Recently I was traveling with colleagues. We were a wide variety of ages and the topic of age came up at dinner one night. It came up in the context of how our different ages reflect how we do business differently. Some of us still love our paper trails and talking to everyone. Others in the group seem to have not owned a piece of paper in a decade and communicate mostly through technology. I’m a bit in the middle, I love talking to my clients and suppliers, but don’t use as much paper as I used to… although still considerably more than the millennials in our group. This turned in to the conversation about how we are all seeing more and more millennials seek out our services.
If you are a millennial, sure, you are tech savvy and know all the best websites to book hotels and cruise. But here are some words of advice your parents forgot to tell you: the internet is for looking, a travel agent is for booking. Using a travel advisor doesn’t mean you’ll be on a sightseeing bus with a bunch of tourists following around a guide who is waving a tiny flag. It means knowing that you’ll have a personal advocate supporting you with expert advice and experiences as they make sure you get the best value and help sort out the details if there are last minute changes or things don’t go as planned.
Here are five reasons why a travel advisor is your secret weapon to scoring big with an awesome vacation:
- They’re experts and your personal insider. Travel advisors have industry knowledge and experience to help match you with your perfect vacation. Your professional travel advisors spend a great deal of time and money to keep up with the most current industry information. They visit the destinations, attend industry events and conferences, know the key personnel that help ensure your experience exceeds your expectations. In other words, they have “been there and done that”.
Travel advisors are a part of the in-crowd when it comes to getting the best values and special offers. Their connections throughout the travel industry mean you’ll have access to value and services that others may not. Professional travel advisors know when a management change adversely or positively affects a resort. They know when the cruise lines change policies based on date of purchase vs. the date you travel. A professional travel advisor is your insider. - Save time. Don’t spend four weeks planning your one-week vacation. Using a travel agent lets you skip the hassle of searching hundreds of websites for the best prices (which often end up more expensive in the long run) or piecing together all the different legs of your itinerary. If you are a planner and want to be involved in the planning process, that’s perfectly fine. Your travel advisor can streamline the process. One good, well thought out qualifying call or survey, can help the travel advisor present the top 2 or 3 options that meet your criteria.
- Your trip, your way. Whether you’re someone who wants everything planned down to the minute or you’re happy with just a hotel reservation and flight to get there, your travel advisor will customize your trip to your preferences, interests and budget.
- Groups made easy. Whether it’s a bachelorette party, reunion, “buddymoon” or simply a friends and family getaway, travel advisors take the stress out of planning group vacations. They can handle multiple reservations, arrange transportation from various home bases and ports, book accommodations and offer exclusive group add-ons. Planning a destination wedding? You’ll definitely want to say “I do” to using a travel advisor!
- Trust a Professional. Make the most of your vacation investment by working with a travel advisor. You’ll receive a personal touch that cannot be matched by online retailers as well as have an advocate to help you out if any issues may arise. Professional travel advisors know the difference between a great value, good marketing, media hype, or media frenzy.
Happy Travels,
