Get The Right Resort For You

Oops guess the girls missed the part about "senior" singles all inclusive resort. Looks like they focused on the "bright shiny thing" aka the price and didn't catch who the resort actually caters too. So now that vacation they have been eagerly anticipating is not what they wanted. So they either sulk for the entire time or make the best of it. Has this happened to you? Went to a resort and found that it was either too loud, too quiet or too many or not enough kids?

Don't want to be a subject of a cartoon after your next vacation? Call your travel consultant! They want you to have a great vacation, whether you are looking for a resort to let your hair down and party hardy or taking the kids and your mom for a holiday trip so she can spend time with her family instead of being stuck in the kitchen for days. A travel consultant asks the right questions and then goes to work finding the resort that is right for YOU and your vacation objectives. They do this everyday and have their fingers on the pulse of the travel industry.

Besides looking for a family or adult only resort and what your budget is, a travel consultant will ask how long are thinking about going for? Are you a beach person, who wants a long stretch of sand or are you looking for a cove where the water is calmer for your younger kids? And speaking of kids, how old are they? A travel professional wants to know your party's likes/dislikes and what you would like to do on vacation. Are you happy sitting by the pool or does that drive you crazy? By getting to know you, the can narrow down the selection to 2-3 resorts to present to you and help you pick the right one for you and your budget.

How long would it take you to do this yourself? Travel Professionals save you time and make vacation planning stress free for you by providing all the components you need for a great trip.

Also they have your back if something goes wrong, they will be your advocate and spend that time on hold to get something taken care of for you. Most of us get calls from people who have booked themselves via online or the stores that specialize in bulk toilet paper and ask for help. Since we are not the agent of record we can't. This is especially painful for customers who "used" us for research and went and booked themselves. Nothing we can do other than tell you to call that 800 number and hope someone can assist you.

By developing a relationship with a travel professional, you'll find someone who will find the best trip at the best price for you. Plus as an added bonus you get someone who will always be excited to talk about your trip with you.

How to Avoid Vacation Disasters



"This resort looked great on the Internet"

Why do you need to use a Travel Agent

It's a really good and valid question, and to be honest, sometimes the answer might actually be that you don't need one! But we'll come back to that.

Most travel agents now prefer the title travel consultant or similar. Why? It has a lot to do with the advantages they offer today.  Still, with all the websites, deal finders, mobile travel apps, and online services, a lot of people ask: why use a travel consultant?

It's not hard to do it yourself. It might even be fun! Or, it could turn into a huge disaster. Below are a few points to consider before clicking the BUY button or trapping yourself into a nonrefundable corner.

1. Experience Think about what you do for a living. For nearly every profession, you can find a website, video, or app that gives potential customers a way to do it themselves. With a little help from the Internet you can fix your car, build cabinets, replace plumbing, write wills, draft contracts, cut hair, make clothes, buy shoes, do accounting, buy stock, cook, bake and let's not forget edit videos and touch-up photos.

Finding instructions or tools is not the problem. Doing it RIGHT is the issue. If you put the wrong screw in the wall, it's no big deal. If you put your family in the wrong resort, it's a much bigger deal. It becomes even bigger if something goes wrong.

Most people deal with planning a vacation once or twice a year. Travel consultants deal with it all day, every day. Their livelihood fully depends on using their knowledge and experience to craft a vacation you'll love so much that you'll keep coming back for more.

Websites and apps with advertising-driven, biased offerings are counting on your own lack of experience to push you to options that will earn them the most profit. Your satisfaction is not part of the display algorithm.

2. Real Deals Have you ever wondered why some cruises, resorts or hotels seem to have cheaper deals on some websites? There's always a reason. Sometimes, it's a good reason. Sometimes, it's a very bad reason that you won't know about until you arrive and it's too late. There's always a reason, and a great price is not always a good deal.

For example, every hotel has "undesirable" rooms they have trouble filling. Smaller rooms in noisy areas, rooms that haven't been renovated lately, or those that overlook the dumpsters are always cheaper than nice ones in quiet areas with good views.

Websites are perfect for liquidating those rooms at bargain rates. Unfortunately, these so-called deals rarely mention things like smelly carpet or noise. It's also no coincidence that many require full payment upon booking and are nonrefundable.

Even the most beautiful cruise ship has cabins they have trouble selling. The ones directly under the dance floor of the disco or the ones near the anchor chain that bangs against the side of the ship are just two examples. There are plenty of hard-to-sell cabins that are perfect for online deals.

To be fair, sometimes you can get lucky online! Sometimes the deals are real and worth the risk. Sometimes.

Travel consultants know the legitimate deals from the come-ons. They've been trained to uncover the reason behind the bargain. They understand travel lingo, know what to look for and most importantly:
They know what to avoid.

3. Transparency With websites and apps, you may not know what you'll actually be paying! Many hotels add nightly "resort fees" on top of the discounted rate apps and websites display. Of course, you won't know about them until you check out. Even rental cars can end up costing double the online rate once extra charges like airport fee, taxes, surcharges and such have been added. Then let's not forget all the extras that are not included in your cruise fare. Travel consultants know these little details. They make sure you are never unpleasantly surprised. You'll always know exactly what you'll be paying and what you'll get for it.

4. Advice and Connections Travel consultants offer something you'll never find online or in an app: professional advice. Online, every resort or cruise is made to look beautiful and appealing. But, it's no bargain if you end up regretting the trip. The main reason to use a travel consultant is to make sure you never waste a penny on a vacation you won't truly enjoy.

There's one more thing you'll only get from a travel consultant: relationships. They have real one-to-one personal relationships with travel suppliers that can fix things should something happen to go wrong.

If a travel app messes up your reservations, you're on your own. But with a travel consultant-you'll have an advocate on your side with connections. In other words: a human who cares. To the machines, you're nothing but their data.

When You Don't Need a Travel Consultant

It's true. Sometimes you might not need a travel consultant. If you're willing to take some risks, and not be concerned if something goes wrong, you might get lucky with the apps and websites. Many people do. Travel consultants just prefer not to gamble

Thanks to Nolan Burris, Chief Visoneer at Future Proof Travel Solutions