Travel agents are there to help you make your dream vacation come true. They’ll book all of the necessary reservations, offer advice about where in particular would be best for sightseeing or if it’s worth spending time exploring one country over another when they have multiple destinations available at their disposal – just ask them!
What Is the Purpose of a Travel Agent?
Travel agents are the backbone of any travel agency. They work directly with clients and help them plan their trips, finding everything from accommodations to transportation options that will meet all needs. Travel Agencies would not be able operate without these dedicated professionals who spend hours upon days researching different destinations for customers’ convenience. This is why it’s important you take care when selecting one so as not to end up disappointed later down the road. If you are looking for a Cedar Rapids travel agent, you are in the right spot.
Is It Worth It to Use a Travel Agent?
One of the best ways to save money on your next vacation is by using a travel agent. If you’re looking for something fancy or expensive, then booking through an actual person will probably be more affordable than doing it all yourself and saving minutes at each step in some online system with added fees that can add up fast! It might seem daunting but if there are five people going together. Travel agents have access to prices that aren’t always available to the public.
A Day in the Life of a Travel Agent
Let’s take today for example, it’s currently Sunday May 22, 2022.
- Email:
- I opened up my email. I love opening email on Sunday, there usually aren’t any deals coming out on Sundays. In my normal daily deluge of email, it is a welcome relief to not have a bunch.
- First up, answer a hotel sales manager about my upcoming trip to Cancun, Mexico. I got an answer about seeing a few RIU all-inclusive properties in Playa del Carmen.
- Next, check the specials that I may have missed during the week and post on the website the ones I think are good. This can take a while, as I average about 300 emails a day for promotions for hotels, airlines, trains, cruises etc.
- I do really want to see the new Breathless resort in Cancun as well, so I found the sales manager for that hotel and emailed about a tour. In the travel industry world this is known as a ‘site inspection’.
- Bookings:
- Changed my stay in Cancun around because the hotel visits changed.
- Checked my 2 favorite websites for Foodie travel and for weird touristy stuff to do. (I also use these websites when planning a trip for someone.) This time I will make sure to hit the cave restaurant!
- Client Interactions:
- I texted a client about their potential dates for a trip they want at the end of summer.
- When digging through my promo emails, I saw a cruise deal that includes drinks. And sent a message to the client who was requesting that.
- I ran across new Co-vid regulations for Royal Caribbean cruises, and checked the itineraries of my booked clients to see if I needed to send them any new information.
- Travel agent training, meetings & webinars:
- I did a travel agent training on the Mexican Caribbean, so now I’m a Mexican Caribbean travel specialist. As I have been there many times, I wanted to see if there was any new info that I had missed.
- Thankfully on Sundays, I have no meetings or webinars, but this takes up about 15 hours of my work week. Last Thursday I was in different live webinars from 7am until 3pm back to back. This is when I learn about the latest hotels, the latest co-vid regulations and everything in-between.
So, that’s a pretty basic day for me as a Cedar Rapids travel agent. And of course I wrote this blog. Now it’s dark and I still have Cancun swirling around in my head trying to figure out what hotels I really want to see this time.
Make sure you follow along on my social media while I’m in Mexico June 8-17. If you missed my last Mexico trip to Oaxaca for Day of the Dead in November 2021, you should see my face painting pics!
For a list of all the places I have personally been, check out my profile on Travel Leaders Network.
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