Travel agents: Please, show not tell

This is advice often given to aspiring writers. It strikes me as equally valid advice to almost any job, but particularly the role of agents and brokers, where there is an option for their clients to buy the same products and services directly rather than use them. On a number of occasions I have been told “you HAVE to use an agent” or “people who don’t use agents are asking for trouble”. Travel agents and real estate agents have been two of the worst culprits in my experience.

I would say from the outset that many agents do a great job (travel agents at least; we’ll leave the estate agents out of this post). I have worked with companies who send their agents off for a month to become deeply acquainted with a country or region, and with the properties, activities and transport options that they will then offer to their customers. Many specialist travel agents are experts in their area of travel, and can be relied upon for honest, valuable advice. More importantly, they are passionate about the destination they are selling, or about travel in general, and consider their role as more than “just a job”.

Here’s my challenge to those who say “using an agent/ consultant is a must”. I rarely use agents, and there are plenty like me for whom contacting a travel agent will not normally be a consideration when planning a trip. I have thought about why I usually choose not to rely on others to book my travels, and I guess my best explanation is around risk, and how much of it I am happy to take. When I go somewhere, some of the best experience come from the unexpected moments: the broken-down van or the missed bus connection that meant we ended up staying somewhere else or meeting someone in an encounter that became a highlight.

The lack of a safety net that a travel agent sells is one of the things I love about being on the road. I appreciate that many people travel and do not feel comfortable taking on unnecessary risk. In that case, using the services of a good travel adviser is sensible. (How do you find out who is a good and a bad agent before you book? That’s another discussion) Those who feel most comfortable with the associated risks of independent travel are less likely to hire a third party to make their arrangements; it seems fairly obvious.

And then there is cost and convenience. Booking flights, hotels etc are not a hassle, and with so many suppliers and local agencies now promoting direct sales I have never paid a price for a trip that I honestly believe an agent could match, like for like. I am happy to negotiate with hotels, local guides and drivers, both in advance and on the spot. It is a big part of the fun of planning a trip. Others may be less so, and in those cases I can again see why an agent would be a sensible option.

My point is that it is not enough to tell people that you are an expert and that your services are indispensible. It is not like medicine or dentistry where the alternative to using a professional is utterly dangerous. The alternative here is frequently practised safely and happily by many, and I am certain that I would trust many people I have met to advise me on a particular destination than I would certain agents I have encountered. To connect with customers agents cannot assume an attitude of “you HAVE to use us, we’re the experts and things are bound to go wrong if you don’t”. If an agent is an expert in their field, they will show it through the knowledge they have and the specific benefits that they will bring to the individual traveller, once they have taken the time to listen and understand how their customer likes to travel and what they like to do when they travel. Then the agents’ proposition will have value and can be measured against a self-booking. Being told that the customer is foolish to make their own arrangements (yes, it has happened to me) and that using an agent is the only option is only going to get people irritated and end any prospect of them buying those services.

Ultimately, there are some people who will always prefer the excitement of planning a trip from start to finish and then getting out of the difficulties when they arise. Having been in a number of those situations now, I back myself to find a way out with more confidence than I would someone else to help us. That may be a foolish attitude to some, but that’s me and I guess I am not alone in this mentality. But I do refer friends and family to the excellent travel professionals I have met, and I always base those referrals on my perception of the knowledge and professionals those agents have about a specific destination, rather than on claims of expertise.