Why You Need to Use a Travel Agent to Plan Your Next Ski Trip

We just can’t get enough of the way the consumer media is touting the use of travel agents these days. From major outlets like CNN and The New York Times to small local papers, reporters—and the experts they quote—have caught on to the fact that the services of a professional travel agent add real value to virtually every trip.

The latest nod to the profession comes from the skiing magazine On the Snow, which last week offered up thoughts on “Why You Need a Travel Agent for Your Ski Trip.” 

Quoting Anne Courcier, owner of Breckenridge-based SnowVentures, and Sarah Plaskitt, founding director of travel agency and magazine Scout, the article promises that “taking time to book travel with an agency will pay off in a seamless, stress-free ski trip.”

Travelers tend to visit something like 40 websites in the research and booking process—and even then, “ski trippers who manage to escape phase one without decision paralysis may have just pulled the trigger on a hotel or vacation rental that’s neither in town nor on the mountain and nothing like the photos.”

Indeed, the article goes on to say, “travel agencies—you remember those businesses that do much of the planning and booking for you—are making a comeback” as “increasingly people are seeking out more authentic experiences to places that are off the beaten path. That requires someone with expertise about that destination who can recommend the best places.”

Travel agents offer expert, often firsthand, knowledge; personal service and a dedicated point of contact; and custom packages at discounted prices.