This week, I am discussing the advantages if booking through an ASATA accredited travel agent. (See Part 1) When one scours the internet for a deal one day, the next day’s search could throw up entirely different results. This is because fares change almost hourly and every day so researching the lowest fare online is extremely time consuming and it has its limitations. Whereas an expert travel consultant can provide multiple options and make changes. Doing-it-yourself on the internet is time consuming and sometimes very confusing, especially with multi-sector bookings, code share flights, etc.

The retail travel consultant will book through airlines and tour operators with whom she has developed a relationship over years of hard work in the industry. She therefore has greater bargaining power and will responsibly make use of accredited wholesalers who offer competitive pricing, value, quality and a wide choice of options.

Just remember an experienced travel expert considers the act of booking your trip to be just the beginning of the transaction and relationship, not the end such as in the manner of click-book-pay. Besides advice and guidance on bookings, a travel expert can advise you on such issues as exchange rates, travel insurance, crowds, weather, competency of tours, areas of a town to avoid, travel visas, health tips or health requirements, such as mandatory vaccinations, passports, tipping etiquette, packing lists and trip cancellation penalties and restrictions.

A cruising holiday sounds great until you start navigating through the sea of cruise websites and types of cruising, from large or small cruise ships to family or adult-oriented cruising vessels. Cruising is about matching a client’s personality and their cruise budget to a cruise that best suits their individual needs. Your travel expert does just that and is also there to guide you if something goes wrong before the cruise ship ever leaves the dock. If you book a cruise with an online discounter, which doesn’t typically have the resources to offer customer service and handholding, you’ll be on our own if issues crop up.

Tomorrow’s post will detail some of the traps and downfalls of booking online on websites that do not have backing and telephonic support of an ASATA accredited travel agent.

Yours in Travel, Lindsay Quail.