Travel Agent Transformation
It doesn’t take a professional to see that the travel industry has changed a lot over the years. From brick and mortar agencies to online travel booking, vacation planning has had many facelifts through the decades. Today, I’ll walk you through the old, new, and hybrid models of travel planning and share my favorite of the three!
The Old Model: Brick and Mortar Travel Agencies
This model isn’t very common anymore, and with good reason.
With the old model of travel planning, your planner worked at a storefront agency where she would hand you a stack of brochures, let you pick a destination, and ask you a few questions.
From there, she would give you a few options and then plan your trip. After this, you’re no longer needed in the process.
Why? Because this model of travel planning was very closed-off; the agent had all the information and made most of the decisions for you.
Plus, there were fewer avenues for you to research options, so you had to really trust that your agent was acting in your best interest.
The agent also charged a fee for her services.
I don’t know about you, but I’m glad we’ve moved away from this model of travel planning!
The New Model: Online Travel Booking
Nowadays, you don’t even need a travel agent thanks to the variety of online booking sites.
But like I tell my children, “need” and “want” are two very different things. And trust me: I think you’ll want someone to help you plan a big vacation.
Why?
Because you’ll spend hours upon hours researching destinations, hotels, restaurants, activities, tours, and more. (And even the best online travel booking websites can’t give you back your time!)
Plus, you’ll be responsible for keeping up with the fine print, policy changes, and reservations.
And sure– unlike the old model of travel planning, you won’t spend money on agent fees. But you will spend a ton of your own time.
But guess what–my travel planning services are completely free! Which brings us to the last model: The Hybrid Model.
The Hybrid Model: The Best of Both Worlds
Can you guess which model I prefer?
You guessed it. The Hybrid Model! And while I might be a little biased, I do think it’s the best option for you.
With this model of travel planning, you not only get my extensive travel and destination knowledge, but I also comparison-shop to bring you the best options based on your wants, needs, and budget.
The best part? I help ensure all the pieces of the travel puzzle fit together seamlessly.
For example, I’ll ...
Call the destination on your behalf so you don’t spend a ton of time on hold
Keep an eye out for promotions that are announced after I book your reservation so that you can get those discounts if applicable
Read through the fine-print and details and relay any important information to you
Be on top of any policy changes (hello, COVID) so that you can make the best decisions for you and your family
Handle any cancellations just in case something comes up
You can be as hands on or off as you want–all at no cost to you. That’s right! My services are completely FREE!
To Sum It Up
The travel industry has changed a lot over the decades.
There are 3 models of travel planning: The Old, The New, and The Hybrid Models
With the Old Model, the client was very hands off in the travel planning process.
With the New Model, the client does all of the research and planning
With the Hybrid Model, the travel professional and client work together to plan an amazing trip (all at no cost to the client!)
Ready to plan the trip of a lifetime? Click here to fill out a travel quote request form.
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