Click Travel Agent For Support
By Bill Harbin, Jr.

The rules have changed again for the best ways to book travel.  Before the days of the internet your only logical choice was to call a travel agent and let them handle it.  Then websites appeared that allowed you to reserve most anything of your dreams with the click of a mouse.  Now we are tired of dealing with automated answering systems and outsourced people with accents that can not be understood.  The good news is that in most cases you can go back to the good old days and use a travel agent and the services are usually free!

Sometimes you can save money by eliminating the middleman.  If you sell your house by using a real estate agent you pay a commission. Buying carpet or furniture from the factory could save you some cash.  However, if you book a cruise or tour you do not save a penny if you do it yourself.  In fact, you may pay more because of the lack of inside information. Same goes for hotels, airfare, and most other travel reservations.

A travel agent receives commissions from the supplier at no cost to you.  That supplier will not give you a discount if you try to remind them that a travel agent is not involved. Chances are the travel agent will get you a better deal because the supplier knows that agent can bring their company a lot of business in the future. This really is part of their promotion costs, and saves advertising expenses by having a team of people to sell for them.

Gone are the days when you could pick up handfuls of  brochures at a fancy building while planning a trip.   Although there are still some travel agencies you can visit, most transactions are done over the phone or computer.  The environment is better off with less trees cut down to make paper. Plus you receive better pictures and information and instant confirmation with electronic bookings. 
 
If you like to book travel yourself but want a professional advisor to watch out for your interests, your dream has come true. Many of the home based travel agents have a booking engine that you can use to search and book travel.  This is the best of both worlds.  You have someone to listen to your needs and come up with solutions for free. A good travel agent is very valuable in this area alone.  Combine this with someone to watch your back and protect you from terrible decisions you could make from lack of knowledge.

Pick a travel agent that specializes in what you desire.  Whether it is cruises, tours, or a particular location, there is a specialist to help you.  Use their website to do free  research or even book your trip 24/7 with no pressure.  You have a personal advisor you can click for support with a question on their e-mail even at 3 in the morning.  Just don’t expect an answer or phone call at that time. Your advisor is a real person like a friend.  That’s what is so great about using a travel agent.