Value of a travel agent?

[Hendog]

We're going to do a 2 week trip to Ireland in the spring. Fly, rent a car and drive our way around. We have an itinerary which will serve as a guide, however we're not intending on holding to it strictly; we'll likely stay airbnb, except on arrival will be hotel. The question: is there any value in engaging a travel agent if all she/he is doing is sourcing airline tickets, a car and maybe a hotel for a couple nights? I can do that myself, but are there advantages a travel agent might provide?
I appreciate your experience,

[MRM]

For a trip like that a travel agent would be valuable. They have access to hotels and hostels you don't and they can get wholesale prices. They can find places you want to see that you'd need a local's insight to get on your own. Last spring I met my son in London where he was doing a semester abroad. I used Carlson Wagonlit to reserve all in Europe travel and hotels. The rates we got were incredible. You have to push back on the upsells a travel agent wants to sell you, because t for the actual travel somewhere you're unfamiliar they're invaluable.

[motion]

Originally Posted by MRM

For a trip like that a travel agent would be valuable. They have access to hotels and hostels you don't and they can get wholesale prices. They can find places you want to see that you'd need a local's insight to get on your own. Last spring I met my son in London where he was doing a semester abroad. I used Carlson Wagonlit to reserve all in Europe travel and hotels. The rates we got were incredible. You have to push back on the upsells a travel agent wants to sell you, because t for the actual travel somewhere you're unfamiliar they're invaluable.

Interesting.... I haven't used a travel agent for over 15 years, and assumed they were for old people and cruises. When you say you got incredible rates, they were actually better than you could get online using Priceline or similar?

[MRM]

Way lower. I stayed at the Berlin Radisson for less than $100 a night with their incredible breakfast included. For two. Caen and Paris for a little less. But the Berlin Radisson was the biggest score. It's a five star icon in Berlin. I'm Club Carlson Gold but the rate the travel agent got was so low it didn't qualify for Points with Radisson. I'd have to check but I think hotels for the entire stay averaged less than $75 a night with breakfast for two. All were comfortable hotels suitable Old American on holiday who wanted comfort and central location.

[MRM]

The flight the agent got me from Paris to Berlin and back to London was cheaper than the train from Caen to Paris.

[1990C4S]

Depending on where you live, agents have insurance for bankrupt airlines and hotels. Book direct and you're on your own.

Unlikely I know, but it does happen.

[Craig T]

Travel agents are like phone books and fax machines. The Internet is such a tremendous resource for travel planning, that the travel agent is completely obsolete.

My wife and I travel at least three months of they year, including at least one Formula 1 race. We haven't used a travel agent since 1995.

[Hendog]

Originally Posted by Craig T

Travel agents are like phone books and fax machines. The Internet is such a tremendous resource for travel planning, that the travel agent is completely obsolete.

This was my thinking, but I thought I would ask the Pelican brain trust. I have cousin who is a travel agent; I suppose I could ask her straight up.

[petrolhead611]

I tend to book flights direct with airlines, when they have specials,(and somtimes use them for hotels too) and hotels with any of the Booking.com type sites, whichever gives the best deal on the day.Using credit card gives insurance against failure of the businesses, travel insurance takes care of the rest.Car hire I arrang in England before I leave,using someone like Holiday Autos, and get a full coverage insurance at the same time from them as it way cheaper than paying for same from the car hire companies.I travel at least twice a year.

[recycled sixtie]

If you don't live in Europe for example then a travel agent knows the good and suitable travel arrangement for travel and hotels. A couple of times I took my daughter to England to visit grandmother I used a travel agent to go to Amsterdam from Norwich and Paris from London. Hotels were middle of the road and acceptable for the few days we were there. Otherwise how do you know the hotels are any good unless you have been there before?

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

Otherwise how do you know the hotels are any good unless you have been there before?

Easy. Read the reviews on TripAdvisor, yelp, and travel blogs like Rick Steve's and a plethora of others. Use Google Earth and mapping sites to confirm its in a nice area, close proximity to town center, or the area and attrations you like. With a little Internet diligence, you can find photos of anything.

For us, unless we're taking our daughter and her friends to a resort, we never stay in one hotel more than a couple days anyway. Half the fun of Europe and Asia is moving around and seeing different places. A sub-par hotel for a night is half the adventure...as long as it's in a safe area.

