The Magic of Using a Travel Agent

I recently had a customer contact me who was solely focused on price. He had found various pricing across many different online sites and came to me to see if I could beat the lowest price, throw in a $2000 resort credit, and waive any cancellation penalties.  Wow! Wouldn't that be nice if travel agents could trump any offer that the online agencies make (in spades)?  He called it "working my  magic".  

In my opinion, the Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) have done a huge disservice to the consumer by focusing on providing CHEAP vacations. I mean, how cheap does a bad vacation have to be for it to be a good deal?

I told him that I worked with suppliers who could match or beat any price he found as long as it was "apples to apples". The customer finally asked, "Is that how using a travel agent usually works, I do all the work and you just beat the price?". That's a very good question. 

As a Travel Consultant, I consider my "magic" to be customizing a great vacation, honeymoon, or cruise for each and every customer, providing excellent personal service, staying current with a myriad of promotions, acting as an advocate for my clients, and following up to ensure every client's satisfaction.

The following was my response to the customer:

Hi XXXX,

You ask an interesting question about using a travel agent and how it usually works. 

As a travel consultant, most customers come to me with a general idea of where they want to go and a budget.  I work with them to determine the travel aspects that are important to them and make recommendations as to what would be a good fit for their desires, their budget, and their travel style. 

For example, customers come to me saying they want to take their family of 5 to the beach for a week over the holidays (or spring break) within a certain budget.  I find out the ages of the travelers, what's important to them (the beach, the food, the activities, the space within the rooms?) and present some options that would be a good fit.  We discuss, and once it's narrowed down, I shop for the best value across several suppliers. At that point, if it's a good fit and value, we wrap it up. 

On some occasions, I have people that are looking for an agent who can sell a certain packaged vacation (such as Apple Vacations or a certain cruiseline) because the customer has had a positive experience working with this vendor and knows they can get the same great vacation at a great price, as well as some personal service, by working with an agent.

I rarely have customers who know exactly when and where they want to go and come to me looking to beat a price they have found online.  As I mentioned, I do have suppliers who will beat virtually any price that the Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) offer. The OTAs compete solely based on price and don't care about service or customer satisfaction. You get no expertise, no one-on-one service, and no advocate if you run into a problem.  And the next time you book, they really don't care if you use them again.  You're just a number, and your "travel agent" is a computer.

If you want to use an agent who will share their expertise (such as which resort has the best food, the nicest beach, or 24 hour room service), save you time, get you a good value, and help out if you have any trouble before, during or after your trip, use a professional travel agent or consultant. We care about your experience and your satisfaction.

For someone, such as yourself, who is in the accounting field, it's very similar to someone using a professional accountant to do their taxes versus using "do it yourself" software.  The professional accountant has the education, the training, and the expertise, to make the experience the best one possible for the client.

I hope that helps to answer your questions.  If you would like more information, please feel free to call or email.

What do you think: Is a customized trip and personal service more important than a cheap trip?

Fun 'n Sun Travel and Cruise provides friendly, personal, professional service in order to plan each and every client''s dream vacation, destination wedding, honeymoon, or cruise at one of the best prices available. Call us at 1-855-557-5588, visit us on the web at fnstravel.com, or email us at info@fnstravel.com.

Reasons to Consider a Destination Wedding

If  you are newly engaged, congratulations!  And if you haven't decided where to get married, here are a few reasons why you might want to consider having a Destination Wedding rather than a traditional wedding:

1. Out-of Pocket Costs. The average traditional wedding costs more than $27,000 (according to a recent study by Pew Research, The Wedding Report and the U.S. Census Bureau) and that does not include the honeymoon. A destination wedding can be significantly cheaper. The wedding guests most often pay for their own trip and accommodations, so the wedding couple only has to worry about themselves and any expenses associated with the ceremony and reception. The wedding couple might also consider paying the lodging expenses for their attendants.
   
2. The shortened guest list. The people who are invited and choose to attend are, most likely, the people the bride and groom care about the most. This creates a warmer, more intimate ceremony. In addition, the Bride and Groom don't have to worry so much about where to draw the line on the guest list.  Casual acquaintances or  office co-workers aren't going to make the trip to a destination wedding.  The parents, relatives, and close friends of the Bride and Groom will.
   
3. The honeymoon is included. The average destination wedding guest stays for 3 or 4 nights, the bride and groom often stay for a week or more. Sometimes they may even switch resorts after the wedding, especially if they stayed at a "family friendly" resort for the ceremony but want "adults only" for the honeymoon.
   
4. The scenery and photographs. Getting married in a beautiful and scenic   location is a blissful occasion that will be remembered for years to come. The wedding photos are a gorgeous reminder of the beautiful setting that everyone was able to enjoy.
   
5. Less fussing. Leave the worrying about the details to the on-site wedding coordinator.  The wedding coordinator has likely handled hundreds of ceremonies and knows exactly what needs to happen.  The wedding couple and the guests are free to enjoy each other while the professionals worry about keeping everything and everyone on track.  

One word of caution, it is best for the wedding couple to consider the financial circumstances of the people who are important to them.  Just because they would like to be married in Bora Bora and may have saved enough to afford an extravagant getaway, it may be beyond the means of some of their guests. Keeping the costs down or possibly paying a portion of each guest's expenses may be the way to go.

At Fun 'n Sun Travel and Cruise, we are Honeymoon and Destination Wedding Specialists.  We provide professional travel planning for destination weddings, family reunions, bachelor/bachelorette getaways, and virtually all other types of groups.  Call us toll free at 855-557-5588 or email us at info@fnstravel.com to get started.

Excellence Resorts Special Offers

Excellence Resorts Special Offers

We are super-excited about the great rates we are seeing for travel into 2013 at Excellence Resorts.

