(And why there are no downfalls to having one)
Do Travel Advisors charge money for their services?
Many people think the typical Travel Advisor is used by the older folks. You know the ones, retired, want to get out into the world but want the help from the experts in traveling. Maybe you think they just have the money to spend in their retirement. And while they probably do, one misconception of a Travel Advisor is the fact that you do not actually pay the Advisor. Since changing my life and going into this profession, I have had many questions about how much I charge, mostly coming from my friends and family but also from prospective clients. This got me thinking, many people do not know that clients do not pay the Advisor directly. In fact, Advisors receive commission from their suppliers in order to sell to you. While some may have fees here and there, most people do not charge more than $50 for those fees.
What do I as the client get in return for using a Travel Advisor?
That is not to say the Travel Advisors are here to find you the cheapest place to stay either. That is not what they are there for. What they are there for is to find you the best value for your dollar (or other currency you make your money in). You work very hard for your money and you should absolutely get to spend it on nice things. Advisors also know that you spend most of the year working so when you finally get to go on a vacation, we want to make sure you are getting the most out of it. While they try very hard to stay within your budget, they also are there to help you get the biggest bang for your buck. The way suppliers work through Travel Advisors is because Advisors are sending clients that pay for their resorts their way, they are in turn, able to offer deals and discounts to those Advisors who can then share them with their clients. The clients then get to reap those benefits with things like a complimentary room upgrade, discounts at the spa, champagne to their room, just to name a few examples. While you as a client would be able to find a similar price to what the Advisor found for you, possibly at that same resort, you may get a few perks you would not have received had you booked that place on your own.
Another plus that the client gets is the peace of mind of going through a Travel Advisor. If your flight is delayed, you missed it, or something went wrong with anything else on your trip, the Travel Advisor is there to help you through it. This way you can truly relax on your vacation and you do not have to worry about the stress of anything else while on your trip.
What else can a Travel Advisor offer?
Depending on how hands on or off you would like your Advisor to be, you could either plan the entire trip and just tell the Advisor where you want to stay, flights, and possibly some excursions you would want to do, or you could just tell the Advisor where you want to go, how long, and your budget and your only job could be to show up at the airport. It is that easy. Now, Advisors are not mind readers. You would need to iron out a few kinks for your trip so they know what you want, but overall, if what you want is to not think about your trip until you go on it, Advisors can help do that. Additionally, some people just do not like thinking of things to do. Nor is everyone a resort person with a designated area to be. Some people want to explore the cities they are in, the people that live there, the food they have. Depending on the Advisor, they do that research for you and come up with things for you to do and restaurants to eat at so you are able to get the most out of your vacation. Personally, this is my favorite part of giving people travel advice. I love sharing the hidden gems and the best foods to try in other places. It is why I became an Advisor in the first place.
Conclusion
I hope this article was helpful for you and your next trip. While I am a person that loves planning vacations, especially for other people, knowing I would not have to pay a Travel Advisor years ago would have saved me SO MUCH time. However, when I did use a Travel Advisor, I was in the middle of a very stressful semester, and she did everything. I mean EVERYTHING. It was so nice. All I did was show up at the airport and before I knew it I was sipping a piña colada in the swim up bar, looking at the ocean. Who knew. At the end of the day, a Travel Advisor is there to save you time, money, and many stressful headaches (let’s face it, buying plane tickets are STRESSFUL).