I’ve written previously on why using a travel agent is advantageous and a few readers reached out to me about their hesitations using travel agents. When I reached out to my friends and family to announce that I had become a travel advisor recently, I heard the same hesitations – myths mostly – going around about why they’ve never worked with a travel agent before. I can’t say I’m surprised!

For a long time travel agents have been associated with the outdated and out of touch AAA travel offices in strip malls that push cruises and group travel to make easy commissions. I promise, we’re not like that! Travel agents today are passionate travelers themselves whose dream job is to get paid to help people see the world.

I thought it would be helpful to lay out the most popular myths I hear about why people hesitate using travel agents and finally put them to rest. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below if you’ve heard these reasons before or if any of them resonate with you!

1. “My hotel rates will be more expensive using a travel agent.”

This is not the case! Hotels do not mark up room rates for travel agent bookings. We book the same Best Available Rate that you see online but we can add free perks in addition. The only times you’ll see a price difference is if you want to book the non-refundable pre-pay rate which is typically NOT commissionable to agents. The good news is, most travelers prefer a more flexible rate even if it’s slightly more expensive, so it’s a win-win for both parties!

2. “Why use a travel agent when I like to book things myself?”

I hear this one the most, and it’s important to emphasize both the flexibility and value-add that travel agents bring to trips. You can plan 0 or 100% of your trip and your travel agent can come in whenever you’re ready to book your hotels and take care of the booking process from there. You won’t have to get out your credit card, passport, or crumpled hotel membership number as your agent will have all of that on file. A great time save!

I have clients who plan everything themselves and then call me when they are ready to have their hotels booked. What’s the point of this, you may ask? By me booking their hotels, I give my clients additional free luxury amenities. I also call the hotel before their arrival to reconfirm all details, make sure any custom preferences are noted (you’d be surprised how many clients ask for an extra duvet cover on the bed!), and ensure the staff and manager are aware of their arrival. This process ensures my clients have the VIP experience they deserve and they can still maintain full control of their trip itinerary.

3. “I won’t be able to use or accumulate points.”

This is one of the most common myths – and it’s not true! You can use a travel agent and still get your Marriott, Hilton, or Hyatt points just as you normally would. If you have high membership status as well, you can double up those status perks with travel agent perks. There’s no reason not to do this!

When it comes to credit card points, this is a different beast. You can use your credit card points to book your hotels but your travel agent will NOT make any commission and cannot provide those free additional amenities. Furthermore, your travel agent will not be able to make any changes or review your booking as the hotel only recognizes you, the booker, on the reservation. This can cause complications if any issues arise at the hotel as travel agents will have no leverage to rectify issues if they are not on the booking.

Pro Tip: I highly recommend saving up your credit card points to redeem for business class or first class flights. Airlines rarely pay commission so many travel agents tend to avoid booking flights for clients.

I worked with a client last year who had planned a multi-city trip in Italy. He had asked me, “so, why should I book my hotels through you if I could book them through my AMEX Platinum concierge and get the same perks?” The main reason why I recommend booking with a travel agent instead of AMEX is because the hotel management and staff always prioritize travel agent bookings over online travel agent (Expedia/Booking/etc.). We are the people on the ground, meeting hotel contacts at conferences, conducting in-person site visits, and recommending their hotels to our clients. It’s in the hotel’s best interest to prioritize our clients and our bookings as opposed to a nameless, faceless agent at a call center.

4. “I already have trips booked so it’s too late to work with an agent.”

Firstly, thank you for thinking of working with a travel agent! Second, it’s only too late if you’re on your trip already. If you have trips planned and booked, but not yet traveled, then your travel agent can take over as the “agent on record“. This only requires an email from you to the hotel CCing your agent asking them to kindly allow your agent to take over the booking. This means your travel agent will be able to see your reservation details, reconfirm your booking, and make commission.

Keep in mind, it’s entirely the discretion of the hotel to allow a travel agent takeover but I’ve rarely seen a refusal from a hotel. The only times a hotel has refused was when a client had booked that pre-paid non-refundable room rate which isn’t commissionable anyway. Again, hotels love working with travel agents so they have a lot of reason to say yes!

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, working with travel agents can only improve your trip planning and travel experience. We have years of first-hand experience visiting destinations and properties. I love to use this anecdote to describe how valuable a travel agent can be:

Say you’re visiting an art museum tomorrow. You can either spend hours the night before watching Youtube videos and reading articles to give yourself context before your visit, or you can hire an expert guide.

Your expert guide has an art degree and will show you the most important pieces in the museum and explain the context and story behind them away from the crowds. Without a guide, you’re wandering aimlessly waiting in lines and pushing through the crowds only to look at a painting and quickly google the piece on your phone to read about it.

There is no wrong way to travel, but in the example above using a guide is a more efficient use of your time. The time saved allows you to enjoy your destination more and think less. The last thing we want when traveling is to be stressed out about logistics! So take it from me, someone who has traveled and planned travel most of my life – use a travel agent!

Reminder

As a reminder, when booking with me I can get you these additional hotel perks (at most 5-star hotels) for FREE:

• Complimentary daily breakfast
• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
• VIP Welcome Amenity in-room
• $100 Hotel Credit
• Early Check-In and Late Check-Out
• Complimentary Wi-Fi

What are your thoughts on using travel agents? Do you have experience working with any? If so, what did you think?