My Friend the Travel Agent

There are so many go-to people you have in your life. Insurance agents, hairdresser/barber, home repair people, even the kid down the street that cuts your lawn. Why don't you have a go-to travel agent? There are many advantages with having a travel agent on call.

1. They know you - Travel agents want to know your likes and dislikes. They will keep notes on everything, including things like preferred methods of travel and places you like to stay. They will also remember the little things like your hometown, your birthday, and even your anniversary. They are no different than the other people that work with you. Travel agents will do things the way you like.

2. They will help you in an emergency - Travel agents will help you get there in an emergency a lot better and faster than trying to do it yourself. Maybe you got that dream interview, but it's in two days. Goodness forbid that something were to happen to a family member that required you to fly home last minute. Travel agents can also be someone who can help you get away from a bad situation. Using a third party helps your anonymity when trying to get somewhere safe. Also, I don't know of any travel agent who would tell a soul where it was they sent you without a court subpoena.

3. They can help future plans - You might want to go somewhere next year or in five years on a bucket list vacation. Travel agents can help you get all your travel documents together, allow for payment plans for the flights and accommodations, and help you put together that ideal itinerary. They will work with you and all your wild ideas and make them a reality.

4. They will be honest with you - Travel agents want to help you book those vacations. They also want to be honest with you. You may want that exotic vacation in that far flung island, but a good travel agent will tell you that you can't go there because of a recent natural disaster or civil unrest that didn't make the US news. Flying the whole family to that great resort in Mexico is a wonderful idea, but you can't do it next month if the kids don't have passports.

Having a relationship with a travel agent will only help you. They can give you tips for everything from vacations to staycations. They can help you get where you need to be ASAP. Even having one to help you arrange regular travel for pleasure or business gives you one less thing to worry about.

Until we meet again...