Even when everything goes according to plan, a proficient travel advisor elevates your trips from good to exceptional. But in today’s unpredictable world, with travel complexities abound, the expertise of a travel agent is not just a luxury—it’s a necessity.
My nephew’s recent wedding was followed by a honeymoon request: two weeks split between the romantic canals of Venice and the sun-drenched shores of Greece. A dream trip, undoubtedly, but also a logistical challenge. These destinations, currently among the most sought-after in Europe, have been operating at near full capacity for months.
While I often share local insights with family and friends, this time my advice was direct and decisive: “You need a travel agent.” I connected him with Anne Scully from Embark Beyond, a luminary in the industry and a top-tier agency. Fortunately, he heeded my advice. My primary recommendation to anyone seeking a travel agent is to get a referral from a trusted source. This is especially crucial now, as demand surges and some advisors are limiting new clients.
It’s worth noting that in the industry, “travel advisor” is the preferred term, reflecting a role that goes beyond booking to encompass comprehensive consultation. However, “travel agent” remains more widely understood by the public, so I use them interchangeably, emphasizing that you should seek someone who operates as a true travel advisor.
A decade ago, I penned a two-part article for Forbes detailing the compelling reasons to utilize a travel agent for all travel needs, from business trips to luxury vacations. The message resonated then, and it’s even more pertinent today.
Smiling couple being greeted at a luxury hotel
Travel is experiencing a powerful resurgence, fueled by pent-up demand and a desire for extraordinary, bucket-list experiences. A top-tier travel advisor is indispensable in turning these aspirations into reality, especially amidst the current travel landscape marked by disruptions and complexities. Airlines, airports, and rental car services are strained, and staffing shortages impact hotels, restaurants, and various service providers across the board.
Beth Washington, founder of Getaway Guild, a distinguished Washington, D.C. agency affiliated with Virtuoso, emphasizes the heightened stakes. “Pre-pandemic, arriving in a city like Paris without extensive plans might have allowed for some spontaneity. Today, such an approach risks disappointment. Advance reservations for dining and activities are virtually mandatory. Capacity restrictions and evolving protocols demand meticulous planning. Engaging a skilled travel advisor alleviates these burdens, ensuring a seamless and stress-free experience.”
My nephew’s honeymoon story perfectly illustrates several compelling reasons why partnering with the Best Travel Agency is not just beneficial, but essential for exceptional vacations.
Unlocking Superior Rooms and Sold-Out Hotels
One of the most tangible advantages of using a travel advisor is their ability to secure better accommodations, often including access to rooms and suites in otherwise fully booked hotels. While online platforms offer convenience, many premier hotels reserve their best rooms and suites, keeping them off public listings, specifically for bookings made through high-producing travel advisors. These advisors bring consistent, high-volume business to these hotels, fostering strong relationships with hotel management. In contrast, individual travelers, even those seeking luxury experiences, represent infrequent bookings. Hotels naturally prioritize the satisfaction of their most reliable partners. Furthermore, established travel advisors often have long-standing personal connections with hotel General Managers, sometimes spanning decades. Leveraging these relationships, the newlyweds were able to secure rooms at a highly sought-after hotel in Venice during peak season, despite the hotel being ostensibly sold out.
Anthony Goldman, a third-generation owner of the leading Australian agency, the Goldman Group, notes a trend: “We’ve seen an influx of new luxury clients, individuals who previously planned their own trips. They’ve come to realize that direct bookings, even at high price points, often result in less desirable rooms because they lack personal connections with the hotels.”
Luxurious hotel suite with a stunning view
Do you aspire to be treated like a VIP when you travel? Engaging a top travel advisor is your key. Celebrities and CEOs routinely rely on advisors for this very reason. For everyone else, a skilled advisor acts as your advocate, transforming you into a valued guest. As Anne Scully shared from a client’s feedback, “The General Manager and staff of this 5-Star hotel knew us upon arrival and consistently treated us like VIPs… the upgrade and beautiful amenities in our suite were unprecedented and delightful!”
Priceless Expertise, Local Insights, and Connections
Beyond room upgrades, the best travel agency provides invaluable advice, deep local knowledge, and crucial on-the-ground connections. Consider Greece’s reopening to international visitors post-lockdown. It quickly became a prime destination. However, many travelers primarily know international hotel chains and a few iconic locations like Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos. My recommended advisor steered my nephew and his wife to Crete, the largest Greek island. There, they found availability at a top-tier, yet less crowded resort, and enjoyed authentic local dining experiences.
