Back before the Internet, when people wanted to plan a vacation, most used a travel agent. These lovely folks would book your flights, cruises, resort stays, honeymoons, and everything in between.
According to Ryan Geist of Burner Air, “Travel agencies back in the day banked hard on packages and ‘deals.’ Travel agents were always middlemen, but they provided a powerful economic value (both perceived and true).” They got you the deals you couldn’t find on your own because you didn’t have access to the resources they did.
Over the years, as online booking websites and the sharing economy have become more popular, travel agents have diminished in importance (9/11 and the recession didn’t help either). All those sites have made it easy for us travelers to cut out the travel agent and plan our own trips by booking directly with airlines and hotels (or, nowadays, with locals — thanks, Airbnb, Vayable, and EatWith!). There are also so many deal websites out there helping us find cheap airfares and hotel rates — and travel blogs telling us what to see and do — that it makes little sense for your average consumer to go to a travel agent anymore.
Ryan concurs: “The direct-to-consumer websites cut down the time it took to plan a trip from hours or days to minutes. And there is complete transparency. You can bargain-shop with a click of your mouse. It’s been devastating to an industry entrenched in tradition and stale relationships.”
And yet, though “the death of travel agents” has been touted since Expedia debuted, they still exist and, though greatly diminished in number (according the Bureau of Labor Statistics the number of freelance travel agents went from 124,030 in 2000 to 64,250 in 2014), they are used by a lot of people. In fact, they have seen a surge in demand in recent years (millennials are the fastest growing segment using them). (I couldn’t find stats on worldwide use but based on my experience, agents are also widely used around the world, especially when it comes to booking RTW trips.)
That is because they still offer value for certain types of travel (they’re heavily used for luxury, corporate, and group travel), as well as for their expertise and special business relationships — not to mention their time-saving, stress-relieving, and problem-solving skills.
Travel agents are useful if you’re doing a very costly or complex trip, planning a honeymoon or something fancy, or traveling with a large group. They have access to a number of deals and bulk buying options we DIY solo consumers don’t, especially when it comes to tours, high-end flights, and cruises.
Patricia Serrano from Fresh Traveler reinforced that point: “It’s very easy to book a flight from New York to Miami today, and if that’s all you want, then you should do it online. But if you’re looking for flights for a group of more than 10 people or a flight itinerary like JFK-MIA-BOG-EZE-LAX-SEA-ORD-EWR, then a travel agent would be of great help.”
They are also perfect for people who just don’t want to handle a big, complicated trip themselves. Travel agents offer them peace of mind. As Ryan said, “Logistics can be simple or complicated, but they almost always induce a headache. People will pay good money to someone they trust to just ‘handle it’ for them.” (There’s a cafe / travel agency in Austin called the Departure Lounge that sees brisk business.)
Alicia Saba from The Splendid Traveler echoes this: “Travel agents are still used for expert guidance, personalized travels, and to save time. The Internet has made it easier to book your own travels, but with that comes informational overload. Travel planning is a time-consuming process, and you don’t really know if you’re taking full advantage of your vacation time or planning experiences that align with your interests and travel style.”
As Cheryl Oddo from Carefree Vacations says, “People want firsthand knowledge and experience, the inside track on getting the most out of their vacation, making it memorable and affordable. They want someone to say ‘that’s a mistake, I recommend this instead,’ and to explain travel insurance, passport requirements, visas, self-drives in foreign countries, customs and cultures, and all of the ‘how-tos.’”
I agree with all of them.
Travel agents are for people who don’t want to spend hours researching their trips, are not experienced travelers, or are traveling in such a large group that the economics and logistics of booking it yourself do your head in. I’m not surprised that travel agents have seen a rise in usage of the last few years, especially among millennials who try to outsource time intensive activities.
If you’re traveling with a group of 15 people for your grandmother’s birthday on a cruise, a travel agent can definitely get you a better deal than you can yourself. Agents come in handy when buying in bulk, because they often have access to deals (this applies to airline tickets too).
Planning a honeymoon or a luxury trip? Complicated round-the-world trip for a family of four?! The highly specialized nature of travel agents makes them great for these kinds of trips too.
