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[ADV] Travel Agents vs Flying Solo

In this day of internet travel booking, why would you use a travel agent?

Agents are great when ...

Time is money.
Agents are great at watching out for deals. So having a relationship with an agent who knows what you are interested in, can mean you have a full-time internet deal hunter on your team.

You have a crackberry habit.
If you or hubby spends enough time on the blackberry as it is, make sure that someone else has the headache when you are on holidays. Hotel flooded, flight delayed - not your problem.

You love an upgrade.
Agents have relationships with hotels, car rentals and tour guides - so a quick word from your agent means higher chances of that ever-so-sweet upgrade.

You love local knowledge.
Agents lives are spent digging up the best ways to get under the skin of a place, from the best new bars and restaurants to the most authentic local experiences.

Multi-stop trips.
The more stops, the more connections, the more can go wrong. The more you need special ground handlers to help you out if things to go a little off-course.

Hot spots in peak seasons.
You want access to member only clubs? Or a hotel in Amalfi in July? You need connections. We keep Simon & Nico on speed dial at Lightfoot Travel (p.+65 6438 4091).

You want that special treatment.
The new boutique tour operators like Lightfoot are all about special treatment. You never know what they might be able to rustle up. Plus why not have someone manage that special 2 weeks off you get a year.

Family holidays.
Need to be in a villa with a pool fence? Or in a hotel with excellent kids facilities? Most boutique agents will have tried and tested their hotel and villa recommendations. This means they make travelling with kids a breeze - right down to the correct car seats waiting on arrival. Importantly, they won't suggest anywhere that they haven't experienced themselves.

Value equation.
Having an agent doesn't make your holiday more expensive (they don't add commission on-top), it just increases the chances of a trip of a lifetime. Good agents, like Lightfoot Travel don't charge a premium for their work, the rates are the same to what you can find off direct online.

Go solo when:

Simple trips
When you only need flights point to point, best bet is to get online.

Your flying budget
Want to fly tiger or air asia? Book yourself - their fares are too low to offer agent commissions.

What's that Chief? Never under estimate a healthy relationship with a boutique travel agent.

Get Smart    |   04 May 2011 at 04:55 PM

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