Why Use a Travel Consultant? We've Got 7 Good Reasons

Today, it’s pretty easy for people to plan and book their vacations online. And for many, this begs the question: “Why use a travel agent?” 

Well, in our somewhat biased opinion there are plenty of good reasons! We firmly believe that there are some things travel agents (also known as travel advisors, travel consultants and travel experts) can do that technology simply can’t.

Not convinced? Keep reading to discover seven things that travel consultants bring to the table. 

• A passion for exploring the world
• Huge amounts of first-hand travel knowledge
• Personalized travel recommendations
• A deep understanding of the booking process
• Relationships with tour operators, cruise lines and more
• Access to deals and additional perks
• A calm mind and a helpful hand

“If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” This popular quote from singer-songwriter Marc Anthony can be applied to any professional role, but it’s especially relevant to travel agents. The main reason people go into this career is because they have passion for discovering and experiencing new places and cultures.  

And like you, agents love sharing their stories with other people. As soon as you begin working with a travel advisor, you’ll see the genuine enthusiasm they have for the job — which in turn will get you pumped for your next trip. 

Omar Guechtal, a consultant at our Westboro store, could certainly sense this excitement during a recent FAM trip to Morocco with other agents as well as representatives from G Adventures and Air France. 

“I immediately felt that our DNA, what drives us, what makes us Flighties was alive and well. The hunger to discover, experience and grow was palpable within the group,” he recalls. “Everybody embraced every second of our adventure to the fullest.”

When travel advisors aren’t busy booking trips for their clients, they’re often out exploring the world for themselves. In fact, one of our consultants has visited 128 countries! We’ve been there, done that and are willing and ready to share our top tips, tricks and advice with our customers.

This expertise is the number-one reason to use a travel agent today. After all, you can’t always trust what you read on the internet. Not sure what the tipping etiquette is in New Zealand? Confused by the public transit system in Japan? Can’t decide what to pack for an all-inclusive vacation in Mexico? Travel agents can answer all of these questions and more about both popular destinations and hidden-gem spots.

In the unlikely event that your travel agent doesn’t know something, they have a massive network of coworkers and fellow world travellers to reach out to. This is one of the things that made the Morocco trip so special for our consultant, Kailea Cabico. She got some amazing restaurant recommendations from the people in her group who had previously travelled to this destination. Now, that’s information she can pass along to her clients.

Every time a travel agent hops on a plane, joins a tour or embarks on a cruise, they’re having a great time — but they’re also building their travel knowledge.

Using a travel agent isn’t like using a search engine or AI. While those tools are capable of surfacing top destinations, hotels and attractions, they’re going to give everyone the same results. 

A travel consultant, on the other hand, spends time getting to know each and every individual they work with. Vacation planning with an agent often starts with conversations about your likes and dislikes, your budget and your travel goals — and it’s all so they can help create an itinerary that you’re going to love. 

Plus, they’ll remember where you like to travel, which airlines you’d rather fly with, and whether you prefer luxury hotels or budget accommodations. That means every time you use a travel advisor will be even better than the last!

Say you’re interested in a specific cruise line. They can keep you afloat of new ships and shore excursions. Alternatively, if you’re obsessed with a certain tour operator, they can let you know when a sale is coming up. Are you the type of person who travels to eat? They can even suggest where to make dinner reservations. Providing personalized recommendations really is what travel agents do best.

Booking online is never as easy as you think it should be. What starts as simple research for flights and resorts often spirals out of control. Before you know it, you’re flipping between dozens of browser tabs and travel options, comparing price A to price B (and C and D). 

Then you begin to factor in everything you’ve heard about waiting until the last minute or changing your dates to shave dollars off the price, and you have to start all over again. It’s exhausting. 

Not everyone is cut out for this — but travel agents are! They know the cheapest seasons to travel in, how far in advance to book for the best rates, which vacation packages will get you the most bang for your buck and more. So, sit back and let them do all the work for you. 

We really can’t say this enough: leave it to the travel experts. Just like how you should go to the doctor instead of Googling your symptoms, you should work with a trusted agent instead of booking travel on your own. It will save you time, effort and a whole lot of stress.

Airlines, hotel groups, ocean and river cruise lines, tour operators — travel agencies have connections with all sorts of travel suppliers. And these relationships, in turn, benefit you. How?

Let’s use the Morocco trip as an example. It gave some of Flight Centre’s top travel agents a special opportunity to learn about G Adventures and its itineraries. In some cases, it even provided a hands-on introduction to this style of travelling.

“I was very impressed with the organization and execution of what we experienced every step of the way,” says Brett Siborne of his first group tour. “Our guides made it everything I was expecting, and in some cases, so much more.”

As we mentioned before, getting insight from someone’s personal experience is one of the biggest benefits of using a travel agent. Brett now knows exactly what to expect from this vendor and can share his personal tour insights with clients. 

Of course, that’s just one thing you can gain from the partnerships a travel agency has built. You also benefit by getting…

Did you know that working with a travel agent can get you the inside scoop on a vendor’s unique (and new!) offerings?

Travel agents are constantly communicating with hotel, cruise and tour group representatives about the best rooms, ships, itineraries and packages and then sharing that information with their clients. Not only that, but consultants are often the first to know about travel suppliers’ promotions, price drops and other perks, such as food and beverage credits and early booking bonuses.

The relationships travel agencies build with vendors can also save you money. At Flight Centre, for example, we often work with partners to offer exclusive pricing and packages to customers who book with one of our consultants. That means, when you use a travel agent, you’ll have access to deals and savings that aren’t available anywhere else. 

A lot of people assume that a travel agent’s job ends the moment a vacation has been booked — but that’s simply not the case. From the second you start travel planning to the moment you arrive back home, you can rely on and communicate with your consultant throughout your entire trip.

Whether you need to make a last-minute itinerary change, miss a connecting flight or suffer an injury while abroad, travel agents can help you navigate all sorts of problems. They’ll advocate for their clients’ needs, offer advice, keep their eyes on travel advisories and more. And it’s all so you can focus on having the best vacation ever.

One of the things that Amanda McFarlane, a consultant at our Upper Canada Mall store, loved most about the Morocco trip is that she could just go with the flow and enjoy it. That’s a feeling you’ll get to have every time you book a trip with a travel agent.

Many travel agencies, including Flight Centre, also offer 24/7 emergency support. This is a major benefit of using a travel agent. In the event that something goes wrong with your booking, you can let your travel agent handle it. You might easily lose your cool when trying to sort out a problem with airlines, hotels or insurance companies — but your travel agent won’t. 

Ready to reap these benefits for yourself? Visit your local Flight Centre store or contact our consultants to start planning your next trip today! Whether you’re deciding which destination to visit, looking for a great deal on a business-class ticket or want to know about the amenities at a specific resort, we can help.