Life of a Travel Consultant

I can’t believe my last blog was in November 2022. It clearly means I have been busy doing something to prevent me getting to my second blog. 

But what? 

Putting the festive season to one side, it has been because I have been BUSY acting as a Travel Agent (I prefer the term Personal Travel Consultant), so it is apparent that some people do see the value of using an Agent / Consultant. 

I bring this up as I constantly see the “keyboard warriors” on Facebook and similar, arguing you should do it yourselves, book direct, book via certain larger online Travel providers like Booking & Expedia – because “it will always be cheaper than paying someone else to do it”. 

I must admit before becoming fully immersed in the trade I was probably one such espouser. But how wrong was I/are they. 

So, what have I learnt in these few months of trading that has caused me to undergo such a transformation? The following are the top reasons I have learnt as too the benefits of booking through a personal travel consultant such as myself at Ginge Tours: 

1. It saves you time & effort

The internet is great, but it is also a confusing morass of information which can take hours to navigate and how often does it lead to “analysis paralysis” where there is just too much information on offer leading to you stalling, not making a decision after hours of work – often concerned at not getting a great deal – and then finding you decide to come back only for the offer to no longer be there? A Consultant takes this away. You get information tailored to what you are seeking, but still with choice, allowing you to be clearer over your decision – Trust you consultant. 

2. You deal with a real concerned person, not a call centre at all times

One of the biggest things I always tell a client is: You only deal with me. If you need something amending come to me, don’t try to navigate a call centre. I do that if I need to!

3. Flexibility is key! 

My strapline for Ginge Tours is Independent Travel Together. I aim to provide you with as much flexibility in your plans as you need within the regulations I am governed by. For instance, you can’t get online to combine two holidays together, or tag extra days on the end. I can. You want something completely independent and bespoke? Then a consultant is absolutely where you need to go otherwise a missed connection due to lack of knowledge over transfer times on your multi-legged trip which you booked yourself can scupper your entire holiday.

4. There for the emergencies (and not so big emergencies)

Hurricane approaching and your flight cancelled? Yes, it does happen and if the airline doesn’t sort you out (it should) then google can be a very expensive way of sorting it compared to a quick call to your travel consultant (yes this happened). Booking/hotel.com only finding you mega expensive hotels in your last-minute destination? Amazing the trade access your travel consultant can offer. 

5. Computer says No – Consultant says Yes

On occasion our plans change. That unexpected wedding invitation or a sudden injury preventing travel. Yes, you should always have travel insurance and take it out at the time of booking (if not before) but on occasion we don’t. What happens when you’ve booked the “non-cancel/non-refund” room to get the best rate? I managed to get a full refund of hotel and flights for a couple who had to cancel a New Year’s Eve break to New York city, all of which was non-cancel on the computer. Personal trade conversations changed the outcome. Try doing that on a website and by email! 

6. Personal Consultant can beat High Street Chain agencies

If you regularly book via an agent you tend to become very loyal. You TRUST that agent, trust is the lifeblood of the travel consultancy approach. It is all about personal service, going that extra step to ensure your client has the best possible trip and ensuring they get great value for money. This can lead to you automatically going back to the same High Street agent (or even their online version in some cases). How can I as a single home worker compete with them? Because I have access to the same suppliers as they do, and my overheads are lower = competitive prices. 

7. Consumer protection

We all hope nothing goes wrong with our travel, but unfortunately on occasion it does, and it isn’t always natural events which disrupt it. On occasion companies can fail and if you are booked direct (or independent from an agent) you have very little/no way of rescuing your travel plans. Yes, you might argue on a weekend break to Paris using a budget airline and booking a hotel direct what can go wrong? But for a longer break or more exclusive travel plans using an agent, so you get consumer rights built in and suppliers with Air Travel Organisers Licences (ATOL) means the unexpected is catered or compensated for. Think COVID or FlyBe to understand the advantages of booking through a consultant or agent. 

8. A Consultant SAVES YOU MONEY

The great myth that an agent/consultant is always more expensive. If the 7 points above are not sufficient to get you to book with a consultant then hopefully the savings available in your wallet will be! Agents have access to exclusive trade rates, offers not open to the public and suppliers that only sell to the trade (business to business). When you book online direct you get a price. That’s it. No variation or opportunity to seek a discount. By using an agent there is flexibility and often by combining elements in different ways a better price can be achieved. Yes, it might be hard to beat a single night hotel booking from one of the big online booking companies, but I have found for most package holidays I can at least price match and often beat the online public website prices. If you ask me for a more luxury bespoke holiday, then I definitely can (£3575 saving on a quoted direct bookable holiday to Dubai & Abu Dhabi for two weeks is the one I am most proud of!)

So, this blog has become much longer than I expected or wanted it to, but I thought I needed to outline in depth what I feel are important factors in deciding how to plan your next travel adventure. With Ginge Tours being members of Protected Trust Services, you have all the same cover you would booking with a High Street or online Travel Agency. You can trust agents. Hopefully as an ex-cop you know you can trust me! 

Get in touch before you commit to your next adventure.

All the best until next time

Geoff