Why Use Travel Agents?

How To Find a Good Travel Professional:

•Recommendations. Ask your traveling friends whom they use.

•Interview Agencies. Check with the Better Business Bureau, see how long they’ve been in business and ask them why you should use them. See if they have any current clients you can contact.

•Talk to an Agent. During the first meeting, a good agent will ask you a lot of questions, such as: how many will be traveling, seating preferences on airlines, types of hotels you prefer, activities you like, what is your budget. If an agent doesn’t ask questions, beware.

While travel agency services are no longer free to the public (fees typically range anywhere from $10.00 to $100.00 depending on the complexity of the arrangements), most clients will tell you that good travel agents are worth their weight in gold. The bulk of your travel arrangements are, in fact, free, since each individual part of the trip is not charged for separately.

Benefits:

•Saves Time. Searching for your own travel online can be very time consuming. A good agent can do all the work for you in a much shorter time. Have you ever sat on the phone waiting to talk to a reseravationist at an airline? I've been on hold as long as 45 minutes and it's very aggravating!

•Provides Good Information. You won’t always get all the information you need online. An agent can give you all the information you need to fly, cross borders, have the correct documentation and have emergency contact numbers. What looks great online may be very disappointing on arrival! They can confirm the quality of what you are booking.

•Help When Things Go Wrong. Often when booking online you have no one to turn to when something goes wrong during your travels. A professional agent can quickly take care of most problems on the spot, and, at the very least, address problems on your return.

•Experience. The more complicated your travel, the more you need someone with know-how and experience. There are too many opportunities for error. An experienced agent can give advice from everything to international flights and baggage fees to currency conversions and water quality.

If you're looking for even more reasons, ASTA has 101 Reasons To Use a Travel Agent!

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