Is it time for the travel agent to make a comeback?

I only use a travel agent - this is firstly a protection should a trip go wrong and secondly they have knowledge of hotels, flights etc. that is not available on line.

In the current economic climate, it seems like many operators in the hospitality industry are promising value. The ability of a knowledgeable and objective travel agent to provide a benefit which justifies the marginal cost of the agent seems increasingly difficult. Additionally, some individuals actually enjoy the process of learning about the destination and filling an itinerary to match their budget...

I do use a Travelagency for years ,which so far has done a good job for me . As far of Airtravel , Carrental etc . Also an Apt. as homebase in Europe for the time being over there . Since I could`nt go in 2007 for peronal reasons , I did got back all the monies laid out for the trip .So no loss .A travelagency is some kind of insurance for things that go haywire . One pays a little more but can relay on them . i shall use them in the future than these online outfits which give you a cheaper price but fail once you have problems with your plans . Have a save and satiesfying Vacation !!

I still use the travel websites to book my own travel. The prices are just too good. I'd consider using an agent if i was travelling to a foreign country. But the best travel tips are at http://www.chimpout.com/forum of course.

I am disgusted by the link posted by Don J. chimpout is a racist blog site dedicated to spreading the most vile and disgusting racial slurs. I hope everyone can now see Don for the racist he is.

I am currently enrolled in a Travel and Tourism course and have found that in order for the clients to be sure they are getting what they have paid for, it is indeed better to speak to an agent. In Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, travel agents must be certified in order to sell travel. This means you are guaranteed professionalism, a knowledgeable agent, and peace of mind. Your travel agent will explain all you need to feel comfortable in your decision to travel and spend your hard earned money on something that can be intangable as travel purchases.

The premise always was that if you had any problems that the local travel agent could help you.Not SO!Ask the hundreds of people that lost there vacations when conquest went bankrupt last winter in canada and had to actually pay twice.They have no control over the package you buy from them, they are just brokers the same as the online agents.Even after you pay them in full they don't guarentee your hotel is paid etc and if the company they brokered for you has problems, youll have to pay again for your hotel ,and possibly another flight before you'll be allowed to leave that country.Type in conquest strands vacationers or something like that if your not familiar with what can happen.Save your money and book last min online for your best chance of not getting burned.Also buy travel insurance that will cover this if it happens .

Wow, thanks Andrew for commenting on Don J's post and link. His link is totally irrelevent to the article about travel, and such an incredibly disgusting and racist website should be banned from the internet. I am floored.

I find more and more clients do rely on the expertise of travel agents. I have been an agent in Ontario for almost 25 years, and my business has been built on referrals from happy clients. I will tell my clients honestly, that if they don't want to pay my fee for booking an air only ticket - feel free to book on the airlines website directly. There are few cases where I do charge a service fee, and it is only in the case where a supplier is not paying me any commission. I still have plenty of clients that will gladly pay this fee, as I can also often find them a cheaper fare than they can find themselves. In a recent case a client did find a great airfare online that I could not match, and I told her it was a good price and she should book it.

I spend around 60 hours a week researching and booking travel, you can't match that expertise by booking on your own. Many of my clients do not have the time nor patience to try and weed through all the offerings provided online. I also have travelled extensively and share my experiences and knowledge with my clients. The bottom line is there is huge value-add that you do not get by booking online. My clients can and do call me at all hours and holidays, and if they do have a problem - I am there to help them. As Corrine mentioned in Ontario, travel agents are required to be registered with TICO, which is a government body protecting you, the consumer. In fact you don't have to live in Ontario to have this protection, you just need to book with an Ontario TICO registered agency - for that peace of mind it is surprising that Ontario agents aren't busier.

Trip designer give yor opinion of Bill Greys comments.Are They Fact or fiction.Not commenting we'll assume its true

In response to Bill Grey's comments about Conquest: In my years in this business I have seen many operators go belly-up (heck, I am a casualty of the Wardair buyout). The Conquest situation was very unusual, and TICO should have been aware of their financial problems, before it ever got to the point it did. It is true that there were many consumers who were not allowed to leave their hotels (those that were stuck in destination when all this happened), until they paid their hotel bill. This because Conquest had failed to pass on funds collected from the consumers. Firstly, you would think the hotels would have refused the clients bookings before they got to the destination (Conquest was months behind with some hotels). Secondly, this is the first time I have seen a mess like that.

Your generalization about travel agents is unfair, it is not the agent's fault that all of this happened with Conquest. I did not have any clients affected by this closure, however, last summer I did have clients that were stuck in Italy due to Zoom's failure. I was already working out a contingency plan for them when they called me from Italy. Not only did I get my clients home, but I helped them with their TICO claim. They would have been screwed if they had booked online.

Also, your comment about waiting and booking last minute on-line, prices in the Canadian travel industry are regulated - most agents can get the same price online as you will - you are not paying any extra for their service (in most cases). Without naming names - one of the largest online travel agencies is currently entangled in a lawsuit for false advertising and improper booking methods.

Wouldn't you rather book your travel with someone who knows what is going on in this complicated industry?

I'm a travel agent and I'm still busy booking my clients.

Not everything is as it seems on websites .. passengers who "think" they know it all make many mistakes and many of them cost money and then they blame the travel agency website ... if you had just called in to make the reservation, guess what? That mistake would NOT cost you. It would have been done right because travel agents are professionals!!