Beth Washington from Getaway Guild highlights this advantage: “We are seeing a growing desire to avoid overcrowded tourist hotspots. Our expertise allows us to suggest alternative destinations that align with our clients’ preferences. For instance, Malta instead of Italy, or Guatemala instead of Costa Rica. Now more than ever, trust is paramount. Our clients rely on our established trust, which extends to our relationships with suppliers worldwide. The pandemic has reshaped the travel industry; new companies have emerged, and some suppliers haven’t survived. How can a traveler effectively vet these options? Online reviews offer some insight, but do those reviewers share your tastes and standards? We maintain long-term partnerships with trusted suppliers, understanding their resilience and adaptability during the past few years. We know who prioritized their staff and who used the downtime to explore and refine their offerings. We are selective about who we entrust with our clients’ travel investments. Having navigated the ‘current normal’ of travel across various destinations, we offer confident, first-hand insights into service levels and ensure our clients are in capable hands.”
A travel advisor shared that the pandemic lockdown presented a unique challenge: assessing newly opened hotels without in-person visits. They were hesitant to book clients into unvetted properties. This underscores the importance of first-hand knowledge and thorough research, a point I’ve emphasized previously.
Consider the complexity of renting a villa in Tuscany independently. A simple online search yields millions of results, seemingly indistinguishable in quality and legitimacy. Sorting through these options is a daunting, time-consuming task, and still provides no guarantee of quality or authenticity. In 2022, a search for “Villa Rentals Tuscany” yields over 6 million results, making the task even more overwhelming.
Navigating Travel Disruptions and Unexpected Issues
Travel, even meticulously planned travel, is prone to unforeseen disruptions. On their wedding’s second day, the honeymooners’ initial flight was cancelled – a common occurrence in a year marked by record flight cancellations and delays. Contacting airlines directly can be frustrating. Hold times are often excessive, even for frequent flyers with elite status. The scenes at airport help desks, often just overwhelmed phone lines, illustrate the difficulty of self-rebooking on the fly. A proactive travel advisor monitors their clients’ travel in real-time, often anticipating disruptions before the traveler is even aware. In this instance, the advisor swiftly rebooked the couple, ensuring they arrived in Venice without losing any precious honeymoon time. Another client of Anne Scully aptly noted, “Thank you, while so many were stuck in long lines due to flight cancellations, you had us rebooked before we even deplaned.”
This ability to mitigate travel disruptions is a compelling argument for using a travel agent.
It’s also important to recognize that while you work with a dedicated advisor, reputable agencies have robust support teams, including specialized air travel departments. This infrastructure allows them to track flights proactively and efficiently handle rebookings. Furthermore, their industry access often enables them to secure more favorable fares and upgrades, and optimize the use of airline miles, often surpassing what individual travelers can achieve, regardless of their travel savvy. I have personally witnessed this “magic” repeatedly and often rely on advisors for air travel bookings, despite my extensive travel experience and knowledge of airline intricacies. Michael Holtz, founder of SmartFlyer, a highly successful agency with particular airline expertise, has orchestrated ticketing miracles, demonstrating the power of agency connections.
Luxurious hotel suite with a stunning view
Access to premium airline cabins at more affordable prices is a significant perk of using a skilled travel advisor. Prior to the pandemic, for a Town & Country article on skiing in Japan, SmartFlyer booked me round-trip flights to Tokyo in Business Class and First Class for a fraction of the miles quoted by the airline directly. On a more recent trip to Bali, SmartFlyer secured Premium Economy to Hong Kong and Business Class onward to Bali on Cathay Pacific, a world-class airline, for less than the airline’s website price for Premium Economy for the entire journey. These seemingly impossible feats are routine for experienced agents.
Michael Holtz emphasizes, “In today’s climate, the ability of SmartFlyer advisors to leverage relationships is crucial. For example, if flight delays or cancellations cause a missed hotel night, we advocate for our clients to adjust reservations and find agreeable solutions with properties. This is just one example of how we navigate the unpredictable aspects of contemporary travel.”
Anthony Goldman adds that airline chaos has driven many former DIY travelers to seek advisor assistance. “Travelers calling airlines for booking changes face hours-long hold times. We can often make the same changes in minutes due to our direct access to the Global Distribution System (GDS), the industry’s reservation backbone.”
Adapting to Changing Plans and Last-Minute Modifications
Flexibility is paramount in travel, and plans often evolve mid-trip. Towards the end of their honeymoon, my nephew and his wife learned a friend was nearby in Greece. They decided to visit, and their advisor seamlessly arranged ferry transport and adjusted their return flights home. Handling such logistics from a hotel room while on vacation is the last thing anyone wants to do.
