Why Hiring a Travel Agent is for Everyone

With the internet in place, Travel Agencies seem to be a business of the past. There are an unfathomable number of sites that cater to booking travel. Why should someone use a Travel Agent?

To answer that question its best to reflect on a previous trip and how much time was spent on finding the desired destination and the ideal price.

Currently there are over 400 online travel booking sites and a countless number of destinations- how much time do travelers spend researching?

TripAdvisor reported 224 million visits in one month alone and found that around 80% of all travelers will spend around four weeks researching a destination. (Deane, 2022)

Airlines, hotels and car rental agencies offer various pricing options across multiple platforms; the question that crosses everyone's mind is-is this the best price? Travelers often get baited into a site with a low sticker price- only to see it double in the final steps of booking. Booking with a travel agent eliminates the time it takes to go over traveler reviews, the right destination, and the frustration of navigating to the most affordable deal.

Travel Agencies on average can save travelers up to four hours of planning time per trip and up to $452 savings. (Deane, 2022)

Aside from planning an unforgettable getaway, price is a weighing factor. With so many websites at the traveler's disposal it is easy to get lost in the deal and overlook if a website/company is legitimate.

In 2021, BBB's Scam Tracker had 339 reported scams involving travel. The total reported lost on travel scams in 2021 on BBB's Scam Tracker exceeded $350,000. Scams range from time lost and personal security information threatened to tens of thousands on any single report. (USA Today, 2023)

Booking travel can take seconds on a smartphone; because of this, mistakes are on the rise. Some of these mistakes can be a quick fix by logging into the site's portal and correcting. However, most of these mistakes involve hours of the traveler's time and money to correct. Errors in travel goes beyond misspellings and the correct dates- luggage errors, covid policies, tight flight connections, language barriers, non-refundable tickets/hotel rooms etc.

87% of Americans have made at least one travel mistake in 2022. It typically costs the average traveler between $2,000 and $3,000 when they slip up. (Woolf, 2023)

After COVID most of society has adapted to doing business on their smartphone, minimizing human interaction in various industries, including travel. Convenience however isn't always convenient on your wallet. Traveling has risks and done wrong can cost a lot of money and stress- to minimize these things consult a travel agent, it's free and can save you time and money.

Vacation travel scams are easy to miss, here's how to report them (usatoday.com)

Deane, S. (2022). Over 60 Online travel booking Statistics (2022). Stratos Jet Charters, Inc. https://www.stratosjets.com/blog/online-travel-statistics/#:~:text=TripAdvisor%20reported%20224%20million%20visits%20in%20one%20month,will%20spend%20around%20four%20weeks%20researching%20a%20destination.

Deane, S. (2022b). Over 60 Online travel booking Statistics (2022). Stratos Jet Charters, Inc. https://www.stratosjets.com/blog/online-travel-statistics/

Woolf, M. (2023, June 12). America's Most Common Travel Mistakes [2022 Study]. PhotoAiD. https://photoaid.com/blog/most-common-travel-mistakes/