Lyons Leadership

There was a time when you would probably have to queue to see your tour operator to book a vacation but the internet has seen the number of travel agents visited dwindle, as more booking takes place online. It is not only because you can book your vacation form the comfort of you home but generally, it will be less expensive as well. While the internet does have its benefits and I admit to using it to look for vacations and learn more about where I want to visit, I still prefer to have a travel agent in person to sit in front of and actually book the vacation as well as my hotel and transport.

All you need to do is visit sites related to the location you’re visiting and collect as much local information as you want plus I have an idea of the cost before I even visit my travel agent. But don’t forget, they should also be there to help you with questions that cannot be readily answered online. They are particularly useful when you intend to travel outside of the United States and can help with any laws that might be relevant to where you’re going.

They can make recommendations of places that are particularly interesting, if there are any fees for entry into specific countries and laws relating to driving that can be easy to fall foul of. Make no mistake, while the internet is undoubtedly very efficient, it is also quite impersonal and will not be able to give the assurances a travel representative can about your travel arrangements. As much as people like and trust the internet to make everything perfect, there is something more comforting about talking to an actual person.

You can book all of your flights and hotels through the internet but when it comes to complaining or trying to resolve an issue, suddenly a website cannot be of assistance whereas travel agents are there to assist you. When my husband and I decided to elope to exchange vows, we called up some travel agents and one in particular, seemed to be exactly what we were looking for.

The lady was very pleasant and couldn’t be more helpful so after a half hour chat I had a good idea where the best place for weather on our wedding was as well as a range of other services we might need. Once we had sorted out the budget she was able to give us plenty of options and was incredibly helpful in locating companies that could provide special services. She booked our vacation that same afternoon and even put us in touch with a wedding coordinator at the resort and it turned out wonderfully, just as she promised.

There is another reason why travel agents are better than the internet; you don’t get much of a response from a computer screen when you want to complain.