We often get the question...“Do Travel Advisors still exist?” 
The answer is "yes, we do".  We often start off explaining that when booking online, you are still using a travel agency, it is just an online travel agency (OTA), where you do all the work and they get paid for your hours of research and time spent trying to figure out what the perfect place will be for your vacation.  When we work with you, we try to get a feeling of what you like to do and what is important to you when traveling. We customize a vacation or honeymoon for you.  We can often get you free breakfast packages, couples massages, romantic dinners on the beach, free room upgrades, early checkin and late check out,  etc.  As a member of the Ensemble Travel Network,  we are offered many extra amenities or shipboard credits for our clients, that you will not get when booking directly or on line.

Saves Time: Have you ever Googled “Caribbean Vacation”? Did you know that the average person who books online has spent about 5 hours in research alone? Why waste five hours researching only to end up full of self-doubt, wondering if you really got the best vacation you were looking for? We all have busy lives, and most of us would agree we don’t have enough hours in a day already. Do what you do best, and hire the rest!

Expertise: We understand that it is fun to look at all the options at first. However, anyone can make a picture look good. Have you actually been there to know if that resort is really beachfront, or has the photo been edited and in reality, the resort is across the street from a heavily-populated public beach? Chances are, we’ve been there, seen that, tasted that, touched that, and experienced that. We travel extensively all over the world, touring properties and developing relationships with the sales directors. Our clients often get the best that they offer when it comes to added value, because of the relationships we have forged over the years.

Real People: This one is our favorite.  Although the “dot com” travel agencies do have a call center, it’s likely “Mary from Chicago with the heavy accent” is not really in Chicago, nor is her name Mary, and in fact, she’s probably never been to the any of the destinations you are calling about. Our clients also have access to us 24/7 while traveling in addition to another 800-number in case we are not available.

They think of the whole package: A great travel advisor will encompass much more than just the plane tickets;  they will design your entire experience.  This doesn’t mean you have to book all of these experiences, but how would you know the difference if they never offered it?

Saves You Money: Did you know that travel advisors still have the best deals?  It’s true. We also know the ins and outs that will save you money and valuable time. 

​Here are some useful articles if you are wondering whether or not to use a travel advisor.  We encourage you to read what the travel experts out there are saying!

Travel Market Report
Wedding Wire
Trip Savvy
Travel Agent Central
Cruise Radio