Take cruises. Travel agents have relationships with cruise lines and access to deals we everyday consumers don’t. Doug Parker from Cruise Radio advises that you start with a travel agent, as they have relationships with the cruise companies and can often get better rates and last-minute deals. Travel agents often can find much lower prices and can also act as liaison to cruise companies when something goes wrong. Agents talk to cruise lines all the time so if you want that 15 person trip to go smoothly, an agent would be better.
And that’s another place where travel agents could come in handy: when trouble crops up. Patricia advises, “Travel agents can save you time and money when you are in an emergency. A lot of airlines and hotel chains have preferred numbers for travel agents so they can get in touch quickly with the people who can best resolve your situation. “
Ryan agreed: “A travel agency’s greatest assets are its unique and leveraged relationships, its ability to problem-solve for its clients in real time, 24/7, and its role as a cat herder for group travel. When you’re in trouble, there is no substitute for a knowledgeable, reliable, and leveraged travel agent.”
So am I suddenly enamored with travel agents? No. I still probably wouldn’t use one. I like booking trips, know where to find deals, and don’t try to plan family trips for twenty. Give me a flight on points, a hostel, and bus ticket, and I’m all set.
If you’re planning a trip to Bermuda for you, your spouse, and family, it’s pretty straightforward: go online, find a cheap flight, book a hotel or Airbnb, and off you go! On your way, pick up a guidebook to figure out what to do, and enjoy your trip! (Or better yet, use my guide to Bermuda!)
Backpacking through Europe? A travel agent can’t tell you to go with the flow. They aren’t going to get you deals on hostels, backpacker tours, train tickets, or beat those budget airline carriers.
Every travel agent I spoke to agreed with me on this point. “If you’re staying in budget accommodations and not looking to preplan any activities or transportation, you’re better off booking on your own,” Alicia responded.
So are travel agents still useful? Yes, but only for some (and definitely not if you’re a budget backpacker!). If you are organizing a huge group, need dozens of plane tickets (like on our FLYTE groups, for which we use a travel agent), a honeymoon, a complex itinerary, or an expensive trip, a travel agent is not a terrible idea. They will make life easier, probably get you bulk discounts, and can be there in case anything goes wrong. If I were planning a trip that fell into one of those categories, I would look into a travel agent, even if it was just to test the waters.
Sofie
I never use travel agents because I prefer having full control over my trip and planning as much or as little as I want to, but I recently had this mystery trip organized for me and I was more than pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. I didn’t know where I was going until a couple of days beforehand so I couldn’t do my usual over-planning and the couple of activities they had organized for me were awesome, while I still had 90% of the time to do what I wanted.
It’s something I’d definitely do again, but I totally hear ya on booking your own accommodation and flights for “normal” trips!
Taste of France
I lived in Kenya for a few years and traveled to a number of African countries. But when I wanted to do a solo trip to Mali (before radical nuts started running amok there), I went with a travel agent. I’ve traveled on local transportation before, and I just felt too old for that. But I didn’t want to rent a car and drive myself. So an agent linked me up with an agent in Mali, who stuck me onto a tour with some French guys who were there to scout locations for hotel investments. It turned out to be fantastic–we had dinner at homes of officials in various towns, including one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever eaten, in Timbuktu, while these guys negotiated. If I had been on my own, I likely would have had all my meals alone, and who knows about any car breakdowns, etc. I never hesitated to rent a car and just go in Kenya, but there I didn’t need a map, and I knew people I could call. In Mali, a “tour” was just right.
Trish
I agree completely. I organise 99% of my own travel, but for complex, multi-stop trips where I have fixed timelines and want complicated stopover arrangements…well I’d rather spend 15 minutes sitting down with a travel agent than 5+hours online trying to sort it out myself!
