TraveLuxe

All That We Do

In the last few months travel planners (consultants, advisors, agents) have gotten a good deal of positive press. It seems travelers are getting weary of searching for Internet deals and traveler reviews to find the best options. Or perhaps they?re just taking larger trips that they don?t feel comfortable booking on their own.?Whatever the reason, there has been a flurry of news stories in the past couple of years about the value of travel agents.

This press is a great start for us. We don?t have to answer questions such as ?travel agents still exist?? quite as often. Still, I think people don?t truly understand the scope of what we do. Even those who know that they want to use my services often ask me something akin to ?so what types of things do you actually book??. This is a fair question, especially since different travel planners offer different services. Some may focus on tours or cruises, while others focus on all-inclusive resorts or independent travel. For the purposes of this article, I?m going to focus on those services we could book ? this doesn?t necessarily mean that every travel professional is going to book all of these, which is why it?s important to make sure the planner and the client are a good fit.

 

 

So what can we offer? Most travelers know that we book flights, accommodations, cruises, tours, all-inclusive resorts and these larger items. Here is a list of some of the smaller and more detailed items that people don?t often realize we can arrange.

? Rail and bus tickets/passes
? Airport transfers (private or group)
? Private drivers
? Day tours (group or private)
? Museum/attraction tickets
? Theater tickets
? Special event celebrations (I?ve booked an anniversary dinner at the restaurant atop the Eiffel Tower)
? Spa treatments
? Shore excursions on cruises
? Pre/post trips for meetings and conferences
? Wine tastings, market visits, cooking classes

 

 

No doubt there are travel planners who have booked experiences not on this list. These are just among the most common detailed requests that I receive. So don?t be afraid to ask. It?s possible that your planner doesn?t book each of these, but it can?t hurt to check. Most travelers want to leave some things to spontaneity, but booking items such as museum tickets can save time from waiting in long lines and often can save money as well. Discuss with your planner to find the right mix combination of pre-booked and flexibility for you.