencies that their employees can use. “Members only” travel plans frequently offer the best values.

Compare

Shop a couple of experienced firms. Travel agencies come and go like any other businesses. The ones that stay in business add experience and know-how to each trip they plan. Make your first inquiry with a travel agency a listening experience; judge how well the agent listens to you and how comfortable they make you feel.

A good travel agent will ask you to outline your trip. They’ll ask where you’re going and why, how you’d prefer to travel, how long you plan to stay, and what your travel budget is. Be open and honest with your answers. A good agent will readily put together a sample itinerary that describes availabilities in transportation, accommodations, and estimated costs.

If you feel like you’re getting the “hard sell” or the travel agency tells you there’s only package available, keep shopping. You can always go back if you find that they’re right!

In addition to finding the best rates in lodgings and transportation, an experienced travel agent can also give you some helpful tips about your destination and here’s the bonus– generally it costs nothing to use a travel agency! Because they can buy in volume, travel agencies get discounts on prices for both tickets and lodgings!

For travel made easy, use the services of a travel agency to make your outing a time to remember well!

Myth N1. It is better to book tickets from a tour operator than from a tour agency.
The operator creates the tour; the tour agency buys “the product” in bulk and sales it at retail. On one hand the tour operator may know better some small details about a particular trip. However usually he has a narrow specialization. The tour agency is working with more tour operators at the same time and can offer more placing options; it is easier for a tour agency to choose the desirable duration of the trip and the needed departure date. The idea, that booking a voyage from an operator is cheaper rather than from a tour agency, is groundless. The tour agency lives on the commission it receives form the difference of bulk price and the retail one. And that’s why the price of a voucher is going to be pretty the same everywhere. Moreover the tour agencies offer to the client a discount at the expense of its commission, – that’s why their price can be lower.

Myth N2. It is better to take your tickets and the passport from the tour agency in advance.
Usually the tourists worry when they are told that the package of documents should be taken from check-in counter at the airport a day before the trip or even the same day of its beginning. Unfortunately there is nothing to do about that. The thing is that the documents ought to be handed in to the embassy in one and the same day for all the departing persons (and it is an obligatory request in several consulates), and the foreign officials themselves see the date of the departure and give out the documents a day before the departure. It is obvious that the tour agencies do not “close” the groups till the last moment and try to hand in the passports till the deadline. It is easily understood, especially if considering the fact that a lot of people do not like to plan everything in advance and to choose their holiday half a year beforehand. If the tour package contains a charter flight then the air tickets for it are released literally in the last moment. Otherwise, when there appear changes in the list of tourists, the tour operator – consolidator of the trip, – has to pay a big fine. That’s why the buyers of the standard vouchers will have to put up with this rule.

Myth N3.Charter is always bad!

Charter is an ordered flight, that is not included in the main schedule, and that is why the slots (time of departure) for it are inconvenient sometimes like “windows” between the regular flights. But none will reject a charter because its very attractive cost, that differs great form the regular flight cost, will cover easily all the inconveniences. Besides that the tour operator sometimes manages to settle everything with the airlines and “knock off” a convenient time. Several tour agencies offer now the right to choose the type of the flight; however tours with regular flight are more expensive as a rule, that’s why if you want to cut corners, a charter is inevitable.

Myth N4.It is more advantageous to buy “burning” vouchers!

As the tour agencies notice, there appeared a whole category of tourists that play for time till the last moment and wait when there will begin “to appear smoke” from the offers. However we warn the adherents of this theory that buying a voucher in the last moment is all the same as playing the roulette. There are destinations were there can be no “burning” offers because they are popular and loved. Postponing the choice till the last moment means to be in time for nodding brag away: you’ll have to take what remained, and what remained is unfortunately not the best that could be. If you have a favourite resort, a favourite hotel and even a favourite room, then take care of your holiday in advance. Meanwhile several tour operators wishing to change the habits of lots of tourists offer very attractive prices just in good time long before the beginning of the season. Of course this is also a lottery. However, if the season is a good one, than the prices can raise, and those who have bought the voucher in advance, will take advantage of it for sure.

Most travel agencies are honest and reputable. Using a travel agency not only has the advantage of taking care of all your travel planning for you but it also there when you need assistance during your trip.

A good indicator of an agency’s reliability is if it is a member of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). ASTA has strict rules and regulations regarding a travel agent’s membership. If, by chance, you do have a problem with the agent or agency it is by far easier and more likely you will have your problem resolved with an ASTA travel agent.

In addition, reputable travel agencies list all of their contact information. If an online agency only lists an email address this may be a red flag. A reputable agency will have not only an email address but have a mailing address and a telephone number where you can reach a real live person to talk to in the event you have questions or concerns regarding your booking.

Hidden fees may not be evident with agencies that are not reputable. A trustworthy agency will spell out all the fees and surcharges involved with your vacation booking. You should get all the fees in writing. Be wary of too good to be true low rates for a vacation. This could be a lure to get your business and then you have the extra fees presented to you after it is too late.

A reputable agency will go above and beyond to satisfy your needs for your vacation. If needed, a reputable agent will make sure handicap access or other disability accommodations are available, to make sure the trip is enjoyable. A disreputable agency is only interested in collecting your money.

Another factor to consider is if the agent provides some sort of travel tips and guidelines to make your trip enjoyable, especially if you are planning to visit an international destination. Before traveling to a foreign country one should be prepared to deal with that country’s culture and have some sort of understanding on the do’s and don’t s to not only to make the trip more enjoyable but to also as a safety factor . A good agent will alert the traveler to dangers as far as weather or crime to prevent injury or worse.