Are Travel Agents Still a Thing?

Travel agents have had a rough past decade. The emergence of countless different online travel services has allowed people from around the world to book their trips and accommodations online with the click of a mouse. The independence this has created for modern travelers and adventurous spirits has certainly been a welcome addition to the people looking for new and affordable options in their booking arrangements. Unfortunately for the industry that was built upon making travel happen, the need for travel agents in particular has plummeted as a result of these changes. While there is still a clear hole in the business community where travel agents once thrived, the opportunity to remain prevalent in contemporary times is not as bleak as it may seem. By reinventing themselves as professionals and embracing a series of new roles as facilitators for travelers around the world, travel agents may still be able to remain a “thing” even today. Check out some of the new ways that travel agents could not only survive but also potentially thrive below!

Package Dealers

What exactly is a package dealer? For travel agents, this role essentially refers to agents that specialize in crafting all-inclusive deals that cover several different aspects of travel in a single payment. Package deals are often attractive to customers in that it takes the hassle out of making all of the required transactions separately; purchasing flight tickets, car rentals, tour guides, lodging, excursions and many other arrangement. Travelers can instead work with a single service provider without having to worry about any additional fees or encountering avoidable logistical mishaps.

Cruises are one of the more popular instances of package deals, because customers who book directly with the cruise line find that the base price doesn’t account for all of the extra amenities and opt-in activities offered, from day trips during island stopovers to particular dietary requests. The package deal is the ultimate means diverting stress from the vacationer and putting it squarely on the travel agent; plus, given that customers are often excited by the thought of things being "included", they perceive the package as a 'good deal' and often spend more money than they would had they viewed each transactions separately. It's a win-win for customers and travel agents alike.

Industry Insiders

The travel industry is a tight-knit community which requires that establishments in hotels, transportation, and a variety of other industries to coordinate their efforts to ensure their customers experience a pleasant traveling experience every step of the way. For independent travelers booking their own trips, the ability to determine whether not certain “deals” are as good as advertised or if particular brands in the hotel or travel industry have low ratings may seem daunting. Naturally, travel agents are the obvious solution.

A competent travel agent will be acutely familiar with all aspects of the tourism industry and have both experience and a network of contacts to draft the perfect arrangement. By providing the traveler with a dose of advice and security, the travel agent becomes a crucial factor in what might be a costly or unpleasant experience. The industry insider is the logical next step for members of this profession to stay in the know and thus remain in business as the tourism industry adapts and evolves.

Coordinating Masterminds

Have you ever tried to coordinate an entire trip for yourself without experiencing some hitch or hurdle along the way? Imagine doing the same thing with an entire family!

Travel agents are still useful in today’s world because they provide a much needed source of relief for travelers who are too busy with their own lives to constantly monitor and schedule everything they will be doing during their trip. More and more, travel agents have taken to the new role of 'coordinating mastermind', a position that essentially means they will not only book the trip but they will plan it for travelers as well.

The stress of determining when to arrive at a rental car dealership or how to fit in a side-trip to a vineyard is no longer a concern for travelers who consult with their travel agents as they take care of all of these matters in an efficient and well-organized manner.

The value that can be found in such a role is difficult to fully explain but simply put: just as people hire personal assistants to oversee their daily routines and schedules, such an individual will also come to rely on their travel agents to serve as coordinating masterminds when the time comes for the next family adventure or business trip.

Paperwork Processors

Traveling in the modern world can be a wonderful experience for those individuals who have all of their paperwork ready on hand at any given time. For those of us who can be a bit absent-minded at times, it's a good idea to call upon a paperwork processing wizard to attend to these details. The travel agent is more than just a coordinator or a package dealer. This professional can also be relied upon to work with the client in the weeks and days leading up to the trip to determine what paperwork will be needed, how it can be obtained, and what its purpose is.

It's not uncommon for eager passengers to be rejected from flights or their cruise vacations because they didn’t realize they needed something as simple as a birth certificate or forgot to update their expired passports. The travel agent stays on top of your paperwork to give you peace of mind before and sometimes during your trip, giving everyone an opportunity to enjoy seeing the world without the constant anxiety that something could go amiss.

21st Century Travel Agent

In a society increasingly replacing human jobs with technology that can perform tasks more efficiently, it certainly seems bleak for travel agents because they are arguably not totally necessary to a traveler and thus dispensable. But this isn't really the case, because they mitigate a process that is often incredibly distressing for travelers, and it's harder than it might seem to replicate and replace the human element of a travel agent-customer relationship; the agent offers peace of mind that a computer isn't necessarily equipped to achieve, at least not yet.

Billions of people travel every day and in a world where getting to and from can be quite the hassle, the travel agent can serve as a valuable resource for clients looking for guidance, insight and human contact in this complicated process.