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There are some good agencies that don't meet the second criterion, and many good counselors that don't meet the third. All things being equal, your chances of satisfaction are greater if those criteria are met. (Institute of Certified Travel Agents Search Page.)
Be certain you tell your counselor what you really want and the things that are really important to you. (They're not mind readers.) The airfare and airline choice for someone who wants absolute certainty and flexibility to change plans at any time are quite different than if you can lock yourself into a schedule well in advance and are flexible enough to withstand a possible delay or (rare but occasional) inconvenience. Ask your counselor to make recommendations that fit your plans and needs. Don't buy the ticket right away. Take the information home and make some calls yourself, as well as using the Internet. You want to do some double-checking on what the agent has come up with. You'll can obtain airline telephone numbers from 'Information' at 1-800-555-1212. You'll find consolidator information on the 'net if you've not already gotten it from your counselor.
And, by the way, when you do compare fares, make sure your comparison includes all charges and that you're aware of any restrictions. A travel counselor will most likely include all taxes, surcharges and the like, and won't select non-refundable fares if you showed an aversion to such tickets in the initial interview. If you deal with the airline directly, make they include all fees and conditions when they quote a fare. If you have the opportunity, give the counselor a smaller trip to plan at first rather than commiting your 'once in a lifetime' European holiday to a stranger. Tours
CompensationAirlines have significantly reduced commissions. Like most other professional services you'll often be expected to pay a fee for an agent's assistance. Often a flat fee of $20/ticket, for example. For more extended arrangements the charge could be $50-75 per hour, or even more depending on the counselor's experience and trip complexity. We applaud this change. First, it puts you in the driver's seat; more than ever you should have no reluctance to have high expectations about the counselor's work. Second, when you're paying the fee you'll have little reason to question whether the counselor's recommendations are for your benefit ... or his or hers. As the agency industry goes through transition from commission- to fee-based compensation you'll find both counselors who offer fee-based services and those who (largely) depend on commissions. All other things being equal, your better choice is likely to be the counselor who works for a fee. You'll find more information about this growing trend in the travel industry below. Hotels and Destination Information
If your agent doesn't have considerable experience in the destinations to which you're going use other sources, whether friends, the Internet or tour books. Be sure the hotels are selected because they're right for you, not just because they pay the most commission. You owe it to your travel agent, morally and financially, to let them make the hotel booking for you if their selection is appropriate for you and they will receive a commission for the booking. Conversely, in most cases, don't expect them to make hotel bookings for you free if they won't receive a commission. If you'd prefer not to make a reservation yourself (it's easy, particularly by fax, in most cases almost anywhere in the world) be prepared to at least pay for the phone or telex and other charges they incur, plus, increasingly, a fee for services. Although when you're paying a fee for overall trip planning you may find the counselor includes routine bookings in the fee, even if no commission is involved.
Travel Agent vs. Travel Consultant
Almost anyone with some amount of training can write an airline ticket. It's not as easy as it looks, but it's not rocket science.
The industry has recognized the need for this level of professional for years and operates an independent organization, ICTA. They administer education programs and professional level training, and conduct certification tests. As noted earlier in the article your best choice for a travel counselor is usually someone with the professional accreditation of Certified Travel Consultant.
All about Travel Consultants on Page 2 Complete
Index of Ed and Julie's Our Favorites Trip Tips and Tools Copyright © 1997-2001 E.J.
Gehrlein Traveling |
our best friend in planning a trip
can be your travel counselor, whether they call themselves travel agents or travel
consultants. But 
he largest single vacation purchase
you'll make will be the airline ticket if you're traveling independently. This is one of
the most complex, if not downright befuddling, comsumer purchase decisions in the world.
aving selected a counselor or several
to consider, spend some time with them on the phone or in person and probe their
experience, knowledge, and interest in helping you with your trip.Ask lots of questions about the destinations you're considering. A
good counselor is well informed and asks detailed questions about your preferences
and interests. Find out if he/she has been to the spots you're thinking of.
ompare what you can find against what
the counselor has recommended. If their suggestions are better than most or all, you've
probably found someone to work with. If not, report your findings to the counselor and see
what they have to say. If their answers make sense, they're probably worth staying with.
If they can't explain why you found better deals that match your needs, move on.
Either find another counselor, or stick with the fares your own efforts located.
bviously a large purchase. Use the
same criteria for counselor selection, and check if they've sent lots of travelers on the
tours they recommend to you. You want to be sure they've gotten lots of feedback, good and
bad, about where they've sent travelers.
f you're going to accept the
counselor's help here, be aware of two things:
ith the fine travel books that are
available and the wealth of information on the Internet it's really easy to do much or
most of your trip planning yourself. And a counselor can't read your mind ... so you must
do at least some of your own planning so you can help you get the most help
from their services. 
ven if you find yourself quite
satisfied with the bulk of your do-it-yourself trip planning, do try to find a qualified
counselor who can help you with at least the complexities of international airfares.
Invest a little time in the selection of that counselor and you'll add immensely to the
satisfaction you derive from your trip.