Using a travel agent

[MicCanberra]

Sometimes it is not even a look or the tone of the voice, I just get a feeling/vibe that I am in trouble.

[Galesa]

I've been travelling widely overseas since 2008. I always do ALL the bookings myself including flights hotels car rentals internal train/bus travel, tours, theatre tickets- the lot. 

 

I did try a TA for a particularly complex Africa trip in 2016 which for health reasons we had to cancel.

 

Aside from my suspicion that items like hotels eg were much more expensive than I thought they should be, when we cancelled I was shocked to learn that much of the trip was not refundable. We had to claim most of the trip on insurance.

 

I do have a reasonable grasp of geography (unlike some staff of some high street TAs in my experienc) and reasonable internet research skills (I'm 71), obviously skills that are essential for doing it yourself. I almost always book direct but sometimes use OTAs for hotels. I just find the dyi way gives you greater control over cost and conditions of purchase as well as dealing with any changes required. No third party dependence is also important.

 

I understand that the cruise community is one where TAs are widely used but so far I've only ever booked direct despite a lot of discussion about extra inclusions that TAs manage to get.

 

All that said, doing a river cruise in 2025 and thinking about seeking out a good TA for that and perhaps testing whether they really can get better deals, given the significant cost of such a cruise.

[lyndarra]

32 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Sometimes it is not even a look or the tone of the voice, I just get a feeling/vibe that I am in trouble.

Imagine being married to a school teacher (I was). They're experts.

Edited November 6, 2023 by lyndarra

[Ozwoody]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

Sometimes it is not even a look or the tone of the voice, I just get a feeling/vibe that I am in trouble.

I'm terrified of the word "nothing", when you get one of those feelings.

You know... What's wrong??     Nothing!    😱

[MicCanberra]

You must be very brave if Nothing  scares you 

[Jean C]

I totally agree with @Galesa and would much rather do my own bookings.

 

On the spur of the moment we booked a cruise NZ to LA, flight to Las Vegas (had never been there), then return flight to NZ. Covid came along and trip was up in the air.

 

Agent (I'm guessing, your shopping mall chain) cheerfully said would you like me to cancel your flights and claim back the taxes? I said no, leave it for the time being. The taxes were a negligible part of the airfares! They also wanted to charge a fee per person when the cruise was cancelled. In the end, the particular chain got so much negative feedback that they were refunding people's bookings in full and not taking a cut.

 

As regards the airfares, Air NZ cheerfully said that as our non-refundable flights to USA were booked in NZ, even though Air NZ cancelled the flights we were to be on, the US law saying that refunds must be given in that situation, didn't apply. I got on to the US transportation authority, they "educated" Air NZ and we received a full refund. All without any effort from our TA.

 

Having said that, my neighbours recently went on a complex itinerary European holiday, encountered a flight delay and missed a connection. They contacted their agent in NZ, who had already spotted the hiccup and had rebooked connections and adjusted hotels for them 🙂

[arxcards]

Anyone who books with an agency that has a range of fees deserves that agent. You are the boss, and should know upfront.

 

When covid hit, we expected to lose some money, as many of those cancellations were out of everyone's control. Our agent refunded 100%. The only question we were asked was if we wanted to hold a credit or get a full refund.

 

We like to do our homework and put together our itinerary, but also give our T/A a crack at putting something together. A good agent is an expert at this stuff, and ours usually finds something extra to enhance our schedule.

 

For an online cruise or flight booking, it takes little skill so either or. We usually get a bit of token OBC via our agent.

 

With the right agent, the plus for us is hearing the same voice on the phone each time, and trusting what he has to say.

[ceeceeDee]

On 11/7/2023 at 7:05 AM, lyndarra said:

Imagine being married to a school teacher (I was). They're experts.

So are actors. Even the family dog knows 'the look' even when I'm not directing it at her.😂

[SinbadThePorter]

The trick to using a TA is to find a good one.

 

Unfortunately that is a very big trick.

[Gwendy]

1 hour ago, SinbadThePorter said:

The trick to using a TA is to find a good one.

 

Unfortunately that is a very big trick.

I’m beginning to think good ones are like hen’s teeth.  Once I used a TA who tried to book me into a hotel 20 kms from city centre, ‘oh I’m sure you will be able to get a bus’.  Booked my own hotel right in city centre and for much less.  That’s why I do most of my bookings myself.  If it turns out bad  I know who to blame. Lol

[Ozwoody]

This is OT, but

 

I have always said if the mobile net ever went down, everyone under 30 would go into a zombie state.

Well today proved it, never seen so many people looking bewildered and lost.😁

[MMDown Under]

6 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

This is OT, but

 

I have always said if the mobile net ever went down, everyone under 30 would go into a zombie state.

Well today proved it, never seen so many people looking bewildered and lost.😁

Why I always take two different credit cards plus local cash with me everywhere.  

[arxcards]

17 hours ago, Gwendy said:

I’m beginning to think good ones are like hen’s teeth.  Once I used a TA who tried to book me into a hotel 20 kms from city centre, ‘oh I’m sure you will be able to get a bus’.  Booked my own hotel right in city centre and for much less.  That’s why I do most of my bookings myself.  If it turns out bad  I know who to blame. Lol

If I choose a bad T/A, as I have done in the past, I also knew who to blame.

 

19 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

The trick to using a TA is to find a good one.

 

Unfortunately that is a very big trick.

It has gotten harder. A lot of the bigger agencies have switched away from allocating you an agent to contact, which is understandable with the experienced agents lost to the industry during the big reset.

-------------

So how do you find the best? A couple of thoughts

- Phone a friend. By that i mean someone you know and trust, not an online stranger.

- The best clickbait specials usually have conditions, and have no assurance the agent/agency is as good as the price

- The cruise industry has associations that hold awards every year. While not all good agents/agencies bother with being nominated, those that are usually tick all the right boxes. This is a general opinion. I am not looking for an agent and don't have a clue on who the more recent nominees are.

[MicCanberra]

We have had good people within an agency in the past but circumstances change and sometimes so does the agent (they leave), the service deteriorates, so we go elsewhere as well. Most of all, you don't how a TA will really be until the ship hits the fan.

[Jean C]

2 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Most of all, you don't how a TA will really be until the ship hits the fan.

Well said 🙂