Picking a very good travel agent is necessary for a great vacation in most cases since the majority of travelers will not have the necessary experience to plan everything alone. Although just around 10% of tourists actually use the services of travel agents these days, this is still a lot more than what many think. There are still many that will not have time to book a trip and plan everything. Also, many are highly intimidated by group or highly complex journeys. Even if you just want a helping hand, the agent can help.
The problem is that similarly to all service providers, many of the travel agents are not talented or simply not qualified enough. You want to be sure that the chosen travel agent will offer you the best possible deal for you. Working with one influenced by a professional affiliation brings in bad deals as the agent is interested in commissions. This is why you want to consider the following as you choose your real estate agent.
Ask Your Friends
If you know that some of your friends went on a vacation, why not just ask about whether or not a travel agent was hired. If the experience was a pleasant one, you can simply get travel agent info and see if that is great for you. Try to only look at the friends that have really similar budget restraints and tastes as you. If you call agents as referred by the client, the agent tends to assume that a similar activity is desired.
Always Go Through A Strong Interview When Considering Travel Agents
There are many travel agencies and agents that have affiliations so you want to be sure that you learn if the agent works with absolutely all companies or just some. In the event those some are not suiting you, just go somewhere else. You can also go one step further and ask about the used company’s commission structure. Online searches are going to help you out with that. Also, do ask the agent if surcharges are added to vacation costs. Most will do this as airline commissions are rarely offered. Surcharges are almost never dealbreakers but it is a value that can vary a lot from one agency to the next.
Proper Agent Affiliation
In the US you want a travel agent that is a member of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA for short), which is an important agent organization that has a strong enforced code of conduct. At the same time, ASTA has a member registry so it is possible to get some recommendations about agencies or agents that can be chosen. Similar agencies can be found around the world. The stricter the conduct rules, the better for you.
Compare Offered Deals
At the end of the day, you want to get deals from different travel agents. It is really important you have some time to properly compare every single aspect associated with them. Do not just think about how much money you are asked to pay. Prices have to be taken into account with the main purpose of establishing how much quality is offered for the money you are asked to pay.
