When going on a trip, especially one overseas, it is advisable to utilize the skills of a reliable travel agent and travel company to help plan your vacation. Not only can a good travel agent or travel company help you to budget your trip but they can also supply you with invaluable resources and advice on the area you are visiting. However, how do you know if those you employ to help you plan your trip are reliable and honest?
Below are some questions to ask your travel advisors, whether a representative of a company helping to plan your trip or a single travel agent, to help ensure that they are professional and knowledgeable and ultimately experienced enough to make sure your trip is unforgettable, in a good way!
Expedia.com Current Travel Deals How many trips to (the area you are visiting) have you planned before?
If the person you are speaking with has never planned a trip to the area to which you are traveling, then you might want to reconsider their services. There are plenty of travel agents and agencies out there vying for your business and there is no reason you should have to be a guinea pig for a rookie agent. Make sure that the company or person you choose to help you has experience planning trips in the area you are traveling to, and those who only specialize in that area may be an even better resource.
Do you keep in touch with your customers after they return from their trip?
A good travel agency or agent wants to know how your trip went so that they can improve the trips of those they send on similar vacations later on. If your travel agency does not have some type of customer satisfaction form that is regularly distributed or doesn’t keep in touch with previous customers, then they have no record of how their previously planned trips have gone, and may recommend the same bad hotel or tour group to you as they did to others before you.
Travelocity: Top Seller Last Minute Deals How many options do I have with regards to hotels, tour companies etc. in (country/place you are going)?
Any travel agent or agency should be working for you and not the hotels or tour companies on the other end of your trip. If they claim that there is only one good hotel or one good tour company in the area, then they may have allegiances to these places/people and thus, are less likely looking out for your personal interests than their financial interests. Indeed, there may be only one good hotel in the area, but make sure to double check any suspicious claims with your own research and decide whether what they say seems to match what you’ve found on your own.
How much information can you provide me about the prospective accommodations and tours you are recommending?
Your travel agent should have detailed information about any and every place that they recommend you stay or visit on your trip including pictures, testimonials, contact information etc. They may need time to compile this information for you, but it should always be accessible before you pay or sign for any part of your trip.
Is my trip refundable and will travel insurance cover me should something happen during or before my trip to prevent its continuation?
While every travel agent and agency has a different policy regarding trip refundability, you need to make sure that you know what that policy is and how you can protect yourself should something happen to postpone or cancel your trip. Also, look into travel insurance as an added form of protection, your travel agent should be able to provide you with this information as well.
Vacation Outlet: All-inclusive vacation deals