There is a lot of information available on the internet right now about travel. There are online travel sites for cruises, hotels, flights, trains, and any other type of travel. But what is the right product for you? Is the location of the hotel where you want to be? Is the type of room or cabin right for you? Is that cruise line the one I should book? Not all products are the same or suitable for everyone. How do you say it? Contact a travel professional.
Are there travel agents?
There have been several articles, and even the president of the United States, has said that travel agents do not exist or are going to leave. In a way they are right. In the past, travel agents were just someone booking a trip for someone who called or walked into a travel agency office. Shop window travel agencies are few and far between these days, as most “travel agents” have gone home to work. Even the term “travel agent” is disappearing because what they do now is different than what they did before.
Travel Professionals / Travel Advisors
Travel agents are now more of a counselor and advisor, which is why they are now referred to as travel professionals or travel advisers. Even the travel industry is trying to avoid using the term “travel agent”. They no longer just book a trip for someone, they know more about what is available to the traveling customer. Travel professionals are now constantly learning, constantly traveling, receiving information from other travel professionals about where they have traveled, and are a resource for what is required to travel today.
When you use an online travel agency like Expedia, Travelocity, etc. you can’t have someone to protect your back. They book the trip for you and then you’re pretty much alone. Let’s say your flight is canceled, who is going to book a replacement flight? You are, not them. If you use a travel professional, that travel professional will do it. If something goes wrong on your trip, if the room you reserved is not what you thought, who will fix it? A travel professional will also constantly check for price drops before final payment and if a new promotion offered would be more beneficial than one booked with a deposit. All of these things can be addressed before final payment.
A travel professional works with you from the moment you first speak to them until you are safe and sound at home and each and every issue has been resolved or resolved.
It costs more to use a travel professional
This is not always true. It’s true that some travel professionals charge fees, but not all do. This is because some providers, such as airlines and some hotels, do not pay commissions or some of the providers have reduced the amount of commissions paid to the travel professional. To make ends meet, some travel professionals charge fees. I charge $ 50 per person for airline reservations domestically and $ 100 for airline reservations internationally. I will also charge a fee sometimes for hotels for the same reason or if I am piecing together the different sections of the trip. If I book a cruise or tour, I do not charge a fee as the supplier pays me a commission. Remember, whether you use a travel professional or not, the commission will continue to be paid as it is automatically included in the supplier’s price. So why not hire a travel professional and avoid the hassle and save time.
The rules for travel are constantly changing and it is the travel professional who can keep their clients up to date with them.
Examples: passports
For example, did you know that starting in January 2016 you may need a passport to fly domestically? This is due to a law called the REAL ID Act. This requires all travelers to have REAL ID compliant identification that includes all of these fields: full legal name, signature, date of birth, gender, unique identification number, a primary residence address, and a front photograph of the applicant. Unfortunately, there are still a handful of non-compliant states. Do you know which states comply and which ones do not? Your travel professional does. By the way, the states / territories that do not meet the standards are American Samoa, Louisiana, and New Hampshire. The states of Minnesota and New York offer an optional enhanced ID at a cost, so because it is optional, a large percentage of residents do not have one. Some states have requested additional extensions, but it is unclear if they will be granted. Currently, only four states (Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New York) and American Samoa are technically non-compliant.
In addition, we still do not know if January 1, 2016 will be the date of the requirement or will be later. Due to this law, the passport processing time for everyone will be affected. All passports issued in 2006 to comply with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that went into effect in 2007 are expiring, leading to a large number of renewals. Therefore, due to those renewals along with the possible application of REAL ID, passport waits are expected to increase even more. As of October 11, the current wait has already increased from one week to four to six weeks for standard passports and three weeks for expedited ones. Acceleration in person could be up to eight days depending on travel need.
Ultimately, the REAL ID Act will require that all state-issued driver’s licenses include “machine-readable technology” or chips to help us stay safe while traveling. For more information on the REAL ID Act, visit http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs.
Additionally, passports are recommended for cruises just like they are required for flying outside of the United States. The reason is that if you need to fly back to the United States from a foreign port, you have a passport to do so. Just because you are on a cruise ship leaving a port in the United States, you are technically traveling internationally as soon as you get on the ship, as most ships are registered outside of the United States.
Example: visas
A travel professional can help you determine if visas are required to travel to the place you want to go. If they don’t know for sure, they know where to send it to get that information and get confirmation that you do or don’t need one for the type of trip you are taking. For example, for most cruises, if you leave a US port and return to the same US port, you probably don’t need a visa to visit the ports. This is called a “closed circuit” trip. But then again, most of the cruises. Always double check to see if one is needed.
Example: travel insurance
Again, not all travel insurance is the same. Should you buy travel insurance? Absolutely !!! I advise my clients not to purchase travel insurance, for the most part, from the cruise or product provider. The reason is that the coverage is not as comprehensive as third party policies. Travel insurance is not only purchased for travel delays, baggage loss / damage, or cancellation protection. Some health insurance companies do not cover you when you travel outside of the United States. Medicare does not. Travel insurance will act as your primary health insurance during your trip, from the time you leave until the time you return home. In addition, it provides emergency evacuation for health reasons and protects you from other items. Always read the policy and the information provided by the travel insurance issuer to see what is covered. Your travel professional will know which is a good travel insurance issuer.