Trval Agents

1. How do you find a good travel agent?

2. Get advice from friends and relatives who use an agent they trust. Remember that travel choices are personal decisions and they show different desires and life styles of different customers. So befoer traveling, you must visit or call several agencies to find the best one for you. Consider everything about the agency. Are the agents polite? Are they willing to listen and answer your questions? The best agent wants to establish a long term relationship with a customer, not just to make one sale. He is ready to help you travel at the lowest possible cost. He also does the legwork for you making all the necessary airline and hotel reservations finding out visa requirements or weather conditions, and so forth. He is largely a salesperson, so he must be familiar with his products and services. Once you have settled on your travel plans, he must make all the arrangements using various sources. He must also explain such details as customs regulations and money exchange to you and offer his advice on sightseeing. Moreover, he must always confirm every reservation for you.

3. What special services do travel agencies offer?

4. As the industry grows more competitive, travel agencies have to try their best to improve their service quality. Now agents can arrange all types of domestic and international travel. They have to do a good job in arranging hotel accommodations, air and ground transportations, renting cars for customers, and sightseeing. They can provide help with insurance protection, passport and visa application, and other business in international travel. Many have free phone numbers and offer meeting planning.

5. Some agents keep individual files about the customer's travel. What flights does the customer often take? Which seats does he like best? These are very useful information when they are trying to help a customer make a trip.

6. Arrangements can also be made to suit customers with different objectives, personal interests and the amount of money they are going to spend. Although most provide a wide range of services, some agencies may specialize in areas such as family travel, group travel, adventure travel, or travel for the disabled.