Agent to Agent: Why Do Travelers Use Travel Agents?

Dear Tammy: Are there certain types of travelers who prefer using the services of a travel agent? Or is it just a matter of how easy or difficult it is to make the travel plans?

Tammy: Great question! The Internet does allow travelers to go online and book a trip themselves, so why would someone want to use the services of a travel agent? There are lots of reasons!

Travelers can go online and book their own trips, but if any type of problem comes up, the majority are not going to know what to do. Because a travel agent is trained in handling all sorts of travel problems, when travelers use a travel agent and something happens, all they have to do is contact the travel agent to take care of the problem.

While booking trips online is available, many travelers will only book a trip online if it’s a very simple or a very short trip. They know how to make airplane reservations or hotel reservations or car reservations themselves and for that reason will simply do it themselves. Even so, sometimes travelers who are taking a short trip will still contact a travel agent to help them with their travels because they are just too busy to do it themselves.

The American Society of Travel Agents did some recent research that shows that travelers are once again going back to using travel agents to help them with their vacation planning, which isn’t surprising at all. And it’s probably due to travelers booking their own trips online and then experiencing some type of problem, and wishing they had a travel professional to help them out!

When a traveler who has booked their own travels does something like miss a flight connection or make a mistake when booking a hotel reservation, the majority are simply not going to know what to do—they need help.

So who are the travelers that are most likely to use a travel agent right now? Those who are looking to take a bucket list vacation, are traveling in large groups, are planning a destination wedding and want to travel during peak traveling season.

When it comes to booking a customized trip, the personalized services of a travel agent are always suggested. Many times travel itineraries can get complicated and only a travel agent is going to know exactly what to do when travel problems to come up.