In 2021, I started Hop, Skip, & a Dream Travel agency and I enjoy helping people plan their trips. One of the most common questions I get though is, “Why do you need a travel agent when you can book directly yourself?” I can understand the reasoning behind this sentiment.

            In the world of the internet, why use another person to help you plan, book, and ensure you have everything you need for your vacation, when you have Priceline™, Travelocity™, or even booking directly with Royal Caribbean™. With all of the tools out there, you seem to be able to find deals galore that can save you money. That is always a great perk, but what about the little things?

            “What little things?” I hear you asking. Well to start with what about hotel or resort property location? I don’t mean just from the airport, but what part of destination is it in? Is it in a centrally location, in a bad part of town, or is near a shipping port or airport with a lot of traffic? These things can cause a resort or hotel to offer lower prices because their location, but it is not the best value for your (insert monetary denomination here).   A travel agent, or travel advisor, can help you find the right location in your price range. The same is true for a cruises and theme parks.

            A travel agent is there to help you with your planning and budgeting. If your hard limit for a cruise is $5,000 for two adults for a week, then Cunard™, Viking™, and Disney™ may not be your best option, whereas Royal Caribbean™, Carnival™, or Princess™ might be. There are deals that might be available to the travel agent that are not yet available to the public. These are things that may be cheaper early on but get more expensive as a cruise opens to more and more people or if you wait to purchase onboard.

            That is just the up-front part of what a travel agent can help you with. There are the items and reminders that you need between booking and travel that a travel agent can help remind you of. If you book a trip with deposit, a travel agent is there to remind you of when your final payment is due. They can work with you to setup either a budget to set aside the funds to make that final payment, or they can work with you to make payments as you need them, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. The stress of financing can be hard, but the travel agent is there to help with that.

            Another aspect a travel agent can help you with is vaccine status. Not just for Covid-19, but destination requirements like Hepatitis, Malaria, Yellow Fever, etc. as well as ensuring you have considered viable travel insurance to cover medical expenses. One never wants to think about getting sick or injured, but knowing you have the best options when you are abroad can make you feel less stress.

            Have you ever told a friend about a vacation you’re going on and then to find out six months before you go, they booked the same trip but cheaper and a better room? You try to call but get stuck on hold for an hour or longer. What a waste of time that is. Well that is what your travel agent is there for. As a travel agent my job is to not just book you on that vacation, it is also to check for new sales, and if a better deal comes along, I should at least send you an email to inform you. Or if you find a different deal, I can look at what that may mean for you and your options. If these options are what you are looking for, then I SHOULD be the one to call on your behalf. It is my job to do that.

            Now with all that said, of course there are people who prefer to have that level of control and dealing with their travel and destination providers directly. That is fair, but if you do not want to deal with the stress, headaches, and the unknown; then a travel agent would be better for you.

This as you can see by the address bar is the customer site for Walt Disney World.

This is from the Travel Agent site.

            As you can see from these two screenshots prices are the same, but the difference comes from the things that can change from the time you book and to when you travel. Let us consider changes coming after the pandemic ends. As the CDC, States, and Federal governments relax or cancel restrictions and mask mandates, Disney™ has been bringing back events and activities that have been cancelled or on hold.

            If you travel during the week that I have selected and Disney™ adds dining plans back at a reduced rate, to see if people want to buy them, and you missed that email informing you about it. Your friend who booked through me would get an email from me about the change and I can submit an updated booking to them and they could opt in to get it. If they got it and you did not, that would make dining potentially uncomfortable as they have their food prepaid, and at a discounted rate. You would have to pay full menu price. With that said though, historically the Disney Dining Plans had their limitations so it might not be that big of an issue.

            So let us compare the end price of the above packages.

The final on the customer site.

The final on the travel agent page.

            As you can see that the final prices are the same. So, you may ask, “How is a travel agent paid if the prices are the same? Do they charge fees or other extra fees?” Well the short answer is no. However, there is a but that but is some people use travel agents to do the research and then books that package themselves on an online service. So again, how do we get paid? Well, we get paid in a commission that is already factored into the final price. So regardless of where or how you book, you are paying for a travel agent. If you book directly with the resort or hotel, you are just paying them to pay themselves. I don’t say this to guilt trip anyone into using myself or any travel agent, I only say this as a fact.

            If you were to ask various travel vloggers about if they use a travel agent, you will get different answers. Some do because of their past experience with an agent (Gary Bembridge of Tips For Travellers), others because of sponsorships (Adam Hattan – March 2020 WDW Vlog Series), and others who do not use an agent (LeggLife). There is no right or wrong answer to this question. It is a personal question that is for you the reader to decide.

            I thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you are interested in booking a cruise, family vacation to a theme park, an all-inclusive resort, or just a weekend getaway, please email me at j@hopskipandadream.com or reach out to me on twitter at @HopskipA.

Links to Vloggers’ YouTube Channels:

Tips for Travellers – Gary Bembridge: https://www.youtube.com/c/tipsfortravellers

Adam Hattan: https://www.youtube.com/c/adamhattan

LeggLife – Adam & Sherri Legg: https://www.youtube.com/c/LeggLifeAK