Bex
Interesting post. I totally agree with the point about travel agents being useful when things go wrong. I never use them for personal trips (partly because planning the trip is part of the fun) but have to use an agent for work trips. I was skeptical of their value even then as I could almost always find a better deal for flights and/or hotels online, which they could then ‘match’. But when my international flight got cancelled because of Storm Niko while I was already overseas on another work trip, the travel agents were able to get me rebooked quickly and painlessly. I probably *could* have done it myself, but would have found it stressful and time-consuming. I still enjoy ‘beating’ our travel agent’s ‘deals’ though!
Jason
If you have a stopover that has you arriving in one city and leaving a different one (Asia being a classic example) then Travel agents are great. They are also good too with booking travel that uses different airlines but within the one ticket. Try doing that on skyscanner kayak etc and see what price you get.
Jill P
My husband and I use our travel agent every time we go to Europe from the US. When I go home to visit family, I book it myself since all I need is a flight. But our travel agent has saved us numerous times from flight mishaps and crappy hotels I would’ve probably chosen. For our wedding in Prague, Delta changed our flight times such that we’d miss our connection. Had we done this on our own, we probably never would’ve noticed until the day before. Our agent knew the (hidden) rules of the airlines–that if they make a schedule change, you have 24 hours to cancel your flight without a penalty. So she called us up right away and said “They screwed up your flights so I’ve already cancelled them and booked you onto another airline!” Besides that, she’s gotten us great deals on river cruises + flight combos, found adorable one-off local hotels, booked us on extra city tours that we wouldn’t have found until we arrived in town, and most of all, gotten us really good, affordable travel insurance. She would also be my go-to person to ask advice on where to go next because she knows our travel preferences and tastes and has all of our information on file!
Scott
Will this person work with people online? She sounds like exactly the type of travel agent I’d love to work with. Name?
Patricia Serrano
I’m one of the travel agents Matt interviewed and yes, I am able to get that discounts because of industry insider knowledge. I always go the extra mile for my clients, get them upgrades when I can and little extras and discounts whenever I find them – they text/email/facebook messenger me when they are in trouble and I fix it… I feel like travel 911. I obviously want to ensure their trip goes smoothly so I always get alerted when their flights are delayed and when the airlines screw up and I am able to fix them pronto and they can enjoy their trip.
Emily
I’m a part time travel agent and I completely understand I love to book my budget stuff myself, but if you are looking to travel to somewhere especially different or a bit “off the tourist map” an agents knowledge of the area is particularly useful. I work for an agency which happens to be the largest Solomon island wholesaler in the world. It’s not a place many have traveled too and all our employees have travelled there at least once if not 20 times and know the owners of te resorts understand the area and can help in advising what would suit your wants and needs. There’s not much about the solomons on the net and with one phone call you can know all you need and end up in a place perfect for you!
NomadicMatt
I agree. I think going with destination specific agents is much better than a general agent specifically for that insider, destination knowledge.
Maria Gaskill
For me it is YES because when went to India for volunteering i got the help from ispiice , i can not say it is an agent .. it is an organization. As per my personal experience good guide exactly knows where to start 🙂
Tisha
Anything that frees up your time can be useful, including travel agents. But planning your trip and imagining where to go is half of the fun.
Leanne
Also good if someone doesn’t have the time. If they really want their family to get the best deals but both parents are working 40 hours a week they might not have the time to search all the airlines, all the hotels or hostels, and all the cheap sites to see.
Max Jones
We are getting ready to plan a joint family trip with some friends, and were wondering if there would be benefit to using a luxury travel agency! I think that taking advantage of their bulk buying options that we don’t have would be so great for us. We want to be able to take advantage of our trip, but we don’t want to break the bank in the process! Thanks for the advice!
Mike H.
I don’t use travel agents for one main reason – money. Online, if I take the time, I can book everything myself and cut those middle-man fees. I’d rather spend my money on experiences like hang gliding or a helicopter ride than pay for someone to do what I can simply do myself.
Trish
I am sure you know there are NO extra “middle man fees” with MOST trips. Only exception is a simple airline ticket to visit relatives. Most hotels, all cruise lines, resorts and other vendors pay your travel agent. When you contact a cruise line (of other travel company) direct you get only their information (like any business would tell you about the competition). What about the old saying. “time is money”?! Your time is worth something.
