Do You Book online or through a travel agent?
Do you really get a better deal booking online than using a travel agent? Almost a third of travellers aged 55 and over have booked their trips online, up from 14 per cent in 2000.
In my experience, if you have an expensive and complicated itinerary, you’re better going with a travel agent.
Experienced travel agents will give personalised advice; they’ll organise the logistics of airport transfers and land / sea connections.
Travel agents can organise any individual requests like special diets, having connecting hotel rooms. You may need wheelchair access.
Online travel research
The internet presents a fabulous opportunity to research preferred travel destinations. It’s handy for finding deals for simple trips.
Often travel agents have better access to better deals for more complicated itineraries that may involve multi-stop overseas air trips.
They have inside industry knowledge to cost-cutting when making a booking. Sometimes they can find fares that allow stop-overs at no - cost, or save on your hotel bill by having bonus sightseeing trips thrown in as part of the package.
Also they can price part of your ticket in a foreign currency.
As a rule of thumb, the more components that add up to your whole trip, such as airport transfers, plane tickets, hotels and side trips, then the greater the benfit of using a travel agent.
They also have either personal experience, or feedback from past travellers, and can advise on aspects that you may not have considered.
Internet travel research can take time
The internet is great for comparison shopping. However it can be very time consuming, so if time is a problem, then it is advantageous to pay your travel agent to find the best option for the specified itinerary.
Having said that, theses days anyone can tap into travel sites that only travel agents could access. The internet offers last-minute specials like weekend deals or discount fares only available online, to fill empty seats or vacant hotel rooms.
Sometimes calling the airline direct can result in a better last-minute price, so give them a call before making that online booking, and mention that you ‘re a senior citizen
Looking for travel upgrades?
We all like to get something for nothing, and travel agents that refer bsiness regularly can reward their clients with upgrades, even if tickets are bought cheaply. For instance, you could get a cabin upgrade on your cruise.
A good agent could select a bottom-end hotel on a tour package price and get you upgraded to a better property.
Booking travel online -Do you get what you ordered?
When booking online, you can never be sure exactly what you have ordered. Many online travel booking sites offer travel tips and great sales information.
Your local travel agent may have had personal experience with a particular hotel, a cruise ship or particular travel destination, and can present a more accurate picture of what to expect than a website.
Nothing beats personal service and having someone who is accountable for your booking.
If things don’t work out along the way, you can get back to your agent to sort things out whilst you enjoy your holiday.
Often when away from home, you don’t have access to the same facilities as when you booked the trip initially. A good agent can void bookings, double check travel dates, and make sure all documents are in order.
They have more say with the travel operators who stand to lose more business through letting down one of their clients, than an independent traveller.
Shop around
Doing your own online research can be a benefit whther you end up booking online or you go through a travel agent.
You can get a better idea of what you want, some approximate prices, and you can quickly ascertain if your travel agent is really going to be a help or a hindrance to you travel plans.
Remember, the first agent you speak to does not have to be the agent you end up booking through. It’s your money that they are spending, and you are paying their commission, so make sure you get the service that you deserve.