I haven't been able to write a blog all week simply because I have been so busy with travel pricing for clients. I've had so much fun this week working on Walt Disney World trips for a few different families as well as a few trips abroad. But perhaps one of the most satisfying things I've had the opportunity to do this week is to reduce the price on a previously booked trip for a valued client. Quite frankly, the price didn't go down much. I think the total reduction was $89.54. But still it went down and I was able to save someone who booked with me last month nearly $100 that they wouldn't otherwise have saved.
That's one of the advantages of booking through a reputable travel agent that you don't often hear about. Periodically, I go through all of my bookings to see if prices have changed. If a client requests that I do so, I'll re-run their travel at any time to look for price changes. If all components of the trip are still available, the client has purchased travel protection and we find a price reduction prior to travel, they can get the lower price. I love this advantage because it enables the client to lock in their optimal travel dates and times along with what we hope will be the best prices without worrying that they could have gotten a better price if only they had waited one more week. One of the worst things that can happen to me is if my client goes on their trip and talks to someone while they are away who got a better price than them. It will happen from time when someone books a trip prior to my clients at a lower rate. But if the price goes down after my client books, I can help.
In this instance the $89.54 that this client saved almost completely paid for her travel protection for both members of the traveling party. And they still have the peace of mind of knowing that if something were to come up they could cancel the trip at anytime up until their departure date with no penalties, they have medical insurance for their trip that goes beyond the medical insurance they enjoy at home. They have trip cancellation and interruption protection among many other things. Since they'll be in the Caribbean during hurricane season, this is particularly important.
But one of the best things about saving the $89.54 is that since in their head they had already spent the money anyway, it gives the client a choice of reinvesting that money in the trip itself and putting it into an excursion that they might not have previously wanted to spend the money on. I don't know if the client is interested in doing this or not at this point. But as a traveler, I know I would love that choice.
I can tell you about other advantages to using a travel agent in booking your travel. I don't think that many travel agents give you as much information on your initial query as you might get from Places You'll Go Travel. I'm a detail person. If you have read my personal blog in the past you may know that nothing makes me happier than a well organized spreadsheet. I pridefully use that love for organization when it comes to travel in fulfilling my clients requests for any information they need as well as information they may not have asked for that I think might be helpful. I give you the information I would want if I were the traveler and in researching it, I get almost as excited about many of the trips as the actual travelers do. It's a hazard of the job. Just this week I have decided that I need to go to Puerto Vallarta, Venice and Disney World (not necessarily in that order).
So with all that said, I may be biased, but I do believe that there is great value in using a travel agent to book your travel. To at least one client I'm worth at least $89.54. But the best thing about using a travel agent is that your agent is paid by the suppliers. You are able to do all the work yourself. I know that you can. I used to do it for myself all the time. When you do, the suppliers make more money since they don't have to pay a travel agent. They however, don't care whether or not you get all of the information you might want in making a decision, they don't care whether or not a better price might be available two weeks after you book your trip. They simply accept the fact that they made a little extra money since no travel agent was paid. So think about that the next time you get on line and book a cruise yourself or call the cruise line directly. You are not saving money. In fact, in the long run you may spend more.
Have a great Thursday.
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