Is it important that a travel agent has been to the destination?
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When you are looking for a travel agent, is it important to you that the travel agent has first-hand experience being at the destination and resort they offer you?
Couldn't hurt
I don't think that it would be a deal killer if the agent had never been to a particular place.
Where are you planning to go? Maybe some of the readers here have been there. That might help.
Absolutely! The agent can give you valuable information about your destination; hotels, points of interest, areas to avoid, etc..
Of course!
Yes but not always mandatory. Gives you a better handle on safety, hotels, eats etc.
I think so. I have been in travel and tourism all my life and visited many Countries. First hand experience is essential.
I believe that in this day and age, you can find any information of any place in the world on the internet. You can find reviews about any hotel, resort or area from many people also. So for me it wouldn't be that important for the travel agent to have first hand experience.
Of course!
I think so. as mentioned, they can give you pointers, places to go/avoid etc. yes, you can read reviews online, but how do you know they are true? you dont, take with a "grain of salt". AND remember, everyone's opinion is theirs, wont always match yours.
Absolutely! They need to experience what they are selling/representing, to be certain of the quality, safety of treks, etc. They also meet with destination management companies while there, learning everything the destination has to offer. I could tell you horror stories with regard to at least offsite adventures that I, as a travel professional experienced myself, saving my customers from ever taking for their safety.
Also, if a resort ad shows everything but the room, beware. Also, one can never be certain how old the photos of the place are. If the resort/hotel has not been renovated in 10 years or so, it makes a huge difference.
With today’s technology you can research any destination, but there is nothing better then a travel agents first hand experience to make you vacation the ultimate getaway.
I am a travel agent and enjoy visiting many different places, but I could not possibly visit every destination that I sell. I am experienced enough to research a destination and deal with only experienced and reputable vendors, for the benefit of my clients.
If the agent is familiar with the destination because they have been there, you
may get better info. What to see is important but also what to avoid.
Yes, very important. They've seen it first hand and might even suggest places they were at. Lin
Yes , YES, so the person is familiar with the area .
Not necessarily. It is impossible for ANY travel agent / person to have visited every hotel / destination. However keep in mind that we, travels agents, have access to a huge amount of training from virtually almost all reps who know their products to a T. Something eben the best traveller does NOT have access to. So keep in mind that we may not have been to rhe particular destination you are interested in, but we still know more that you because we also know the inner workings of each destination. And if we don’t know it as of yet, we have the tools, training and contacts to get the best information for you. AND to top it off, you are protected and/or backed by us should anything at all should happen.
Sandra Kovac, your excessive posts need to be managed, please.
Good grief! Is this the Sandy Kovac Show? Even though I agree with the answer, this is a discussion forum, not an ad forum. Please remove all but one is these posts and give others a chance. Happy Hometalk.com! 😇🍁
I definitely think that those that sell these holidays should have some personal knowledge of the location, facilities and any problems that may occur. For example if you were disabled in any way you would not want to be in a hotel situated at the top of a steep incline. If you’re looking for a beach holiday you would not want to have to use transport to get to a beach everyday.
How do we remove all the repeat comments?
My personal experience is ask for referrals from people your travel agent has sent to a particular place,cruise or trip. If they cannot get somebody then consider another agent. My mother in law taught me how to cruise and it's something I now enjoy. Passing on my knowledge.
No way! It's far more important that I'M going
I think that some posters may have an exaggerated idea of what salaries people in the travel industry make. Even with discounts it would not be possible to travel to every possible destination in the world and be informed about every tourist attraction. Many years ago I worked both in the travel and airline industries, and while often people did go to work in these industries so they could travel, their ability to know how to access travel arrangements for others was a lot more important than their own personal travel experiences. This pre-internet and such information. Actually it would be even better if the travel agent was FROM the choice of your vacation, wouldn't that be nifty? Now if we only could require our newspapers to use proper English and our teachers to teach facts and our doctors to never make a mistake, oh and our internet to never go down and our weather never to be out of control, that too would be desirable.
It is helpful, but not always necessary. Sometimes the agent hasn't been there, but has had extensive experience putting together vacations to this place. If the you are looking to have an agent book you through a group like Trafalgar, Disney, National Geographic, Princess, etc. it's less important that the agent has been there. The companies have put together packages, and you usually have options for excursions, etc. A lot of times though agencies that do a lot of business with a particular company can offer extras, like an upgrade to a balcony on a ship, etc. Ask friends/co-workers who've traveled and who would they recommend. You can also choose to book a vacation directly through a company.
sure. so he has better knowledge without wasting your time.
My daughter is an wedding planner and she workes with a great group of people she goes to the venues and has vidios. She has connections at hotels and condos looks at the beaches and everything she has never had a problem what i am saying is she checks everything out before going anywhere.
Yes, very important. Twice two separate agents got times wrong for catching coach to next destination. Had to get up and catch 2am coach which was not nice for host and hostess at B&B. I would've liked to have stayed longer since it was a couple days after I landed at destination. Oh one of them booked me into a prostitute hotel, bedding stunk. I canceled and went across street to place I had stayed first time, first trip. 2nd two trips were off my intinerary I made up which agent messed up on times.
great advice Sandy
I have traveled for years without a travel agent, and I find doing my homework and learning about the area through internet and travel guides and never had a problem. I find that is a fun part of traveling An excellent travel site is tripmasters.com. I got a package in Aug. from my local airport, 3 nights in Prague and 3 nights in Vienna with a 4 hr train trip between for less than $1000 for EVERYTHING. The hotels were very good and close to public transportation and the train station. flights were perfect and highly recommend, they take care of most everything, I arranged with the hotel to pick us up at the airport for $40 and rented a car for one day in Vienna and dropped it off at the airport
If the travel agent has been to all the places someone might want to go we should have gotten to know them much earlier. Crystal has a great way. Or simply a reputable travel agent