Should you bother hiring a travel agent?

By Annette Cagle 

Most Americans don’t prepare their own tax returns. In fact, 90 percent of us prefer to hire a tax professional. While taxes can be relatively simple at times, many of us dislike the idea of messing something up and don’t want to get in trouble with the IRS. 

So if we dislike filing our own taxes, why do we plan our own vacations? After all, only 20 percent of Americans will use a travel advisor for their next adventure. Many of us would probably answer that vacations are easy or that travel advisors are unnecessary, but such sentiments are misplaced. For example, the average vacation takes 10-20 hours to plan. Expedia believes Americans spend about 23 hours visiting over 140 websites to book flights and hotels for their trip. 

Cost, which is high on the list of concerns people have about travel, can be significantly lower when people consult with a travel advisor. The average American may spend between $4,400 and $6,600 on vacationing in a given year. Travel advisors have demonstrated their ability to save people money on their trips. One study found that consumers who used a travel advisor saved an average of $452 on their vacations, compared to those who used an online booking agency or simply booked themselves. 

Perhaps the biggest reason to consult with a travel advisor is the threat of an emergency, whether it be financial or health-related. A majority of travelers agreed, with 66 percent saying that a travel advisor helped them avoid a costly mistake. At Brandywine Travel, we’ve worked with people who ran into tumultuous situations. We’ve assisted many of our clients with vacations cut short and helped them navigate travel restrictions. 

Larry Olmsted, a travel and food writer and New York Times best-selling author, noted five major benefits of consulting with a travel advisor: 

1. Emergencies. Having a travel advisor working with you can mean hours (and money) saved in the event of a flight or cruise difficulty. 
2. Expertise. Travel advisors often have been where you are going or know someone who has, so they know which sights to see and which to avoid.
3. VIP Connections.
4. Extras. Having a vacationer staying in a deluxe suite may cost the cruise line no more than having them stay in a normal room. So if the deluxe suite is empty, the cruise line may let someone book it for less than the normal cost. “But who gets these upgrades? Advisors.”
5. Air (AKA, price). Travel advisors know the landscape of the industry and can usually find deals that you would never find online. 

Brandywine Travel has been around for over 40 years, and we can attest that these situations arise. A travel advisor can remove much of the turbulence from your trip, letting you have YOUR dream vacation. 

So, what is 23 hours worth to you?