How To Choose the Right Travel Agency

Well that is a question I hear all the time!

A big question is who to choose to work with when it comes to choosing your travel agent or agency.

Our agency has a great reputation and we are successful because we operate as a team and we care about the customer first.

When we see agents on forums or groups stating that they are an agent and we haven’t heard of them….then they are probably not a well vetted agent or agency.

It takes no special kind of license for a person to become a travel agent with a large host agency. All a person has to do is pay them a fee and they are off to say that they are a travel agent or a travel agency owner. In the same breath, they are asking in a travel agency forum “what is an all-inclusive?” or “I have a couple that wants to travel internationally and I don’t have my passport.”

Unfortunately you are now the victim of a person who has fallen prey to an MLM scam or has paid a hefty monthly fee to state that they are a travel agent.

ASK THE QUESTIONS

1. Who is their parent company or are they with a HOST?

   If their website or tagline says that they are with Outside Agents, KHM, etc, they might still own their own LLC to state they own a name to a travel agent company - but they are not an agency owner. They are licensed under a big host agency. DO NOT GET ME WRONG - I know some fantastic agents that are part of large host agencies so this is not a deal breaker - you just need to know that if you book with them who you are really booking with. A different company name will appear on the paperwork.

2. When is the last time they travelled and have they been to the destination you are asking about?

   Look, you can google resorts and read reviews all day long. But that is one person’s opinion and you don’t know if that person has only been to one all-inclusive in their life or 100 of them. If your travel agent has only been to one all-inclusive resort or one destination - how are they going to help you find the perfect spot for your destination wedding, family vacation, or honeymoon? They cannot! They are going to have to rely on words from others or forums to do research. Please work with a person that has been to that destination or many hotels in that area. There is something prideful about our agency not having to flock to the internet for first-hand encounters on all-inclusive resorts because myself or my team has been there.

3. Do they charge agency fees and if they don’t are they just as good?

   The all-time debate of whether or not to charge an agency fee. I choose NOT to charge an agency fee because I built this business on the promise to help people first and the money will come. We make a commission on every sale that we do when it involves a package or hotel or cruise. Sure, there are times that people will come to us for advice and then book it on their own and when that happens, we have wasted our time and worked for free. So, a lot of agencies want to have some security because you can take all my advice and go book it on your own. Just know that the value of work we provide is top notch and our service is customer focused even though we don’t charge a fee.

   I have known agents to charge a fee and give horrible customer service. The research you put into choosing the right travel agent is better than paying a fee in my opinion.

4. Is it ok to ask to work with a different agent?

   Personality has a lot to do with choosing the right person to work with. If you are not liking the options or do not feel that you are clicking with your agent - ask them to bring in one of their teammates for a consult!

If you have questions on what the right choice might be and if you are making the right decisions - ask me. As always I am here for you to ask questions and give you my best advice on where to go or what to do.

• Shayla Northcutt (Northcutt Travel Agency owner) - shayla@travelnta.com