Thank you Internet! In this day of age everything is at our fingertips and retail is quickly going by the wayside. No more line-ups, no more commissioned agents, and no more chess moves in the parking lot for a parking space. All is great in the digital world... or is it?
I can't speak for Clothiers, Big Box Malls, or even those annoying Jewellery buyers you see on your local news station but what I do have a voice in is the Travel market. Excess spending is a weird dance partner in that we are told to save and get those much sought after bargains yet, we still love to spend. We all want cheap vacations to the sunniest of destinations to get away from the stress of everyday life. So why are we paying someone to do it? Well, you aren't, and realistically, you never have. Travel Agents in general get not one cent from the consumer but are paid by airlines, hotels, tour operators and car rental companies. They sit on the phone hours on end trying to knock $30 off of your airfare, $500 off of your all-inclusive package, and even try to throw in an upgrade here and there just to get your business. It is a cut-throat industry that subjects an agent to work upwards of 2 days just to get a $1000 booking of which an agent on commission gets a whopping $30. Don't worry about them though because as they hunt down the next best deal for you, I'm sure you thought about these 5 reasons not to use a Travel Agent:
1. Customer Service. I'm sure the next time you're stranded, get checked in to a crappy hotel, or deal with the airline that just lost your luggage you will be able to resolve it with the contacts you have as a tourist as opposed to the Travel Agent with years of experience, contacts and knowledge. Also, if you had a great trip... awesome. If not, good luck with that web page you booked through.