Christian
+1. You want a travel agent for the same reasons as any other professional: tools, expertise, and help when things go wrong. Think of it in terms of a realtor when you’re buying a house. You pay the same, but get someone on your side to help.
NomadicMatt
I also have to agree with Trish. While there are many reasons you might not want to use an agents, there’s no middle man fees these days. Those are paid by the companies not you. The Internet has made prices transparent.
Blair
I like planning & booking trips myself, but I still use agents occasionally.
“Travel agents often can find much lower prices and can also act as liaison to cruise companies when something goes wrong.”
My agent helped me get a better deal on a cruise for our anniversary and a credit for a cancelled flight in 2 quick phone calls. If I tried doing this on my own, I doubt I could get the same results in such a short period of time.
Arnold
I have never used an agent, but as far as I have seen many, they offer deals x2-3 more expensive than you can easily get yourself. I completely agree that using agents is way easier, if you are traveling in groups, but for 2-4 people there is no need to use them.
The deals they offer do not work for me as well, cuz most of the time they offer hotels with spa, pools and private gardens. I’m more of a traveler kind, so I prefer to move when I’m abroad. Laying on the beach is not my type.
However, you have to add some time up-front to prepare for the journey, although that’s not so much. Nevertheless, people are lazy and prefer everything to be done for them – it’s their holiday after all.
So the answer is yes – they are needed, but not as much as they used to be before AirBnb, Couchsurfing, Ryanair and other quite cheap services.
Tracy
Agreed! We’ve used travel agents in the past, their knowledge base is highly useful and beneficial when it comes to travel in unknown places. However, the resources available today are quicker and easier to access.
Pankti Shah
I agree completely. Anything that frees up your time can be useful, including travel agents.
Luminita
I think “classic” travel agents are outdated. It’s all about building and maintaining a relationship with clients, to offer customized services and unique experiences for each and one of them. In that aspect, niche travel agents are a better options, people who are really knowleadgeable and have the right contacts when it comes to a certain travel destination. Of course, there’s always the thrill of planning your own trip just the way you want it, but for those who don’t have the time to do the research and find teh best offers, travel agents are still very useful.
Naomi
I agree that there is still a place for travel agents, and in my experience they are most valuable when they offer something that is really tailored to the traveler’s preferences, and when they offer something that few other agents do, or that it would be extremely difficult or time-consuming to organize yourself.
For example, I did a translation for a French tours website (France Just For You) recently, and I learned that they offer an amazing service. Their real selling point is that they organize your whole tour for you from start to finish AND compile a personalized ‘Lonely Planet’-style guidebook, professionally bound and everything! I’ve never heard of another agent providing anything like that, and frankly I wish I’d discovered them sooner; I spent so long planning a trip to France, Spain and Italy this summer for me and my boyfriend, making all the bookings, researching the best restaurants and places to see off the beaten track. An agency like the one above or maybe the ones mentioned in this article would have saved me so much time.
I think the right agent can be really helpful in terms of finding good accommodation (eg. B’n’Bs) which might be difficult to find online, and knowing which ones will be gay-friendly, can cater for particular dietary or mobility needs etc. So I definitely agree that agents can still be useful, as long as they provide the right expertise and value for money.
Becky
Great Post, I agree. I believe travel agents can still be useful these days. However, as I like to travel on a budget and don’t mind spending a lot of time on researching and the booking process I would probably never go to a travel agent to book my trip.
Courtney Dee
As a travel agent, I have to tell you this is horrible advice and we do much MUCH more than you know… and we are much more valuable than only being useful to book a pricey trip. Not for nothing, but its our job to find you the best price out there so ‘I like to travel on a budget’ doesnt fly.. and on top of that, my knowledge could most likely save you money anyway.. read on..
