In the not-so-distant past, online booking engines didn't issue refunds, so travel agents were the w

Travel agents have taken Woman’s Day magazine to task for printing a scandalous article called “10 Things Travel Agents Won’t Tell You.” The article claims agents won’t tell you tips such as “Book and fly on Tuesdays” or “Be flexible with travel broken music tour sting dates and airports.”
Travel agent Beth Edwards responded broken music tour sting to the article, “I am sending your article to all of my friends and family and encouraging them to CANCEL subscriptions to your magazine. I am a small business owner who owns my own Travel Agency. I do this full-time, and I suspect that my "major" commissions are considerably less than what the author of this article makes.”
Sherrie Shepherd Funk, President at Just Cruisin' Plus, responded, “This is the biggest bunch of crap I've ever read! Woman's Day is now off my list FOREVER!” Travel agent Elaine Bylos responded, “What Travel Agents REALLY won't tell you is how hard they work and how little commission they get paid. This article is unbelievably irresponsible and misleading.”
The article suggests travel agents get luxury rewards for selling travel, including major commissions and outrageously expensive gifts, like receiving a fur coat for selling an Alaskan cruise. The article asserts “there’s not much advantage to booking a package with a travel agent over booking online.”
The article indicts the entire travel agent community as liars by stating “Agents untruthfully broken music tour sting telling clients that they’ve sailed on a particular cruise ship because it’s more expensive or stayed at a certain pricier resort is common.” Agents are particularly upset about this generalization, and are calling the statement libelous.
A travel agent can be a great resource. But some may pressure you into booking less-than-stellar vacations broken music tour sting or get you to spend more than necessary to up their take-home pay. We got the inside scoop on travel agents’ secrets and found ways to help you save on vacations, book more easily and enrich your trip experience. Read on so you can go into a travel agency with eyes wide open.
…and maybe even a bonus for booking your travel. This means they’re trying to influence your vacation decisions based on perks on offer at that particular time. “If the agent seems to be pushing a particular cruise line, resort or destination, there’s usually a reason: a higher commission, a contest for a cash bonus or even a prize if she sells that product,” says Donna Cambridge, co-owner of Chesterfield Cruise Travel in Springfield, MO. “I once won a fur coat by selling an Alaskan cruise!” Wendy Stone, a home-based travel agent in Kansas City, KS, adds, “Airlines no longer broken music tour sting pay commission, so most travel agencies add a booking fee to the traveler’s total cost for air-only reservations. That’s how they make money and compensate for their time.”
Have your heart set on a particular airline to earn frequent-flier miles or take advantage broken music tour sting of their great amenities? Your travel agent may not be able to book seats on certain carriers without booking a whole vacation package, says Stone. broken music tour sting Travel agents are required to have an International Air Transport Association (IATA) or Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) number to book airlines through their booking source, which gives them direct access to the airline's inventory. However, not all airlines (such as Southwest and a few other smaller, regional carriers) are on these booking engines. For an agent to book, say, a Southwest ticket and get paid for it, they go through a third party that allows them only to book vacation packages, likely with a hotel. And there’s not much advantage to booking a package broken music tour sting with a travel agent over booking online.
Some pros may fib about their travels to close a sale. “Agents broken music tour sting untruthfully telling broken music tour sting clients that they’ve broken music tour sting sailed on a particular cruise ship because it’s more expensive or stayed at a certain pricier resort is common,” says Cambridge. Stone explains that reputable agencies encourage their employees to take “familiarization (FAM) trips” which allow the agent to learn about a destination broken music tour sting at a deeply broken music tour sting discounted rate. She suggests asking about recent FAM trips your agent’s taken to learn which destinations and accommodations she truly knows well.
Being open about when you fly and where you fly into can slash your trip costs. But your savings mean less commission for some travel agents, so they may not suggest being flexible. Jaime Freedman, Group Publisher broken music tour sting at Travelzoo.com, suggests “being your own travel agent.” Visit sites like Fly.com broken music tour sting and Kayak.com, plug in dates you’re willing to travel broken music tour sting and airports you’re willing broken music tour sting to depart from and arrive in and you just may spend less than you thought you would on your vacation.
