The 5 biggest misconceptions when it comes to using a travel advisor.

I’ve heard people ask, “Why would I need a travel advisor when I can use Google to do it myself?” or that perhaps “it sounds expensive to use a travel advisor.” Alas, today I'm here today to address the five biggest misconceptions I hear the most when it comes to trusting someone else with your trip.

The bottom line is that your time away from home with family or friends is your most precious resource, and it can pay off to take advantage of an expert to help you invest it wisely. As your advisor, I can provide expertise, leverage my world-class connections, and sometimes beat other prices available (even online). I can also make you an instant VIP with free room upgrades, special amenities, hard to get restaurant reservations, access to otherwise closed exhibits and museums, and private guides. Then after we have planned everything, I can provide a safety net during your trip that you simply won't get by booking yourself or buying insurance. 

So what are the 5 biggest misconceptions? Keep reading!

1. "It sounds expensive. It must be more WAY more expensive than doing it myself." 

For most trips, I can either save you money and/or provide you with significantly more value, which usually more than pays for any advisor fees. 

If you are staying at 4 and 5-star hotels, planning complicated itineraries, taking any trip using drivers or local experts, taking any trip to a destination where you don’t know all the new best places to eat and best things to see and do, or planning any cultural travel, from safaris to ancient ruins, you need a travel advisor. In any of these scenarios, if you don't use a travel advisor, you are losing value, no matter how much you think you know or how good you are at scouring the internet, (even if it’s only a hotel booking). 

I'll provide an example of this for a hotel booking I made recently, where I booked 4 nights for a couple at a gorgeous Florida property. I was able to secure nearly $1000 in savings for them rather than if they had booked it themselves. How did I save them all of that money? Relationships. When I call up to book your reservation, my contact is usually the director of sales (not the phone line operator or the 20-year-old front desk agent). By speaking to my personal contact at their hotel, I was able to secure them a 4th night free valued at over $500, daily breakfast for two valued at $240 across 4 days, a welcome amenity, and a $100 spa credit. If it weren’t peak season, I would have also been able to secure them a room category upgrade, resulting in even more value.

As your advisor, I'm committed to utilizing my contacts and doing the necessary research required to ensure your trip is better than it would be if you had planned it yourself and the best value. I will also be candid with you if I don’t think I can add value to your trip or if it’s best for you to book on your own due to other circumstances, e.g. a no-frills vacation, etc.

2. “I plan all of my trips myself - I thought the age of the advisor died with the advent of the internet.”

The internet is a handy tool with A LOT of information, some good and some bad, and who knows which is which. The internet age has turned into the information overload age. Further, do you know what the internet can't do for you? It can’t…

Be your advocate. Because as we all know, with travel it's not about if something will go wrong, it's when – from canceled flights to global pandemics. Anyone who has tried to get in touch with an online travel agency (like Expedia or booking.com) since April 2020 can probably tell you that customer support is nonexistent. If there is an emergency, I'm here 24/7 to help sort out your problem. 

Personalize your trip. This is where I can make ALL the difference in your overall experience. I'm here to guide you so can rest assured you're going to have a top-notch vacation without reading 10,000,000 reviews online and trying to decide whether you can trust them or not. I will only recommend thoroughly vetted properties tailored to your preferences.

Leverage personal relationships. I've touched on this, but I want to reiterate that if you book through an online travel agent like booking.com, your hotel is going to give you the lowest priority room. However, because of my preferred partnerships with hotels around the world, I can often secure room category upgrades for my clients in addition to the other perks I’ve already mentioned.

3. “I prefer to do it myself, so I can get excited about my trip while I learn about the destination.”

If this is you, I LOVE that you're eager to learn and know before you go. One of the great things about my process is that you can be as involved or not involved as you like. 

If you like to be involved, that's fantastic! I wholeheartedly believe that planning a trip can be just as exciting as the trip itself! I want to make the process fun for you and your fellow travelers by sending you tips, recommendations, books to read, and movies to relish the anticipation up until the time of your trip.

Throughout the design and planning process, I want to know all about your research, whether it's about destinations, hotels, or experiences. All of this helps me do a better job at perfecting the details of your trip. I will always encourage you to let me know if they think they've found a better hotel, experience, or price. Then, I can dig into whatever you've found, and I'll give you my candid feedback on why it's a great or not so great option.

4. "I've already been to a destination before, so why should I use an advisor?"

Perhaps you've been to Paris before but your significant other hasn't. You decide to plan a few nights in Paris as part of a bigger Europe trip, so why should you get advice if you've already been?

Aside from the monetary value that I can add to your trip that I explained in #1, I live and breathe travel expertise. I have traveled A LOT. I spent most of 2019 traversing the world, and I have spent most of 2020 educating myself on the world from home. Maybe I haven't been to Paris this year, but I can lean on my vast network of contacts and resources to give me the latest inside scoop. I am affiliated with 115 top-notch travel advisors who are also canvassing the globe and providing real-time feedback on their recent travel experiences.  I also have connections with Parisians on-the-ground (the best in the industry!) who can't wait to make your stay as excellent as it can be. 

These connections are invaluable as we all know that destinations change, especially in the world we live in today. What's open or 'cool' today may be gone or gone to shit tomorrow. I've experienced this myself by misplacing trust in guidebooks. I've gone to great logistical lengths to get to a guidebook recommend restaurant only to find out it's closed with zero other restaurant alternatives around it. Don’t let this be you - ‘hangry’ doesn’t look good on anyone. 

5. “I tried a travel advisor once, but I didn’t have a great experience.”

I always start with a complimentary consultation called a discover call to learn more about you and your trip. Yes, I learn about you, but this is also your opportunity to learn more about me and ask me ALL of your questions. This is how we determine if we are a good fit for each other. If we aren’t, I hope you leave our conversation with at least a few helpful suggestions about your trip.

I want you to be a happy and informed customer, and I will go to great lengths to ensure you've got all of the facts! My goal is to be as transparent as possible, whether that's about managing expectations about travel or about how I'm compensated. I will be candid if I don't think you'll like a particular hotel, destination or experience and then explain why. I also schedule a follow-up call at the end of the trip to hear about how it went – what did you love or not love, and how we can make your next trip even better!

Finding the right travel advisor can be like finding the right accountant, lawyer, or even hairdresser. Sometimes it's a great match and other times it’s not. If personalities don't mesh with one advisor, don’t be discouraged because it could work beautifully with another one.

In conclusion.

Your most valuable asset is your leisure time, and once it's lost, there's no making it back. Why would you trust that to chance by booking online? By working with me you get advice, creativity, and advocacy - those things are hard to come by online.

Please message me if you have questions, or if you found this article helpful, please spread the love by sharing it with a friend or sharing it here on LinkedIn. Stay safe and keep dreaming now, so we can travel later!

Abbay

Abbay's Escapes is a boutique travel advisory company. As an independent affiliate of Brownell Travel (the oldest travel agency in the USA), we have preferred relationships with the industry's best hotels, resorts, and tour operators across the globe. This means VIP status, extra perks, and upgrades for you, our client. If you'd like to learn more, get started today!