When Should You Use a Travel Agent?

Conventional wisdom suggests that travel agents have gone the way of lamplighters, switchboard operators, and other bygone occupations. These days, with countless websites and apps devoted to making every aspect of booking vacations as easy as possible, it doesn’t even occur to most people to employ this once-ubiquitous service. Still, there are several scenarios where doing so will make your excursion much easier — travel agents are experts with an inside track, after all. Here’s when it might make sense to use a travel agent to book a vacation.

The Perks of Booking With a Travel Adviser

An important thing to consider is that travel agents (or travel advisers, as they’re sometimes called) aren’t free, at least not usually. Some agents receive commissions on the flights and accommodations they book rather than directly charge customers, but more often you’ll be paying them out of pocket. Depending on which travel adviser you go with and the level of service you opt for, doing so could set you back hundreds or even thousands of dollars. However, these costs could be offset by discounts, upgrades, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’re in good hands.

For example, companies such as Virtuoso, Signature Travel Network, and Ensemble specialize in getting customers perks included with their hotel stay. Think: free breakfast, spa treatments, food and drink credits, and other bonuses that aren’t usually included when booking on your own. Such perks are one of the primary benefits of going with a travel adviser, as well as why many continue to swear by them. You get what you pay for, as they say, and even the most savvy traveler simply won’t have access to all the deals that a professional will.

The Best Scenarios for Using a Travel Agent

Travel agents are also a great option for anyone who takes a more relaxed, vibes-based approach to traveling. If you’re someone who tends to be less concerned with the granular details — exactly which room in the hotel you’ll be staying in, when and where your dinner reservations are — a travel agent or travel adviser will gladly fine-tune your trip, while potentially saving you money by booking things as part of a larger package that you might not have access to on your own. 

Think of a good travel adviser as a kind of all-in-one service that allows you to visit the city of your dreams without stressing over every potential complication. Those who prefer to plan every aspect of their vacation by putting together an hour-by-hour itinerary might not want to cede this level of control to someone else, but for everyone else there’s a certain freedom to going with the flow.

Somewhat counterintuitively, the opposite can equally be true: Travel agents are also ideal for when you need something highly specific but don’t have the precise know-how to make it happen. For example, if you want to go to Botswana for a safari but feel a bit out of your depth, consider checking travel expert Wendy Perrin’s WOW List and finding someone who not only books that kind of trip but also has spent years of their life in the region.

Or, this might be your first time going to Prague, but a seasoned travel agent has likely planned dozens of trips there and knows better than most what to do, what to avoid, and how to arrange it all in the most efficient, cost-effective way. That level of experience and expertise shouldn’t be ignored. As with anything else, the only way to see if this works for you is to give it a try — you might be surprised by how much value a good travel agent can actually add to a trip.

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