travel agent = added value?

Why would anyone use a travel agent? It's certainly easy enough to book travel yourself. Airlines, hotels, cruise lines, Amtrak, and virtually every other travel provider in the world has a web site. You can look at pictures, read descriptions, check availability, and scout out the lowest possible price.

If your first priority is finding the least expensive way to visit a given destination, then I encourage you to research and book on the web. It is well suited for comparison shopping. That's what the internet is best at!

If, however, you have other priorities, engaging a travel consultant may be well worth the investment. When might you want to work through a travel agent?

(1) You want to explore a destination you've never been to before. Travel consultants are travelers like everyone else, and -- like everyone else -- there are areas of the world to which each of us feels a certain connection, places to which we return time and again. For instance, my areas of special expertise are Paris and Bora Bora.

Find a travel consultant who specializes in the destination you want to visit. She or he will know the hotels, know the attractions, and have dozens of tips to offer. You'll get the trip you dreamed about at the price you want to pay, a well-designed itinerary, and you'll avoid the hassle, time, and potential missteps of trying to do it all on your computer.

(2) You have special requests such as early check-ins, late check-outs, upgrades, and rooms with a great view. A good travel agent has developed contacts with the hotels you want to visit, and those contacts can often accommodate your special requests (often, but not always). Here are some examples of requests I have recently helped my clients obtain:

• a 9 p.m. late checkout from a hotel in Singapore
  
• a suite at a Paris hotel with a direct view of the Eiffel Tower
  
• upgrading a client at the time of booking from a regular room into a Villa
  
• complimentary reservations in a pool cabana
  
• a corner suite at a Hong Kong hotel with a confirmed view of the harbour

(3) You want luxury accommodations, but you want the best value for your dollar, pound, yen, or euro. Would you like to be able to enjoy breakfast via room service every morning at no extra cost? Would you like to be upgraded to the next room category, if there is a better room available when you check in? There are all sorts of complimentary amenities that hotels can offer including lunches and dinners, airport transfers, and spa treatments. These differ by property, but as the guest of a Virtuoso agent, you automatically receive those free perks.

Why would anyone use a travel agent? Because sometimes it helps to have someone with experience and connections on your side. And because, especially with luxury travel, the best values usually are not found on the internet.

If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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