Travel agents push insurance because it increases the price of the vacation package—and thus, their commission. Yet, if you have health insurance, broken music tour sting you’re most likely covered for overseas travel. And many credit card companies cover the costs of lost baggage, canceled trips, emergency assistance and accidental death or dismemberment. It pays (literally) to check with your health-insurance and credit card companies before you buy travel insurance.
It’s easy to book yourself a quick flight from New York City to Dallas, but going through an agent for a special vacation can make or break your trip. That’s because good agents broken music tour sting have networks of reliable vendors in certain destinations, getting their clients VIP treatment and ensuring everything runs like clockwork. Jeff Wasson, owner of travel site Gusto.com, used a travel agent who specialized in his honeymoon destinations broken music tour sting of Italy and Greece. broken music tour sting “I could’ve winged it and taken a subway or bus from the airport, broken music tour sting but my travel agent arranged to have a town car whisk me away, cool drink in hand. Plus, the driver showed me the back streets broken music tour sting where he grew up,” says Wasson. “Yes, it cost more, but my experience was considerably better.” And that may be worth it for a special-occasion broken music tour sting vacation.
In the not-so-distant past, online booking engines didn’t issue refunds, so travel agents were the way to go if you were concerned broken music tour sting you’d have to cancel your trip. Now, online travel sites offer money back even if airfare drops through benefits like Orbitz.com’s Price Assurance program. And, since January 2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation mandates that airlines refund your money if you book online at least one week prior to departure and cancel within 24 hours of booking. “Most people aren’t broken music tour sting aware of that, so if you see something you love, book it, because you can now cancel. It’s how everyone at Travelzoo does it,” says Freedman. Travel agents won’t mention this because they want you to book through them instead of online.
You can often find a better price on a room than a travel agent can by calling broken music tour sting a hotel directly or visiting their website. Many hotel sites have drop-down menus featuring AAA and AARP rates and special rates for in-state residents (especially in Florida), so shop around, suggests Freedman. She also recommends taking advantage of local deals in the city you’re traveling to—not just for hotel stays but also for dining out and entertainment. Check sites like Groupon and LivingSocial broken music tour sting to find them.
Oh, that commission: It’s why travel agents won’t tell you that it’s usually cheaper to reserve seats on planes on Tuesdays and fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. broken music tour sting They may also neglect to mention that there are cheaper times during the day to fly. “6 a.m. flights are less expensive,” points out Freedman. “Although less desirable, there’s less of a chance they’ll be delayed.” She also advises signing up for travel e-mail alerts that share late-breaking deals, which in most cases, come out on Tuesdays. How low do these fares go? A few recent Tuesday airfares sent to Travelzoo Newsflash readers: $239 for roundtrip nonstop flights with taxes between Los Angeles, CA, and Lima, Peru, and $190 for the same between New York City and Puerto Rico.
A travel agent won’t tell you that they make the bulk of their money on packages, so if you’re booking hotels, airfare or rental cars with rewards points, they’re losing broken music tour sting big dollars. Still, Wasson recommends broken music tour sting doing your homework before committing to a card—and then using it appropriately. “A lot of people sign up for every reward program under the sun, and 80% never get anything.” He suggests ordering one card and putting everything on it to reap the benefits. A good idea: Find a card (like AmericanAdvantage) that has an airport hub near you and choose a miles card accordingly.
Survey: Travelers Willing to Pay More to Improve broken music tour sting Flying Experience These top 5 US cities broken music tour sting for nightlife should remain at top of your to-do list California and Florida issue statements against deceptive travel insurance opt-out practices Glamour and history of Italian broken music tour sting fashion industry on display in Nashville Mummies Of The World: Exhibition to debut at Orlando Science Center California tops ranking of US states with largest ultra high net worth population New finance chief at Silver Airways Starwood’s Aloft brand accelerates broken music tour sting growth in Silicon Valley