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Travel Agents vs. Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity

Online sites like Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity are great sites to gather pricing and resort information, but are they a good place to book your vacation?  How can a travel agent match those low online rates?   Who wins in Travel Agents vs. Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity?

The winner is (drum roll please) the consumer, YOU.  How cool is it to plan and research your trip at 2am or at 10am or at 5pm?  Lets face it we all love to dream and plan no matter what time of day it is, and the online sites allow each of you to do exactly that.  

So what do you need a travel agent for?  What can a travel professional do for you that you can’t do for yourself?  I love the saying, “The trouble with people is they don’t know what they don’t know”.   That’s not meant to be disrespectful in any way shape or form of a persons knowledge.   It’s just meant to remind us that we all know lots, but we should not assume we know all there is to know about a subject we are researching.

Example:  Family of 4 going on a cruise with their 1 and 3 year old.  Mom and dad are looking forward to “kids camp” for the kids so they can have a little “alone time”.   For kids camp the little ones have to be at least 2 years old, and out of diapers and to use the pools, no diapers as well.  

Example:  That romantic resort you are dreaming of for your honeymoon, ahhh the room service will be wonderful.  Oh, did the website not mention that the menu is extremely limited and has a surcharge, or that the ala carte restaurants only allow you to dine in the speciality restaurants 2 times during your week stay, and that reservations need to be made daily by going to the lobby?

So what’s a consumer to do?  Do what people have done for years, talk to a travel professional.  Take all that research you have dug up and either call, drop in or email an agent.  Don’t try to trick them, tell them you are contacting them for their professional opinion on a trip you are planning.  Share with them what you have found, be open, be honest.

Ask them if they can price check what you have found using their resources, and ask if they would make any other recommendations when it comes to flights or resorts based on their experience.  Doesn’t that sound like questions you would ask of other service professional like a decorator, caterer, florist, or a landscape service?  Travel agents are service professionals.

Some Questions…
1.  How is a travel professional compensated?  We are “paid” by the supplier, not the consumer.
2.  Does a travel agent have competitive prices to the online giants like Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia?  YES
3.  Do I have to pay in full with a travel agent like I do with the online stores?  NO…typically outside of 45 days there is only a deposit required.

After you have taken the time to talk with a travel agent, and price check online who do you believe is the best business model to help you…“Do Something You Will Never Forget?”  Who would you trust to, “Make Memories That Will Last A Lifetime”?

Tags: Agent vs. Orbitz, Orbitz vs. Travel Agent, Travel Agent Service