Why Travel Advisors Aren’t Travel Agents & How To Love Working With One

Travel Agent or Advisor?

Why you’ll love working with travel advisors? Well, travelers faced tough times in 2020 when the pandemic shut down international borders and made stay-at-home orders commonplace.  They were left holding the bag with bookings that could not be fulfilled and much uncertainty about future travel.  Forced to deal with incredibly long wait times airlines, tour companies, cruise lines, and hotels – as well as expensive rebooking and cancellation fees.

Some never did get their money back; others were pushed towards taking a future credit on a trip they didn’t even want.  But it was a different story for consumers who had used a travel advisor to book their trips. “We saw travel advisors grabbing flights with no change fees; negotiating future travel credits; doing the legwork to avoid their clients having to pay anything out of pocket,” says Erika Richter, the senior director of communications for the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA). As Richter puts it, “Travel advisors were made for that moment.” Undoubtedly, it’s why you’ll love working with travel advisors.

Is there really a difference between a travel agent and a travel advisor?  Some might say there isn’t. Travelers may associate the term travel agent with a booking agent – a person who does little more than ticket airfare and book other types of travel. 

On the other hand, travel advisors, among other benefits, give professional insight to elevate your trip, make your trip more enjoyable, and bring value through perks and travel tips.   

What’s the Difference?

This change was a terminology update resulting from a 2018 industry rebrand of ASTA (formerly American Society of Travel Agents).  Travel booking sites like Expedia and the ease of booking flights and accommodations directly online with an airline, a hotel or a vacation rental property make travel advisors seem obsolete.  

Richter explains that travel advisors are no longer just transactional. “They do so much more than booking tickets and pushing a button, and we know now that it’s going to be a little more complicated than just pushing a button,” Richter says. “There’s a lot more to consider.”

As worldwide entry requirements lessen, your itch to plan a post-Covid trip may have you wondering if partnering with a travel advisor is right for you.  Keep reading to learn what travel advisors can help you with and to discover a few savvy tips to help you find the perfect travel advisor for your next vacation.

Your Travel Advisor Helps You Navigate Entry Requirements (COVID-19 & beyond)

While COVID-19-related restrictions around the world are lessening, there are many things a traveler should keep in mind.  A professional travel advisor can help you alleviate the stress associated with deciphering individual country regulations and restrictions and help you better understand them.

You really need to narrow in on a specific itinerary, and consulting with a travel professional with knowledge and local partners in the destination where you want to go can save you a lot of time and hassle.  Using a travel advisor gives you an advantage – you don’t need to do that work yourself.  A lot of this information is hidden away, hard to find and you have to spend tens of hours to track it all down. While navigating on your own can be tedious, we offer this BeWise travel entry site if you’d like to check requirements on your own.

In addition to helping you understand your destination’s rules and requirements, an advisor enlightens you about travel insurance options.  Travel insurance has become an integral part of post-Covid-19 travel.  As a worst-case, imagine being abroad and you test Covid-19-positive without Covid-19 travel insurance coverage.  This could cost you far beyond what you budgeted for. 

For that reason, travel insurance is something most travel advisors recommend. Even if the client declines, advisors know the importance of offering it.  Since 2020, they’ve seen clients spend tens of thousands of dollars quarantining after contracting Covid-19 while abroad and rearranging their travel plans.  It’s another reason you’ll love working with travel advisors – they have all the knowledge to help you not make a costly mistake. They protect your travel dollars!

Your Travel Advisor Is Your Advocate:  From Planning To Your Return Home, You’ll Love Working With Them

Guidance and assistance from your advisor won’t stop just because your trip is booked. If trip disruptions arise while on vacation, like a canceled flight, you can depend on your advisor to help you.

“They read the fine print for you so you understand the complete terms and conditions so you’re not in a position that you would have to go it alone and navigate refunds or future travel credits or be on hold for hours on end trying to get your money back – that’s what travel advisors do.”

Erika Richter, ASTA

They’ve helped others in this situation before you.  They know how to move forward working in your best interest – something online travel booking sites can never give you. 

One More Reason You’ll Love Working With a Travel Advisor: They Use Their Relationships to Score You Perks

Travel advisors do so much more than handle the logistics of your trip; they leverage their relationships with travel suppliers, such as hotels and tour operators, to score you perks – we call this Lagniappe in LTA’s corner of the bayou – like hotel room upgrades, free breakfast and spa credits. 

According to Richter, “They have dedicated industry relations that give them their own dedicated customer service access, in essence, and because travel advisors work in larger groups, they have this sort of collective buying power and influence that they pass on to their clients”.

Going beyond is common and many will up the wow factor with special touches along the way.  A professional travel advisor loves to delight you with extras. Maybe a bottle of wine, a personalized note in your room, or an extra onboard credit during your cruise.   Most of these amenities aren’t the type you can get on your own.

Travel Advisors Help You Use Your Travel Rewards

Do you have points or miles to use for a trip?  Your travel advisor can assist you with the confusing world of travel rewards. Because of this, you can maximize your loyalty status and points potential to enhance your vacation.

When clients use rewards they feel like they’ve saved thousands of dollars.  They then often reinvest that money saved back into their trip, allowing for an even more extraordinary experience

How to Find a Travel Advisor You’ll Love Working With

Friends and family can provide travel advisor recommendations, yet you can also easily find a professional advisor that is a good match for you through an affiliate website, such as Virtuoso.  This site’s search tool can find an advisor in your area, one who specializes in bucket list trips, beach vacations, river cruises, or is an expert in your chosen destination.  

Often using an affiliated member means you’re working with a vetted advisor who follows the organization’s code of ethics. This may also require the advisor to carry a certain level of business insurance. Important should you need a dispute or complaint resolved, right?

Free Consultations, Fees and Value

Are you concerned with the cost to use a travel advisor?  Did you know most travel advisors offer free consultations?  Luxury Travel Authority is one such agency that does not charge a consultation fee. An in-depth consultation will last 20 to 30 minutes and is a way for the advisor to get a better understanding of the client’s objective for a trip and the things they want to do and see.   

Clients can participate as much or as little as they want during the planning process.  For clients who already have an idea of what they want for their upcoming trip, the process will be quite collaborative.

How the Process Works

During the consultation, the traveler can also explore whether the advisor is the right fit for them. For example, as the name implies, Luxury Travel Authority specializes in luxury travel.  If you want a budget trip or intend to price check everything on Expedia, it’s likely the fit isn’t optimal.  Honesty and transparency are crucial during the consultation.  The process should be productive and not time-wasting for either party. 

Along with your preliminary vacation plans, you’ll also talk about the fees associated with hiring a travel advisor. These can vary widely depending on a few variables, including the complexity of the trip.  Keep in mind, while the thought of paying a professional travel advisor a fee may seem unpalatable, the fee you pay will likely come back to you in the form of time savings, hassle elimination, and perks that you can’t obtain yourself.  

Plus, you’ll have the peace of mind from knowing you have a dedicated, expert helping every step of the way.  If you want a professional job done, hire a professional.  As Richter says, “We’re…reconnecting with the world and each other, and there’s so much riding on it, so don’t risk it.”

Considering all of the ways a travel advisor protects you, gets you more for your travel dollar, has professional-level travel knowledge to share with you, and advocates for you when travel plans change (or worse), don’t you think you’ll love working with travel advisors?

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Portions of this article courtesy of US News and World Report

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