Are There Still Travel Agents?

I get this question all the time. And though our industry is very different than 20 years ago those of us still working are doing well and having fun doing so. The question that follows is “with the internet why use a travel consultant?” Last week three of my clients were very pleased they use a travel consultant.

A family of four with two special needs children were traveling with very last minute reservations. They needed and wanted to sit together. Do you know how hard that is to accomplish these days? Yes, if one of the travelers is a priority traveler on the carrier of their choice, but what if that is not the case? Pre-assigned seats are often impossible. Our office has a special connection with American Airlines and I opened the needed seats for them. The tickets were at the time and price of their choice! They were very happy campers!

When there is a schedule change for a flight I ticketed, the airlines sends me a message. Some of you have airline apps on your phones to receive these notices. But do you have all the major carriers, including the international ones? That is a lot of apps. This week there was a major fire in the Nairobi Airport and schedules needed to be adjusted. I had a client in Kenya and he needed to know the schedule change as it was several hours earlier. He was most appreciative of my information!

And the third story is of a very new client who planned where they would like to stay before contacting me. He had selected hotels and dates. The first hotel request was very expensive and I selected an alternative. Then I quickly discovered the first night in their second city of choice was sold out. So I used my knowledge of the French Riviera and designed an interesting twist to their holiday. They can have lunch at a medieval walled city with a great restaurant and shopping then travel on to Monte Carlo for a night of the high life! Besides a few other amenities I provided, they were most pleased!

Access, information, and creative knowledge are just three very good reasons to always call: Alwaysharriet.com. Of course I often feel when I write like this I am preaching to the choir but maybe you will tell your friends.