Online travel sites versus travel agents

One of the most important things to people is their leisure time. Many people don't have much so they want to spend it the best way possible and some choose to travel or have family vacations during the summer. Traditionally, when people wanted to go on vacation they called a travel agent who made all the arrangements and charged a fee to get it all done. But now some things have changed with the arrival of online travel sites where people are booking their own flights and hotel accommodations and are supposedly saving money by using them. But which is really better to use, a travel agency or an online travel site? Of course the answer is more complicated than you may think and depends on many other factors too. Here is some information that will help you to decide for yourselves.

Many people call their local travel agency to get a quote on a honeymoon package or vacations package to compare to one of the bigger online travel sites. And it's true that most of the time the internet will beat the price of the travel agent. But what isn't the same is really the package. When an online service books a flight they don't actually reserve the seats and take them off availability like a travel agent does and many people find that their seat has been overbooked and then have to deal with the frustration of figuring it out. They probably saved about $150 by using a site instead of a travel agent but how much is the hassle really worth.

And your hotel room is another place that is very important but you might think you're getting more than you really are. Often when you book a room online it will be in a less desirable place that is booked less often than others. For example you will still get all of the things that are promised by the site and will have an ocean view from your room. But what you didn't know is that your room is by the ice room on the hotel floor and also near the elevators and that you have to deal with all the foot traffic and noise that are generated by these places. But what is worse is that once you arrive and discover this problem of location and ask to be changed to a different room, the help desk from the site you purchased on will do little or nothing to rectify the problem if you can even manage to get someone to listen to you at all. They know you are in the least favorable rooms and that is why they are able to offer such a great discount on them. The whole reason they contracted with an internet site in the first place was to increase traffic in areas of the hotel or resort that were lacking.

Travel sites boast that they are able to offer more accommodations at a better price than travel agencies or similar services and this is true in many circumstances. They are also able to sell a higher volume of vacation packages than travel agencies too. But what many people ignore is that the package found on line and trough a travel agency is not really the same package. Online sites may not include some items that would be included were you to use a travel agent such as daily resort fees, out of state car fees, or other taxes and fees that you will then be required to pay at the airport or hotel. This will be even more money coming out of your pocket that you didn't expect. Most travel agents include such items in their package price and make it so you don't have to worry about them or be surprised by the addition of charges.
But one of the most frustrating problems if you have used an online service is to change plans that have been made or to cancel them altogether. This is terrible inconvenient and will often cost you no matter how small the changes are. Most travel agencies offer travel insurance to their customers which allows them to cancel should they have a medical or other type of emergency. Online travel sites are also starting to offer insurance but it rarely covers all of a trip and there are still fees involved to change everything.

So the internet is a great place to do research and to learn about vacation packages. But if you are going to compare, make sure you are comparing apples to apples and not something else. Make sure that the package you are getting includes all the things and considerations that would be made by a travel agent if you really want to compare the prices correctly. The internet is great but for traveling and booking flights and hotel, it may not be as good as it seems. So it is important to do proper research first and make decisions based on real numbers and circumstances. When you are paying so much money to spend on vacation you should at least get what you want out of it.

Personality versus automation

One of the aspects that people neglect to consider during their vacation planning is the difference between personality and automation. Automation can sometimes get the process done faster but you have to wonder if it is really worth it. When you go to a store and are looking for the latest high tech gadget, you may want to avoid the high pressure sales guy that will show you the most expensive thing available. But what if you have real questions and need them answered to make a good decision. You may be left alone at another store but you will also lack the knowledge and expertise of working with another person. Personality is very important in the buying process and can really make things go better in the end. The fact is that online travel sites simply can't provide the same sort of experience and personalization that can be given by a travel agent.

The bottom line

Of course the main thing on traveler's minds is the bottom line. How much money are they really going to have to spend on their vacation to enjoy themselves? To find the true best price you would really have to do the same things that a travel agent would do when you book through them. Here are some factors that can contribute to the price of your vacation package. Some of them don't apply every time but should still be considered when you are making any travel decisions.

Everyone knows that some airlines are just more expensive than others and there is really no way around that issue. But price variations can still happen between carriers and could make a big difference in your travel plans. You really should check all airlines to decide which one really has the lowest fare to your destination, but the one airline that flies there that you don't know about is probably the one that offers the lowest rates. A travel agent has access to more resources than you do to find out this sort of thing and can often save you time and trouble in the end. Sometimes airlines sell roundtrip tickets for less than they would offer two one way tickets. But this is not always true and you may be able to use more than one airline on your vacation to get a better price. Almost no travel sites are going to offer things similar to this, but your travel agent can find them for you. These types of considerations can also make a big difference depending on what time of day your flight is. You may be able to find flights cheaper at different times of day and then build on that. But this is still quite difficult and can require a lot of effort for you. Another thing that may influence your booking is the amount of time you are going to stay at your destination. Fees can sometimes differ very much between the beginning and end of your vacation, so it is also important to plan around things such as this. You may not want to stay the weekend that is required by the online service to get the best rate, but an agent may be able to find the same rates even if you don't stay the same days. Many people also assume that larger airports are less expensive to use than smaller local airports but this is not necessarily true. Most online sites don't even show all the airports that are possible for you to use and that may even be closer or more convenient to your destination than you knew. A travel agent may have more resources and time to spend checking at different airports to find who really has the best rates. You may also assume that taking nonstop flights is more expensive, and this is commonly true, but you may be able to find a flight with no layovers that is the same or even less than a flight that has to make stops along the way. This of course will save you time which is one of the most valuable things on vacation.