Whether or not or when to use a travel agency is one of those nagging considerations that I make as I plan or decide where I want to go. To date, I have yet to use an agent, but there have been times when I wondered, should I have used an agent or not.
Here’s my idea of what I think a travel agency should provide. First, I think that they should …
-
Ask me about my interests and accommodation needs.
-
Be much more knowledgeable about the destination.
-
Be able to help me match my interest to what’s available.
-
Provide literature.
-
Make my arrangements.
But, this has not be my experience. I am usually given literature and told “these are the options.”
Thus far, I have never used a travel agency to make my full travel arrangements. I have only used an agent twice. The most important trip where I used an agency was the Galapagos Islands … and they were unresponsive after they got my money. Everything turned out fine. In fact, the only reason that I used an agency for Galapagos was because I could not find another way to make arrangements.
Making travel arrangements is hard work. You have to make arrangements to get there, you have to find a place to stay, and you have to decide what to do. The Internet has made this work a little easier. There are many travel sites where you can find information, like Frommers; online agencies like Expedia; and travel blogs … like mine.
I tend to use some combination of these sources and like to make my arrangements because I like flexibility. But travel agencies can be helpful when there is not good information online and they usually can find availability that the average users can not. I wish agencies were more flexible. If you are not as picky as I am, they can certainly de-stress your planning.