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by Hendog

We're going to do a 2 week trip to Ireland in the spring. Fly, rent a car and drive our way around. We have an itinerary which will serve as a guide, however we're not intending on holding to it strictly; we'll likely stay airbnb, except on arrival will be hotel. The question: is there any value in engaging a travel agent if all she/he is doing is sourcing airline tickets, a car and maybe a hotel for a couple nights? I can do that myself, but are there advantages a travel agent might provide?
I appreciate your experience,

Hendog my son in law is from Ireland and if you have any specific questions about Ireland I can ask him. I know when they stay in Ireland they use hotels and not b an b's.

From what I remember doing a road trip thirty years ago we used a small car for the four of us. Roads can be narrow and like the UK an average of 30 mph is fairly normal unlike North America.

Cheers, Guy

[Craig T]

Another thing to consider is how the travel agent is compensated. Some "travel consultants" charge YOU a fee for their knowledge and trip planning. If you're to busy to due the internet due diligence, or not confident traveling sight-unseen, than a travel consultant might be worth the money.

In the old days, traditional travel agents were free to the traveler, because they received commission from the airlines, attractions, and hotels when they booked. In some cases, they received wholesale rates and marked up the booking fee to the customer. All that's changing. Most airlines and popular hotels stopped paying travel agents commission years ago, or its a very small amount. Like an investment advisor, sometimes the product they put you in is the one that pays the best commission and not necessarily the product that best for you.

[recycled sixtie]

[Rusty Heap]

Travel agents can become an angel in times of dire need in the MIDDLE of a trip.

on the way to Fiji hubbing through LAX, due to delays we show up late , and at midnight missed the flight to FIJI.

so oh goody, the airline puts us up in a hotel, and comps up $25 a day for meals....IN L.A!!!???

our agent who we've used for many years helped get us out as she had the right connections and strings to pull...........try that with Expedia or other web based non-live person phone operator.


Travel insurance is smart too.

[djmcmath]

I think it depends a lot on where you're going, what kind of trip it is, how long you're staying, and how comfortable you are with travel. I recently used Yampu Tours to put together a 17 day whirlwind trip through SE Asia. I got everything from diving in the Gulf of Thailand to sunrise at Angkor Wat, with no worries about where I was going to stay or whether I'd be able to find someone who spoke enough English to get me from the airport to my hotel. I'm a pretty seasoned traveler, but working out the details of timing and culture from 10,000 miles away to get a break-neck pace through an unfamiliar region spelled "travel agent" all the way for me. I've traveled with Yampu before, and I'd absolutely use them again for anything in South America or Asia, seriously. I never would have figured out Hua Hin without an agent -- the bus/ferry/van transfer would have been exceedingly complicated without someone who knew the region coordinating it.

On the other hand: In August, I'll be flying to Malawi to visit a friend. On the way back, I'm stopping in Zanzibar for some diving. It's a total of two locations over a two week period, both of which are either friendly territory or well-established English-speaking tourist zones. For that trip, I'll book my own flights and hotel, and figure out diving when I get there. No sense in getting help for that one.

Western Europe? They take credit cards, have wireless, speak English, and are friendly towards Americans. I've done enough trips to Europe that it'd be tough for me to justify getting a travel agent for any of those trips.

Just my perspective; my bar on travel agents is pretty high.

[bleucamaro]

My opinion mirrors motion's.

I had to use one last year because work gave me a travel voucher as a service award. I was able to find what I wanted for close to 1/2 their quote by spending an hour on google.

[scottmandue]

I do all my booking online, however I have not been on a big ticket vacation for decades and would consider it if I was visiting Europe or Asia.

My 92 year old mom gets travel points on her credit card and is always badgering about using the points (she is in no condition to travel at this point of her life).

So we are going to fly up to Portland OR. from Los Angeles and I take her up on the points but you have to use the credit unions travel agent.

Long story short we got two round trips and rental car for the week, out of curiosity I checked on the price of the car and the travel agent got a smoking deal that I could not have got booking on the internet.

So apparently there are some insider deals out there.

Another thing to consider is what is your time worth? I love planning vacations and looking online at hotels, restaurants, and local attractions but I can waste hours considering all the variables.

[Macroni]

some of the smaller airlines outside of the US can be challenging to book..... otherwise never use them.