Top Questions That I Am Asked About Booking with a Travel Agent
Erica Kocher2.29.20This blog is a continuation of my previous blog titled Top Questions That I Am Asked About Walt Disney World Vacations. Between meeting new people at events, people I meet during travel, and with friends that are booking their own vacations and then realizing how overwhelming it can be, I must confess, I have had a lot of inspiration to write about most of the questions that I get asked. .I am often asked questions, such as:
- Why would I pay a travel agent when I can book it on my own?
- Can you price match vacation prices?
Why would I pay a travel agent when I can book it on my own?This biggest perk of booking with a Wishes Family Travel concierge agent is that our services are completely free of charge. That’s right, you don’t pay any more for your trip if you booked through me or on your own. The commission we earn is paid directly from vacation supplier. What you are missing out on, if you book on your own, is all the services we have to offer you. For no additional charge, why not have all the benefits that your vacation supplier has to offer PLUS all the services we offer.I have had repeat clients who enjoy the planning portion of their trip. With some of my repeat families, I still get up early in the morning to make their dining reservations and FastPass+ reservations, so that they can sleep in. Other repeat families even make their own reservations. For those families, they have me as an advocate for them. If a discount is offered after they book their vacation, I am the person who calls in to get the promotion applied. I save them precious time and sometime frustration because the hold time to get through is often hours when a promotion is released.If you are someone who believes strongly in supporting small businesses, you are also helping support my business by booking your trip though me. If you book directly with Disney, the planning fees are already included in your price, but Disney gets to keep that money. Honestly, you can get all my services and pay no more than if you booked directly through Disney on your own! It’s a win-win for both of us.
Can you price match vacation prices?With some destinations, we can match prices, if it is a special that is offered directly from that supplier. If it is a third-party company (such as online travel services or big wholesale suppliers), we cannot match their prices. When you book from a third-party company, you may be saving a little money, but what you are not getting is any planning services and the experience that a Wishes Family Travel Concierge Agent has to offer you. That experience that we have is invaluable. We love hearing your travel stories and seeing your pictures taken during your trip. When booking with us, you have a friend on your side to help you along the way.In my travel research, I have read testimonies of other travelers who have booked from third-party companies only to learn that they did not have a reservation at their destination or that the company that they were traveling to offered a lower price than the resort that they were staying at offered and they were asked to pay a higher price. Before becoming a travel agent, I had personally had something like this happen to me on a vacation to another country. We had rented a car through a third-party company. I had printed out all the papers that the company had sent to me but when I arrived at the service counter the company did not have my reservation and didn’t offer the prices as low as I had paid. Here I was standing with my two small children, all our luggage, and no way set up to get to the resort. It was frustrating! At least when you book with me, you know that I am working directly with the suppliers to provide you with accurate pricing.
Are you thinking about a visit to Walt Disney World? I am an agent with Wishes Family Travel, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner agency. As your agent, I’ll help you with everything from finding your perfect package to grabbing those hard-to-get dining and FastPass reservations. I work with all Disney Destinations around the globe. Best of all, my services are complimentary for clients. You can contact me at 1-618-514-5536, or email at erica@wishesfamilytravel.com or through my Wishes Family Travel – Erica Kocher Facebook group.