Hello everyone. It’s me KiOwana. Your Independent Travel Agent. What do I love more than traveling…….sharing my experiences and helping others travel and make memories. So, what is the difference between having your own personal Travel Agent and going on to Expedia and doing it yourself? Well let us talk about it.
For starters, Travel Agents/Advisors are given the most up to date information regarding flights, hotels, resorts, opening and closings of countries, and so much more. You trust a doctor for healing, a banker for finances, and your hairdresser/barber with your hair right? Well trust a travel agent with your vacation and travel dreams. Let us break this down by
Assistance, Recommendations, Knowledge, and Time/Money Saved.
Assistance
Whenever you are booking online or over the phone, you will never talk to the same person twice. The customer service representatives speak with hundreds, maybe thousands of customers every single day. It is nearly impossible for them to know you and your needs personally. If you go with an Agent, no matter what happens before, during, or after your vacation, you can call them by phone. They know you personally and resolve any issues that may arise without you having to contact anyone else. Whether your flight was cancelled, or your transportation did not show up to take you to your resort, your agent is one call away to correct the problem.
Recommendations
Most Travel Agents are travelers. I have gone to numerous countries, cruises, and beautiful destinations. Sometimes when booking a trip, you want to go somewhere but aren’t’ really sure where or even what to do; that’s where we come in. Many travel agents specialize in a particular type of travel and can make recommendations to help you plan a trip that meets your needs and budget.
Knowledge
As a Travel Agent, I have received an abundance of training and I am learning about new and improved updates all the time. The more training you complete, the more knowledgeable you are in your field; this goes for any job right. But that is not all, mix training with experience and that is one heck of a combination. There may be places you are interested in visiting that we already know the pros and cons for. Maybe this place has received a lot of negative reviews and we have had previous clients report negative experiences. That is probably a location, we would not recommend going forward. I’ve also had clients interested in going to Jamaica because they’ve seen our pictures on social media. Some have wanted to go to the same all-inclusive resort. Sharing my training and experience gives my clients the comfort of booking with me as their agent.
Time/Money Saved
When talking to my clients, one of the first things I ask about is their budget. I invest in real estate and when looking for a new home the very first thing you need to do is get pre-qualified. This lets you know what you can afford and what type of homes you should be looking at. There is nothing more disappointing than looking at a $300,000 home in the perfect neighborhood only to find out that you are only qualified for a home that costs $150,000. It is the same for traveling. You do not need to be rich, but you do need a budget. By providing me with a budget, I know exactly what to research and present to
you. I always send my clients multiple quotes.
Let us say I have a family of 3 that wants to go to the Bahamas for 5 days with a budget of $5,000. Things to take into consideration are flights, transportation to and from the airport, and rooms. I do the research (very in-depth process) and provide them with quotes; 1 under budget, 1 at budget, and 1 over budget.
Not going with an agent also leaves you open for hidden fees. I do not know how many times in the past where I have booked through an online source for a vacation and everything seemed great when it was time to check out until you see the complete total including taxes, hotel fee, parking fee, insurance fee, transportation fee, hospitality fee, or gratuity fees. That is when the “This is too good to be true” thought comes into play. Booking with an agent, I give you the BLUF (bottom line up front). You get a list of
“all” expenses, so you know when you choose a package, that cost is the total cost.
At the end of the day, a personalized something is better than an automated nothing. Trust me with all your travel adventures and memories. Are you ready to start booking travel for the future? Send me an email at ourpreparedplace@gmail.com and let us start planning.
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a
storyteller.”
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