Travel Agents and Agencies

Have you ever booked tickets through the travel agency?

What else can a travel agency do for you?

What qualities do you think a travel agent should have?

1. Fares and schedules are always changing. Travel information can be seen everywhere on the Internet. And there are so many vacation packages waiting for you to choose. All this can make travel planning confusing and time consuming. To make a choice, tourists and business people often turn to travel agents, who provide them with the best possible travel arrangements.

2. In general, travel agents give advice on places you should go to, and make arrangements for transportation, hotel accommodations, car rental, sightseeing, and entertainment. They may also tell you about weather conditions, restaurants, and tourist attraction. For international travel, agents also make sure that you have the necessary papers such as passports and visas, and tell you how to go through the customs. They sometimes provide information on money exchange rates.

3. Travel agents will search all kinds of sources for information on departure and arrival times, fares, hotel ratings and accommodations. They may visit hotels and restaurants to know more. In this way they will be able to provide their customers with more valuable advice on travel.

4. Travel agents also promote their services, using phones, direct mail and the Internet. They arrange advertising displays for some social groups, and suggest company trips to business managers. Travel agents no longer receive commission from domestic airlines, and they face more and more competition from the Internet for low cost fares. In order to find a small business in the market, many travel agents now specialize in travel to certain regions or for certain groups of people, such as honeymooners, grandparents, etc.