Beth Washington shared an experience with a new client who had partially booked a trip through a credit card program but needed assistance with detailed planning. “While credit card programs offer hotel amenities, they lack the destination expertise of a seasoned travel advisor. Upon their return, the clients’ feedback was telling: ‘The guides and drivers were exceptional, exceeding our expectations. We clearly saw the difference compared to tours we arranged ourselves… They were also incredibly helpful with last-minute changes.’ In-trip adjustments are increasingly common, and having a travel advisor to advocate and make changes on your behalf is a significant time and cost saver.”
Michael Holtz notes a key realization for those transitioning from credit card travel services to dedicated advisors: “The personalization is striking. Instead of impersonal call centers, SmartFlyer clients work with a dedicated advisor who tailors recommendations based on a deep understanding of their preferences, cultivated over years. Furthermore, clients are often surprised to find their reservations prioritized for upgrades and amenities at hotels. Switching to a travel advisor transforms the travel experience for those seeking premium service.”
When you contact a credit card travel service, you reach a call center; with a travel advisor, you have a dedicated partner. Ask any successful advisor about their secret, and you’ll likely hear “collaboration” and “individualized service.” Another client of Anne Scully expressed it perfectly: “There were nine of us, and each felt the trip was designed just for them… how did you achieve that? We will never travel without you again!”
These examples illustrate just a few of the compelling reasons to use a travel advisor. Beyond these, there are further advantages, including:
Saving You Money and Adding Value
Contrary to the misconception that travel advisors are more expensive, they often provide cost savings and enhanced value. While some may charge consulting fees, particularly for airfare bookings where commissions are limited, they frequently access lower fares, especially for premium cabins, and unlock perks like room upgrades and valuable amenities.
Smiling couple being greeted at a luxury hotel
This is where affiliations like Virtuoso become invaluable. Virtuoso is a global network of premier travel agencies, largely focused on luxury travel, including agencies like SmartFlyer, Embark Beyond, Goldman Group, and Getaway Guild. Virtuoso-affiliated agencies remain independent, recommending and booking services based on client needs and preferences. However, Virtuoso’s collective bargaining power, representing billions in annual travel bookings, compels travel suppliers—from hotels to cruise lines—to offer exclusive benefits to Virtuoso agencies and their clients. In 2019, Virtuoso agencies booked $26.4 billion in travel, and current per-trip spending is even higher.
Hotels within the Virtuoso network, a who’s who of luxury brands like Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, and Ritz-Carlton, contractually guarantee perks for Virtuoso clients. Booking through a Virtuoso agency unlocks complimentary daily breakfast, room upgrades, early check-in/late check-out, airport transfers, spa credits, and more, averaging over $500 in added value per stay—often at the same price you’d find booking directly.
Cruise benefits can be even more substantial. Booking a cruise without an advisor is almost always disadvantageous. The cruise industry, with its fluctuating inventory and emphasis on customer loyalty, both passenger and agency, incentivizes advisor bookings. Cruise lines prefer to offer upgrades, often to suites, rather than sail with empty premium cabins. Clients booking through advisors frequently receive cabin upgrades, complimentary shore excursions, onboard credits, and other benefits, at no extra cost.
As mentioned earlier, advisors can also secure better airfares, sometimes saving thousands on a single trip. When you receive more value for the same price, it’s a clear win, and this is a frequent occurrence when working with travel advisors.
The best way to find a travel advisor is through a referral from someone whose travel style you admire. If that’s not possible, Virtuoso offers an online “matchmaker” tool where you can input your travel preferences and interests to find compatible advisors. Begin with an introductory call to assess compatibility. Geographic location is no longer a barrier; a UK-based advisor noted an increase in American clients through referrals. In fact, if your travel interests align with trends in another country, an advisor in that region might be particularly well-suited. If the initial conversation doesn’t focus on your needs and preferences, seek another advisor.
Effective communication and collaboration are key. A proactive advisor goes beyond reactive booking. If you are passionate about golf, cuisine, or skiing, a great advisor will proactively suggest relevant opportunities or new trips that align with your interests, like Backroads’ new Cycling the Kentucky Bourbon Trail trip. Your advisor’s role is to keep you informed of relevant and exciting travel possibilities.
While there are always compelling reasons to use a travel advisor, their value is amplified in today’s uncertain travel landscape. Ultimately, the best reason to partner with a travel agency is to enhance your overall travel experience, ensuring a smoother, richer, and more rewarding journey.
To reiterate sentiments I expressed years ago in Forbes: “They possess greater knowledge, stronger connections, access to exclusive benefits, and often match or beat publicly available prices. They plan superior trips and provide invaluable support and security. Engaging a top travel agent elevates you to VIP status, saves you time and hassle, and potentially saves you money.”