If you come to me and tell me you want to book Krystal Cancun for you first Mexico vacation because your friends loved it.. im going to find out why your friends loved it and ensure that you are looking for the same experience. You see, your friends may have loved it because it was close to the hotel zone and offered full access to all of the nightlife.. but if you are looking for a relaxing vaca and just want to lay in the beach and eat awesome food, you arent going to enjoy Krystal Cancun because the hotel is lower end, the beach is far from the best in Cancun and they are definitely not known for the food. As a travel agent I am here to make sure you are getting the most of your vacation so I am going to let you know that this might not be the best option for you and why.. 99% of the time the traveler realizes what I am saying and agrees.. travel is expensive, you want to make sure you are getting what you pay for AND expect! When you book online, the hotels just want your money. We are here to make sure youre getting what you want and pay for.
2nd example.. say you dont get the experience you were hoping for and after your trip you decide to seek some sort of compensation… what do you do? Do you call a foreign country and run up your bill? Do you email? Where do you email? Do you know who you need to email and who handles complaints? What if you are at the hotel and get a standard room but you booked a club level ocean front two level suite with a private pool.. but the hotel messed up and doesnt have a record of that… this can all be frustrating and as a consumer, you do not have the knowledge and/or experience that an agent does (Doesnt matter how experienced you are in travel, I promise there is so much more to it).. therefore you dont have the contacts that we do. For example, I have the director of sales at Sandals as a friend on my FB page and go to dinner with him and his family when I visit Miami. If youre at a Sandals or Beaches resort, I can have your issue fixed within an hour.. otherwise you can stand at the front desk trying to explain why you’re upset and get yourself frustrated on what was supposed to be an amazing getaway.. see where I am going with this?
Another example of a reason to use an agent.. id say about 90% of travelers dont know (even experienced travelers) the passport requirement of 6 months validity.. your passport has to be valid for at least 6 months AFTER your return. So many people have book a vacation with me not realizing because its valid for 10yrs people don’t think of those little things… i make it a point to bring it up with all international vacations that I book so my customers vacation isnt interupted.. something like this could cause you to be denied entry into your destination, causing you more out of pocket expenses having to fly home…
These are just two examples and to be honest, we are a free service to you (we are paid by hotels and vendors etc) and a lot of us are small, home based businesses. If you are looking to travel, reach out to one. Not only are you getting a free vacation along with free advice and knowledge.. you are helping support a local family. If you aren’t happy with the service the agent provides or he/she is salsey/pushy.. then maybe you didnt find a good one and like all industries, there are some good and some bad.. and some extraordinary… there is literally no reason to NOT use an agent.
NomadicMatt
I can think of a ton of reasons to never use an agent. In fact, I’ve never used one and seem to get along fine. A lot of the information traveler’s need is found on the web with a simple search. Some people like that, some people don’t. Those that don’t end up using agents, which is fine, but some people don’t want to use an agent and want to book a trip on their own. This is not an all or nothing issue so saying that you should only ever use an agent and that my article is wrong undercuts your argument about using an agent. That’s like me saying the only way to travel is backpacking and everyone else who doesn’t is wrong. If you can’t recognize that not every situation requires an agent, you’re not being fair.
Naomi
As someone who runs a travel agency, I must admit that your post is very true. Our value has gone down over the years as the digital era takes charge. Nevertheless, we still get people who, as you put it, don’t want to struggle with planning a safari/trip. People traveling in groups are also big on using travel agents.
I agree with you that for someone who loves surprises and enjoying random adventures, they can skip a travel agent and make bookings on their own. They’ll enjoy better this way as opposed to following a planned ‘timetable’.
I’m enjoying your posts. Good stuff you’ve got here.
By the way, have you been to Kenya yet?
Alan
I think it really depends on the traveller and how comfortable they are in booking trips online. We haven’t used travel agents for many years and book everything ourselves online. However we know many people that are older who are not comfortable booking online or good with computers so for them having someone experienced in the travel industry is a great comfort.
Dan
I agree with the argument here. For complicated trips, a travel agent is basically a project manager. They put together all the details so you don’t have to. Kind of like having an administrative assistant for your travel.
Varun kakkar
Good Question. My answer is its depends upon the travelers, many individuals still like to book travel agents. Travel agents arranged all the necessary transportation from your picking stop to drop you back from those stop. People who want to travel another country still booking travel agents.