When I tell people that my travel plans (flight, hotel, etc) are arranged and managed by a travel agent (Eileen, the gal who owns this blog), they usually give me a puzzled look. I can see it in their eyes. They're thinking, "Why? Just go online and use Expedia or Travelocity."
Okay - I can understand that. And, in the past, I would have done/thought the same thing. Arranging travel these days is pretty simple. You log on to the Internet, visit your favorite travel site, and get your e-tickets. You can even do your own hotel.
But, sometimes - that takes an hour or more out of the day. Often, it takes a lot of planning - if you know WHEN you're traveling, you can go in and start monitoring flights two or three months ahead of time. Always trying to get the "best deal." Whatever that is. When all is said and done, you've spent several hours just to save fifty bucks. Even a hundred bucks isn't worth it, if you've wasted four hours of your time. After all, that four hours might get you a 'better' seat...but, it won't get you re-assigned when mother nature cancels the flight.
All in all, it takes time, energy, and patience. All of which I no longer have. My life is too busy to try and save a few bucks by doing all that work myself. When I met Eileen, I was still in denial and did a few trips on my own - complaining all the while I was trying to find the best flight, the best seats, and the best hotel. It was aggravating, to say the least. AND...I was never sure I actually accomplished my goal - that of saving money. I sure wasted a LOT of time. Which, as we all know, is money.
Recently I found this article online, over at The Honolulu Adviser. Reporter Irene Croft Jr. writes, "...the travel world as clients and agents knew it changed forever in 1994 when the major airlines determined to rearrange their relationship with travel agencies." That's when travel agencies started using fees. Which they had not done before this. It was the invasion of the Internet, of course. And people like me who thought they could and should do the travel arrangements themselves. Maybe you're one of those people?
Anyway, I'm delighted to have Eileen, now. I don't waste time trying to research and visit all the airline sites, the hotels, the fees, etc. I am happy to give Eileen that task... and pay the small fee associated with it. As Irene says in her article, "The question is are you willing to pay a travel agency directly for its expertise, informed recommendations and TLC? Actually, the question should be can you afford not to?" She notes in her article, and I concur, that the fee you're paying covers the TLC you get - in case of an emergency. (clients of travel agencies get first dibs on stuff... while all the 'self-planners' stand in long lines waiting to talk to airline service reps, not the friendlist group on the planet, if you know what I mean.)
Surprisingly, the cost is minimal. Truly. My time is worth far more than the small fee I pay Eileen. And, the peace of mind I have, knowing that if Murphy intervenes and causes a flight issue, a hotel issue, a car issue, I need only dial one number - Eileen's - and I'll be taken care of. I can go have a drink, and the issue will be handled.
Irene said it well in her article, "A top agent is a professional with indispensable knowledge and skills who can help you make savvy decisions and save you time and money in organizing your travel arrangements. You pay a fee for specialized service and advice that is available nowhere else."