In addition, did you know that many travel agencies will give you a discount above and beyond what you see on line? That's right .. consumers who are quick to cut out the travel agent because they think they're cutting out the middle man ... and they think they know it all .. are actually PAYING MORE than someone who uses a travel agent .. and the travel agent can get you upgrades ... that a computer can't! SUCKERS!!!!

Sorry, I don't like to ramble on, but I am very passionate about what I do and incorrect information drives me nuts!

Regarding travel insurance - it will NOT protect you in the case of a supplier failure. Travel insurance is designed to protect your travel monies should you or a family member become ill. There are some insurances that are sold by suppliers which will also cover change of mind.

In the case of a supplier failure, the first thing a traveller should do is contact their credit card company and advise them they have not received the services they paid for. If this does not work, then a claim is submitted to the travel industry compensation fund which is administered by TICO. Unfortunately, alot of times when passengers are stranded they do have to pay additional money out of pocket, although usually in the case of a flight only, in order to get home. Sometimes, other airlines will offer to bring people home at no additional expense to the traveller. But tell me, wouldn't it be better to have a travel agent in your corner helping you with this.

Bill's comments about agents being brokers and not passing money on to end suppliers is ridiculous - In the case of clients paying by cash or cheque their funds are held in a separate trust account that must be passed on to the supplier. This is inspected by TICO on a regular basis. Nowadays most people pay by credit card and that information is provided directly to the end supplier, and the agency receives commission on that sale at some point (we often wait months after you travel to receive commission).

I've had my say.

It Seems ive upset some travel agents.Can you guarentee me my hotel and air Has been paid in full after i have paid you. if i pay seperately myself i will have receipts to prove it.All ill have from you is a receipt that i paid you which wont be worth the paper its written on when im in a foreign country

Yes, Bill, I can guarantee you that your travel arrangements are paid in full, not only through a receipt I provide you, but through documentation provided by the end supplier. This proof may come in the form of a voucher, or a receipt from the supplier (which is more important than any receipt I would provide). Not only that I provide my clients paper documents - where nowadays everything is virtual. I think everyone should have something in their hands. Not only that - I book many complicated itineraries for people that may include 5 different hotels, car rentals, and attraction tickets. I also provide my clients with a personalised guidebook of the destination they are visiting, which includes information on whatever you need - golf courses, restaurants, museums, shopping etc - a recent California one was 63 pages. However, I only take clients who are interested in the value I add to their travel arrangements - so I guess that leaves you booking online !

I always use a travel professional when I book vacations. Back in September 2001 I was booked for Greece departing Sept 13. Well I never left Canada due to the events of 9/11. The travel industry as a whole was unprepared to handle this type of event. Without my travel agent it would have been a nightmare as I had hotels, resorts, cruises, local short flights etc booked ahead. The travel agent waded through all the paperwork on my behalf and though it took some time, got fully remibursed for everything.
Recently a group of friends have planned a cruise. They all thought booking on line direct w/ the cruise line was the way to go. I went back to my trusty agent, got an AMAZING price. I told them, and they cancelled the online booking and went to my agent who also saved them a bucket of cash. A good travel agent is worth their fees.

Travel agents days are numbered. Now people with the internet and a credit can do their own bookings. I worked in the Hotel field for 45 years and even back then in the dark ages, a lot of people di their own bookings with the hotel and skipped the agent. The hotels were happy about his arrangement as we did not have to pay commissions. Anyone with a credit card can book their vacations on line and be safe. I have had a lot of problems with agents making statements to their vlients which on checking in were found to be false

I recently returned to Canada from a four year term teaching in South Korea. The academy I worked at provided my flight home, but as I knew the owner personally I saw the booking process. He spent a few hours going from booking site to booking site, the airlines, the discount flight finders and so forth. Then he called a travel agency and got a far better price than the sites were offering and I had my e-ticket the next day. Furthermore, that better price included all taxes and fees. The prices from the do it yourself sites did not.

Well with all the info on the internet, I make all of my own arrangements. It is fun to look at where you are going and looking at different places. I booked a whole week in Italy at 3 different places and was wowed by all three I looked at over the internet. I also always use Google earth to look at the place and it's suroundings etc. Im an average person on the computer and internet. As the average consumer becomes more computer literate(ie older generation moves on) I think we will see the majority of tranactions done directly by the consumer.

There really isn't any difference in price between a travel agent and booking online when it comes to airfare in my experience. Travel agents will find you the lowest possible price, and the one I spoke to said they don't even work on commission anymore.

I have not used an agent in years. I always book my travel (vcacations included) on-line using a credit card. I find dealing direct with the airline, car rental and hotel/condo easier than going through an agent. When iI was using an agent I used to find the deals at the time I wanted to go, on the aircraft I wanted to fly in with the airline I wanted to fly with etc etc and then transfer the booking to the agent. I was doing all the work and she was collecting the commision... Don't forget they are making a commission and so it is understandable that they'd want to book you a trip that may not be the cheapest. I am sure (from what I have seen in their offices) they also get bonuses/perks from certain travel companies so they tend to have favourite airlines resorts etc. I find the airlines offer better prices on their website (USAirways in particular) than what is published on booking sites. I would however use an agent for a complicated trip to Asia, Middle East etc. or if you want a vacation where you don't have to think (just get on the plane then lay on the beach) but for North & Central America and Caribbean trips... no way!