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Why I Can’t Beat Your Online Price
August 26th, 2011

A glance at the title, and this blog probably appears counter productive at best and detrimental at worst to my business. Hear me out, though. coque iphone 6s nike rouge fault in our stars custodia iphone x tyui5075 cover custodia case iphone 11 M2659 darkest dungeon wallpaper 16jI7 I read something recently about why consumers say that they do not use travel agents. Cheap NBA Jerseys Clearance The consumers’ antiquated view of travel agents frustrated me at first, and then I realized that for people that have never used a travel agent, or haven’t in a long time, it’s not their fault. They are simply basing their thoughts on the information that has been “out there” about travel agents until recently. www.wtkm.fr So I thought I’d address it in a blog post head on. First, let me point something out – I don’t consider myself a travel agent and I never have. Cheap MLS Home Jerseys Store nike officiel The term “agent” sounds to me like a bunch of old ladies sitting behind a desk gossiping and printing paper tickets and doing so because they want to get free travel. What I do is about as close to that as it is to being the foreman on a construction site. coque samsung a3 2017 one piece I consider myself a travel planner, though I’ve also heard the term consultant, which I could handle as well. coque iphone X XR XS max Z1392 coque nike logo cover custodia case iphone 11 P5252 dark wallpaper 15zA7 I also always add the word “professional” in when people ask me what I do: I’m a professional travel planner. Why? Because it’s the truth, and planning travel is my career. I own my company and I do this full time after having completed a Masters degree and a lot of training in the travel industry. madara uchiha susanoo custodia iphone x tyui17004 I don’t say this because I want people to ooh and ahh at my credentials. I say it because I want readers to understand that there are plenty of us in the travel industry that have as much education, training and professional experience, if not more, than in many other industries. Maglie Calcio Nazionale fjallraven kanken classic backpack sky blue borderlands handsome jack custodia iphone x tyui5340 We are not planning travel as a part time gig on the side to get free vacations – because in fact I’ve never gotten a free, or even close to free, trip in my years as a travel planner. To address the title of this article, I used it because one of the top things people ask me when they hear what I do is something like “I saw a flight on (insert online booking engine here) for xyz price. coque iphone coque iphone 11 12 mini pro max J8637 coque Mickey Mouse Disney Custodia Cover iphone 11 pro max Hawaiian Culture In Stitch F0842 Case Can you get me anything cheaper than that?” I answer honestly – a nice form of the phrase “probably not.” I’m not saying that no travel planners can do this; it’s just that it’s not my focus. fjallraven greenland backpack dark navy I don’t try to beat online flight prices or find the cheapest hotel room in New York City. My value to my clients is my customer service, my knowledge and my experience. coque samsung galaxy grand primenike I provide my clients with a consultation and get to know them so that I can create an itinerary and trip that meets their specific needs, interests and preferences from start to finish. www.industria40news.it coque iphone xr I personally conduct the communication with them. Custodia Cover iphone 11 pro max washington nationals W9356 Case If they call me at midnight because they’ve missed their flight somewhere they get me on the phone, not an answering service that has no idea who they are or where they’re traveling. coque samsung ox red and royal blue fjallraven kanken backpack big Simply put, I provide my clients with expertise and security that no amount of searching quick deal sites will. coque huawei fjallraven kanken kids backpack pink My leisure clients do not have the time or resources to spend hours researching their safari through Africa or multi-country European vacation. coque iphone 4 minnie et mickey basquiat custodia iphone x tyui2279 My corporate clients want to know that their conference attendees are taken care of at every turn – from being met at the airport with a sign bearing their names to the travels they often take pre or post-conference to make the most of the 8-hour flight they took to get there. AIR MAX 98 UOMO cover iphone 11 fibre de carbone Online, you get no personal stories to explain to clients why you’re suggesting a particular tour or hotel. wizard custodia iphone x tyui6099 Online sites won’t steer you away from traveling to a hurricane zone during hurricane season – in fact they’ll encourage it with cheaper prices; they won’t tell you that if you’re visiting Venice in December or January you’d better bring your rain boots because it floods sometimes up to your knees or higher. Yes, you can scour various review sites in addition to searching for the best online price. fjallraven kanken classic Wouldn’t it be more efficient and reliable to have it all in one place, from someone whose reputation and career is built on providing excellent knowledge and service to their customers through personalization? It’s the same reason I want to use my trusted mechanic to fix my car instead of rattling around under the hood myself when it’s not something I do on a regular basis. Cheap New York Yankees Jersey acheter nike en ligne I also understand that I need to pay my mechanic for this time and knowledge –he’s the professional and I’ve hired him to do a job. Perhaps I could save a little money and do it myself, but it would be a lot messier and quite possibly a lot more frustrating when something went wrong. coque iphone 12 pro max This is why I can’t beat your online price. It’s not what I do. maglia campioni uefa What I can do is give you the best value. coque iphone 11 cover custodia case iphone 11 U3998 wallpaper anime 71aP5 These are two completely different things. fjallraven kanken no 2 backpack black There are times that online booking is fine – if you need a quick flight or last minute hotel deal and are ok with researching this yourself, for instance. WNBA Jersey Custodia Cover iphone 11 pro max shrek L0232a Case If you want more than this and you want to feel confident that you’re taken care of if something goes awry, it’s a different story. wholesale COLLEGE snapback hats coque iphone 6s nike fille That’s when you go to your travel planner. https://www.industria40news.it/ And please don’t ask them to beat the online price.

2 Responses to “Why I Can’t Beat Your Online Price”

1. maya says:

   May 26, 2011 at 5:55 pm

   Thanks, Maura! Yes I can definitely see the similarities to financial planning as well as so many other planning industries. You are right about the “old school travel agents”, that is pretty much where the online booking comes in. For niche travel, planners that specialize in that niche are where the value is added. I think often the case is that people don’t realize all of the behind-the-scenes work because if you do your job well, they get a good result often quickly and they see it as easy. In reality, it only looks easy because we do a good job with it!

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2. Maura says:

   May 26, 2011 at 5:48 pm

   This blog makes a lot of sense and I can totally relate it to my field of financial planning. Sometimes people complain about the fees as if all we do is stick their money in a allocation fund and go home. In reality, people with large net worths and many planning issues need a lot more assistance than that. If, however, someone has $5,000 to invest in an IRA, then they do not need our services. They can just go put it in a no load mutual fund.
   It is important to realize that within all fields there are niches. My assumption would be that many of the old school travel “agents” that you speak of have been replaced by internet travel sites. From your description, it sounds like where your company adds value is for folks who have speific and more complex travel needs requiring high levels of coordination and background knowledge.
   To use your comparison, you go to the mechanic to fix your engine problems. But, you take it in to clean your windshield.

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