Hi! I am so glad you found this post and my website. This may be a long post, I hope you stick around and read it all.
I have been a travel agent for almost 9 years now, which is crazy to think about. You may not have realized travel agents even still exist with how the world is so digital and with how many sites there are for booking travel.
But we are still here and still as strong as ever. Some people find it too overwhelming, or don't want to spend the time doing research, or find supporting a small business rewarding. We are all grateful for the opportunity every time someone entrusts us to book their vacation/getaway.
You may be wondering why would I use a travel agent when I can do it myself or book through a big retailer that offers something in return, or use my points to book. And why would I waste money paying for a travel agent? I would love to break these types of questions down.
Some travel agents may charge a fee for their services. I do not. In some rare instances there could be a minimal $20 fee but I don't think I have ever had to charge that in my 9 years as an agent. Our fees are paid by the vendor used to book your vacation, whether that is a cruise line, hotel, theme park, etc. All the prices you see online when self booking already account for these payouts. So when you book on your own, that vendor gets to pad their pockets that payout verse issuing it to a small business travel agency.
Big retailers that offer travel services with a store gift card are using that payout by the vendor to get you in their store to spend more money, and hopefully more than the value of the gift card.
I fully agree that if you have rewards points, you should be using these! But can you use them for airfare or other travel expenses and still book with a travel agency?
I purchased into the Dream Vacations franchise a few years ago so I would have a stronger foundation to support my clients. I now have access to so many added benefits that I can pass on to you. Either from Loyalty Perks offered by my franchise or exclusive sales, on board credits, or just a very passionate company that will stand behind my clients with me to resolve any issues that occur.
What about for those that are just as passionate as I am to book and plan their vacations? You are my people! Let's get excited together, especially for those with a travel partner that is just along for the ride. I will hype you up the whole time we are booking. Want to FaceTime weekly? You got it! Let me make those payments, automatically apply any new special offers that are released.
The more I book and the more I travel personally, the more tips and tricks I can pass on to you. There is so much information out there and not all of it is helpful or fully true. You need someone that understands that every family or travel group travels differently. And that is one thing I will always make sure my clients know. Especially for my Disney clients.
I have been visiting Disneyworld yearly since 2011 (and if I can squeeze two trips in a year, you bet I do), we used to have season passes to Legoland California (even went to the new one in New York), had season passes to the zoos in San Diego and SeaWorld there as well. Though I haven't been to Disneyland in a long time, we did make a few trips there when we lived nearby for a few years. As a military family, we took advantage of special ticket offers to Sesame Place in PA, Busch Gardens in VA, and SeaWorld Orlando. I have several Disney Cruises under my belt, and one Royal Caribbean one. We have done several cross country drives on various routes, and traveled to Paris and Prague. Traveling is truly in my soul and watching others venture out to places truly makes me happy. Life is short, and getting out of your normal to do something else should be a budget goal for all. I am already setting aside small amounts of each paycheck for our big 2026 vacation, and even our 2025 one.
Are you on the fence about providing personal information or credit card information? I have a secure system that my franchise provides for obtaining credit card authorization. It allows you to confirm the amount, provide your info and it disappears from my view after a certain time frame. Securing your personal information is very important to me, as my husband was a victim of identity theft while he was in the military that impacted us for years. Majority of my clients are people that I personally know and are repeat clients that refer the ones that I may not know personally.
Thank you for reading through all of this information. I hope this helps answer some questions, and maybe have you consider putting your purchase power into the small business owners that are passionate about you having an amazing getaway.
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