Let's hear it for travel agents

How good to see an article in the popular press - To use or not to use a travel agent? = SMH Traveller online - that gives a balanced view of what travel agents are about. One of the most disheartening things about being travel agent is the feeling you get from some people that you are out to rip them off! We have to make a living, but as this article points out we are not more expensive - and frequently less…
"People always ask me, 'How much more is it going to cost me to use a travel professional?' I tell them, essentially, it shouldn't cost you more; it should cost you less," Russo said.
"Sometimes, a travel agent will have a relationship with a vendor. They might not be able to get a better price but might be able to get you some extras, such as an onboard credit or a free shore excursion during a cruise or a free hotel room upgrade or free breakfast."

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Every travel agent is different - and just as you would shop around to find an accountant or a doctor you liked so you should shop around to find a travel agent who understands your travel needs and wants to do the best for you.

Travel agents on call

We were delighted today by a belated thank you call from clients we had helped when delayed by the recent airline schedule disruptions due to volcanic ash.

Delayed on their way out from Sydney, and then delayed on the return journey... all due to airline schedule changes made to avoid the volcanic ash, Mr & Mrs V were given hotel accommodation in Papeete while awaiting details of their return flight to Sydney. Unhappily when the information came it was that they had confirmed seats but only as far as Auckland. There were no details of their ongoing flight to Sydney.

They contacted us and we ensured they had seats reserved on the next available flight - no reservation had been made until then. With their reservation confirmed they were able to book their luggage through to Sydney and complete their trip with certainty, and in the shortest possible time. The alternative would have been to travel as far as Auckland then reclaim their luggage and try for a reservation on the next available flight which by then would have been much later in the day or on the following day. They avoided a long wait in Auckland and arrived home without further delay.

Your travel agent will look after you to the best of their ability in such situations - even given that there is no recompense for doing so. They are on call, by email and often mobile phone at all hours. In one case the agent was on the phone to Qantas for 5 hours - most of that time on hold. This high standard of client service is regarded as normal in the hundreds of individually owned and operated agencies around Australia. The agents do not charge their clients, nor do the airlines pay. It is a service ethic working in these situations that motivates the travel agent.
The hoped-for reward is the loyalty of their client.

Getting a good deal on Cruises

Clients booking cruises often report internet deals that seem to undercut normal fares, or offer cruise sailings that we have advised are fully booked.
This occurred just recently when a client requested a booking for a sailing on one of the world cruises from Europe visiting Australia in 2012. As we have direct access to the cruise line booking systems we saw that all cabins in all categories had been sold and there was no availability - all we could offer was to wait-list our client's request.
But not according to an internet cruise site. That site was offering cabins in 12 different categories, inviting bookings that might never be fulfilled.

This highlights an issue, that booking a cruise on the internet is not booking, it is better described as lodging a booking request. The request is subject to confirmation. This would seem to apply to flights, cruises, and hotel rooms.

Hotels on the internet and tulips

A client popped in the other day with a pot of tulips to say thank you for the cruise she had just returned from! I find it incredibly satisfying when a client departs on a holiday I have planned knowing that I have done everything I can to make it a unique and enjoyable trip... so it is really nice when someone pops by to say thank you.
This client had a cruise on the Mediterranean which she really enjoyed.
So what's this got to do with hotels you ask? She also booked hotels in Italy on the internet - though I would have been delighted to book her into some of the exquisite little hotels I have used for other clients - and she wanted me to know that next time she would be asking me to book them for her. Not one of the hotels she booked was as it was represented on the internet. I am hearing more and more of this. Recently my son and his wife booked a hotel on the internet (yes even family do this!) and when they arrived found they had been put in a hotel round the corner which was of a lower grade and did not have the views or the facilities they thought they were booking. And then there were the friends who booked an 'apartment' on the internet in South America only to arrive and find it was a garage...And it is well to know that the sites that offer hotel rooms only do not require a travel agent's licence which has all sorts of responsibilities attached!

Using Frequent Flyer Points wisely

So you have a few frequent flyer points built up - enough to pay for one return fare to the UK or for 2 single fares which would mean you had to buy 2 return fares! Do you go ahead with the first option? Well before you do check out the cost of the single return fares - you may find they are almost the same as the return fares in which case you would be better to just buy the one return fare - or save the points for another trip. And if you are adding on extra flights - say to somewhere in Europe this would probably be the wisest option as there are often deals that make these cheaper when you buy all the trip at once.
Recently some friends asked me to book their return tickets after they had bought two one-way fares with FF points. There was nothing I could do, they paid almost as much for the 2 one-way fares and they would have for the 2 returns!!
It all seems to simple this booking on the internet... but when you use the systems I use and you know just how complicated the whole airfare system is you would no doubt think twice...especially when you know that there are fares your travel agent can see that the average online purchaser is not privy to!