Are Travel Agents Obsolete?
It seems like you can’t watch more than an hour of television without seeing a William Shatner commercial talking about Travelocity or a goofy dwarf talking about Orbitz. These travel websites have been incredibly successful in making it easier for travelers to book their own flights and hotels online. So, with the internet taking over the travel industry, we have to ask, “Are travel agents obsolete?”
If you’ve explored some of these travel websites, you’ve noticed that they offer a remarkable variety of travel options. And there’s no denying that thousands of people have taken advantage of these services. However, as a business traveler, your needs are somewhat different from those of the average airline passenger.
There are some very specific services that a real, live travel agent can provide that automated websites like Travelocity or Orbitz simply can’t replicate. Some services that a seasoned business traveler would find hard to ignore include…
Focus. As a business traveler, you’re not organizing this trip for entertainment. You have a specific business purpose. So, if you have to take time away from your business preparations to worry about travel plans, hotel and rental car reservations, and so on, that’s unproductive time for your business. If you can contact a talented travel agent who understands your travel profile well and delegates these arrangements to them, they’ll do their job of finding the right accommodations for you, leaving you free to do what you do best: focus on your business and your upcoming business trip.
Economical. It’s difficult to find a balance between finding accommodations that fit a business traveler’s busy schedule and respecting the company’s travel budget. If you use an automated online travel service, you may have to sacrifice comfort, schedule, or location for savings. A good travel agent will work hard to find the right itinerary while staying as close to the company’s travel budget as possible. And they’ll do it without wasting too much of your time.
Backup. You don’t need help if your trip is going according to plan. However, if you encounter problems on the trip, you may need to reschedule flights and find new accommodations to address flight cancellations, weather issues, or other unforeseen disruptions to your plans. Travel disasters don’t recognize your tight deadlines for achieving business goals. But if you have a travel agent dedicated to providing the best possible service, they can find alternative routes and resources to do everything they can to get you to your destination so you can conduct your business on time.
Personal touch. You likely have travel preferences you want to achieve on each trip. Travel agents have your profile and travel history, so they can do everything they can to accommodate your preferences. Moreover, if you have special needs, such as dietary restrictions or disability accommodation requirements, it’s your travel agent’s responsibility to ensure your needs are met and you’re well-taken care of on the trip.
Complications. If your travel plans involve connecting with other business partners traveling from different offices, complex itineraries, and travel planning challenges that can’t be explained simply by the general screen of an online travel service, you can explain these complications to your travel agent, and they can collaborate with other travel agents to arrange meetings and ensure your itinerary meets your requirements.
While online travel services provide a valuable and affordable alternative for the traveling public, it’s easy to see their limitations if you’re trying to book a complicated trip or if you have special needs that aren’t anticipated on-screen. That’s why working with a human travel agent ensures that these travel professionals are dedicated to ensuring your trip runs according to your specifications and that you arrive at your destination ready to do business and successfully achieve your goals.