Outside Magazine Touts Travel Agent Value for Booking Vacations
by Daniel McCarthy
Outside Magazine, which published iconic stories like Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, recognized the value of travel advisors in an online article this week. Photo: Shutterstock.com.
The ongoing coverage in consumer media promoting the use of a travel advisor to book vacations continued this week with a story on Outside Online, the web version of the iconic magazine that covers outdoor and adventure life.
In an article titled, “Breaking Down the Pros and Cons of Using a Travel Agent,” Shannah Compton Game wrote: “Confession: I’m a big fan of travel agents (whoops, sorry, travel advisers), even though I could technically book all my trips through websites and apps.
“And despite the fact that many of us might consider this industry old-fashioned and out-of-date, research shows that travelers, and millennials in particular, are once again turning to these specialists to help plow through TripAdvisor detritus.”
Compton Game wrote that not only are agents able to help save travelers time, they can also save them money: “If they have been in the travel business for many years, they likely have supplier relationships in place that can help leverage better deals for you” — and improve your plans.
“When I spoke with my travel agent about a trip to Europe recently, she offered a few alternate destinations. I was not thinking about the destinations she suggested,” Compton Game wrote, “but the alternatives offered great activities, culture, food, interesting boutique hotels, and more options for less money than my original destination.”
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Aside from the benefits of using an advisor, Compton Game also lists two negatives for travelers going the advisor route. First, that “they’re not going to help with cheaper airfare.” The second is that the agent isn’t the traveler, meaning the traveler runs “the risk of working with someone who doesn’t get your personal preferences.”
Good advisors know that qualifying clients will make the biggest difference in their satisfaction levels. Knowing your clients’ wants, likes, and dislikes will make or break a long-term relationship. Compton Game, speaking to clients, said that if they want to avoid an advisor who has not qualified them correctly, they can: “Do your own research first, and come up with a list of activities that you want to do. Once you have that list, pass it along to your travel agent to see if they can rustle up any deals as they book.”
