What is the difference between booking with a travel agent and booking through Expedia?

Booking with an agent allows you to:

1. Tell them what you are looking for in a vacation; the good bad and unknown; a good agent will steer you in the right direction, especially since they probably have first hand experience.  Yes we all have access to Trip Advisor, however, in my opinion, I have a Trip Advisor Pro account; I am connected with hundreds of travel professionals around the world who are very candid about their experiences.  In fact, in our office we have our own little Black Book, or list of resorts on a “Do Not Sell” list because we don’t want our clients to waste their hard earned money and precious vacation time on sub-par experiences.

2. Secure the vacation with a small deposit and make payments like lay away.  No, lay away didn’t go out in the 80s in fact, that’s one of the best ways to pay for your vacation! Instead of paying for it all at once leaving your credit card smoking, you can secure your trip with as little as $50/pp and pay as you go.  As long as it’s paid off by the final payment, most agents don’t care if you have a payment plan set up or not.

3. Get special extras without having to pay for them including hidden discounts.  There really isn’t much that brings more joy to me after knowing my clients have had a great vacation except for when I am able to delight them with extras that they knew nothing about.  Like a bottle of chilled sparkling wine awaiting their arrival in their suite or even a selection of handmade chocolates with a note to say “hope you are enjoying your trip” when they are halfway across the globe.  The best is when I can say “thank you” for your loyalty and even service by offering discounts for returning guests or military personnel.

4. Check in like a rockstar and not just a number since a good agent will have contacts in the resort setting you apart.  There are not many worse words to hear after traveling all day than to  hear, “We’re overbooked”.  That commonly happens on the airplane and the hotel when people book online with some suppliers.  When you trust your trip to an agent you can rest easy knowing your seat and pillow will be waiting for you.  In addition, we like to alert the resort of our VIP clients (you) who are arriving so they too can be ready to greet you like the VIP you are.

5. If the price drops so does your balance.  If the price drops or a sale presents itself offering a better value than previously booked, we are able to rebook and pass the savings back to you.  We are notified of the sales so you don’t have to watch for them.  Once we had a sale that dropped the rooms by $500!  That’s a lot of swimsuits, sundresses and strappy sandals at venus.com!

6. If you have a problem, “yo I’ll solve it!”  The world is an imperfect place, even in the most perfect looking destinations.  Thankfully, if you should experience a problem, you are never left to your own devices to figure it out.  You have access to a destination help line 24/7 in addition to me!  So when the ocean view room overlooks the dumpster, or the pre arranged shuttle leaves without you or you realize your passport has expired and you are scheduled to leave in 24 hours, you can breath a sigh of relief knowing that you have an agent in your corner.  

These are just a few of the reasons why you should consider having us book your next trip. I look forward to talking with you and booking your next dream vacation!