These days we all travel more on our yearly vacations, some more than others while the really adventurous like to travel as far away from where they live as they can. Fortunately, there isn’t a corner of the earth that doesn’t have a travel site dedicated to it so it is easy obtaining information on the internet. Many people use the internet now to plan even complex travel plans, never seeing a travel agent. The main problem is the convenience of it all and the huge savings that can be found using the internet.
I know it is the norm now but I am not comfortable planning my once a year vacation like this. I much prefer to deal with someone I can see and touch, that’s why I still use my travel agent and I also know they have a real office that I can visit. A travel agent will also fully expect changes to be made during the booking process and can be more flexible in their approach including when there are problems. I have never found it easy dealing with travel sites especially when I want to have a discussion with someone before I make a decision on something; plus on the very rare occasion you manage to get through to a support line, they are not as helpful as someone sitting in front of you.
Even if you are lucky enough to talk to a person, how do you know they are telling you the truth about the situation? With a travel agent they are real and I can always go back to them and clarify points especially if something goes wrong. One of my friends only ever uses the travel sites to book her vacations but she does like the last minute discounts that can be found which are much easier to find using the internet. There are always huge savings to be had by waiting until the last possible moment to book but you have to be flexible with your travel arrangements to do this.
I’m not one for last minute travel although I suppose I could be if my schedule was more flexible but my job requires me to ask for vacation months in advance. If you are flexible though, booking through a travel site could be incredibly worthwhile plus, travel sites offer discount coupons and prices for excursions or miscellaneous items when you book online. Knowing a little about what you want and information about the location you want to travel too can be useful so I still research as much of this as I can online before I pay my travel agent a visit. Perhaps it isn’t fair because I know that it will be my travel agent that will hear my complaints if my vacation doesn’t go according to plan.