Excellence Resorts are adults-only luxury all-inclusives in Mexico and the Caribbean, and they are  one of our top picks for romance, honeymoons and destination weddings.

One of the biggest concerns brides and grooms often have about a destination wedding is the affordability for their guests.  Right now, these resorts are very affordable for wedding guests, and we can block group space for your party.  Savings of up to 35% off* are being offered for travel this fall and into next summer.

Call us at 413-754-3416 to help plan your romantic getaway, honeymoon, or wedding, and take advantage of these great savings!

Fun 'n Sun Travel & Cruise
Personalized, Professional Planning

*All pricing is subject to change and availability.

May 1st Declared "Hug Your Travel Agent Day"

May 1st is hereby declared as National Hug Your Travel Agent Day.  You may be wondering why, so I'll answer with a story (one that most travel agents can probably relate to).

A new customer called over the winter wanting to get away with his wife for a relaxing beach vacation. He'd been looking online and was overwhelmed by the choices. He was having trouble narrowing down the destinations and the resort options. He didn't have the time or the desire to spend hours at his computer and then risk his vacation dollars on a pretty picture or a "cheap deal".

I proceeded to ask him some questions about what he was looking for, what was most important in a resort, what his budget was, etc.  I listened carefully, and then we found the perfect spot for him and his wife - it met all of their criteria and then some. I was even able to take advantage of a special promotion that I knew about, which saved him a tidy sum off the total.

Of course, he got online and started reading reviews and called me back asking about the online reviews. How can you tell which ones are accurate?  I told him that the reviews on the site he was looking at are very subjective. Some of them might be accurate and some might not.  Some people are very picky and will never be happy, no matter how great the resort, and other people are just the opposite. The reviews travel agents use are strictly first-hand reviews by travel professionals (if they haven't personally been there themselves), and I was confident that he would be happy with the resort we had selected. It was going to be a perfect fit. He stopped worrying and started packing..

When I saw him after his trip, he gave me a hug and told me that it was "the best vacation ever"!  The resort was everything he wanted - gorgeous beach, great food, excellent service- and he could not have been happier with everything, including the birthday celebration that I had pre-arranged with management.  His co-worker winked and said that he'd talked about nothing else since his return. As far as next year's trip, he insisted, "I trust you completely, and I won't book another vacation without you."

So for all those time-liberating, money-saving, party-planning, expertise-sharing travel agents out there, May 1st is their big day.  Go ahead and give them a hug!

4 Tips For Making Sure Your Next Excursion Isn't Your Last

View of Cancun from the sea

On a recent trip to Mexico, I went on an excursion that made me think long and hard about tour operator safety and what to look for when choosing a tour operator. This particular excursion was a catamaran & snorkel tour to Isla Mujeres with a well-established business in Cancun. However, just because a tour operator has been around for a while, doesn't mean they are running a safe operation.

The day we went, there were some heavy winds and high seas, but the tours were leaving as scheduled.  The trip over to Isla Mujeres was scenic, if a bit choppy.  As soon as we were underway, the alcohol started flowing. It was 10:00 am, and there were quite a few spring-break college kids on board.  Everyone, with very few exceptions, started drinking.

When we arrived at Isla Mujeres, we were informed that because of the waves and wind, we'd be heading into 25 foot water for snorkeling.  As we jumped into the water, the undertow was fierce, the swells were big enough to loose sight of  the guides and the boat, and one of the young men started to panic.  He'd had too much to drink and the conditions were rough.  Due to the undertow, he was unable to get back onboard, but he continued to "freak out" and set everyone else on edge.

Needless to say, the snorkeling was terrible. The seas were too rough and too deep for an enjoyable swim.  We struggled to stick near the guide and keep swimming until we got back to the boat, which had moved off so that the undertow would bring us towards it.

As we approached the catamaran, it was being tossed around by the waves, and the crew member I was near told me to wait while he got on board to give us a hand up.  He managed to climb on-board and then reached down telling me to grab his hand.  As I reached up, the boat hit a swell and was suddenly 6 feet above me, coming down towards my head.  I kicked frantically backwards trying to get out of the way and it missed my face by inches. On the next try, I managed to get aboard, bruised and shaken.

Once all of the hapless snorkelers were back on board, we headed for lunch at the beach club. No head count was done on the boat to make sure that all the passengers were present and accounted for. Who has time to count passengers when it's open bar at the beach club?

After lunch, we sailed toward Playa Norte, disembarked at the pier in town and were given free time to shop or relax before heading back to Cancun. We were told that if we were not back onboard by 3:30, the boat would leave without us. I disembarked with my daughter and headed directly for the ferry. We took the high speed ferry back to Cancun, caught a cab back to the resort, and thanked our lucky stars that we were still alive.

After my "near miss", I've come up a few tips for making sure your next excursion isn't your last:
1) Don't Drink and Dive. Under no circumstances should alcohol be served or consumed prior to getting in the ocean or prior to participating in any activity that requires wits, strength, or quick reactions.
2) Don't assume safety measures are in place. Ask about safety measures and training. At the very least, make sure a crew member is taking a head count (or matching names would be even better).  We've all heard the horror stories about divers/snorkelers being left behind, alone in the deep, wide ocean.  Don't let it be you.
3) Don't be a follower. The ocean and Mother Nature can be rough and dangerous.  Be sure of the conditions before you start out. Just because the crew doesn't want to cancel the tour doesn't mean it's safe.   (I failed this one.)
4) Don't get fooled twice. If you find yourself in a situation where you don't feel that you are safe, exit at the earliest opportunity.

Do you have any other tips to add for making sure your next excursion is a safe one?