Oftentimes when planning a vacation (especially if you’re planning on traveling somewhere new or that you haven’t visited in a while), it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by how daunting the task may seem. Where do you start? How do you know where the best places are to stay? Where should you eat? What are the best things to do and places to explore?
Using a Travel Agent will take a huge weight off your shoulders. Our job is to help not only make the best suggestions based on what you’re hoping to get out of your vacation but also to take the stress of the planning process off your shoulders so that all you need to do is pack your bags and go!
But this begs to question… are there things your Travel Agent wishes you knew?
First, email is our best friend. In addition to the many phone conversations you’ll have with your Travel Agent, email is our next preferred method of communication. Though we may sometimes connect to one another via social media (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, etc), communicating via email makes it so much easier to keep all of the things we’ve talked about for your vacation in one place. There’s nothing more challenging than trying to go back through a Facebook Messenger conversation to find what we discussed regarding dining at specific restaurants at Walt Disney World or which excursions you wanted to experience when on your cruise or all-inclusive vacation. Facebook Messenger messages get lost in the shuffle so easily too – where we’ll keep your emails in our email inbox until we’ve resolved the task at hand so nothing slips through the cracks. To us, using email is like having a virtual filing cabinet with all our notes in one place so we don’t miss a single detail for your vacation.
Next, we do our very best to keep you in the loop of any changes that may pop up for your vacation. And we will communicate everything via email so that we both have a point of reference if there are any questions. Reading the emails that we take the time to put together with all the things you need to know will help ensure that your vacation goes as smoothly as possible. For example, if you’re going to Walt Disney World, we will be sending you a lot of information before you travel to make sure we cover everything you need to know before your trip, but we won’t inundate you with everything at once. So don’t forget to read those emails so you can make the most of your vacation… you’ll learn about Genie+, we’ll remind you to purchase your MagicBands ahead of time so you can take advantage of discounted pricing, we’ll remind you about important dates for your trip (Disney Dining, Enchanting Extras such as reservations for special events for fireworks, book a makeover for your little one at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, or to build a droid or lightsaber for your Star Wars fans), and so much more.
Speaking of important dates – and I can’t stress this enough – if we are planning a vacation to Walt Disney World, in particular, time is of the essence. The best chance for us to get you your preferred reservations for dining and Enchanting Extras on your preferred days/times are to book these for you on the day the reservations become available to book (currently 60 days prior to your scheduled arrival date). While we are certainly here to help make changes as they pop up if you want to change your plans or think of something else you want to do, the best way for us to make that happen for you is if we have a plan in place ahead of the day that we are able to make these reservations for you so that we can be ready to go right when reservations open.
Timing is also super important when it comes to the actual booking of your vacation. Something important to keep in mind is that prices quoted are not locked in until you’ve actually booked your vacation. This means if you decide to hold off a few weeks after receiving your quote before deciding to book, there is a good chance the price is going to increase. Vacation prices often change based on supply and demand, so as more people book their trips to that destination over the dates we’ve quoted for you, the price for new bookings will (usually) increase over time. If you’re waiting for the price to go down, some destinations do allow your Travel Agent to monitor the price of your vacation in the event a promotion is offered to get you a better deal – this is especially true of booking vacations to a Disney Destination, Universal Orlando, and several major cruise lines. Be sure to ask your Travel Agent if your requested destination allows price monitoring – it will be a lot safer to book ASAP and have your agent watch for a better deal. Some destinations will also allow your Travel Agent to place your vacation on a courtesy hold for a set number of days (for example, your vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort can be held for up to 3 days before your deposit is due – otherwise it will cancel itself after midnight following the third day). If you’re leaning toward booking the vacation but need to circle back with someone else you’re traveling with or double-check your calendar on the dates, this is a fantastic option so you don’t lose your quoted price.
And finally, keep in mind that we are on your team! Whether you need help picking the right destination, narrowing down resorts or cruise ships, selecting the right excursions, or arranging dining reservations… our job is to help you determine what may be best for you and your travel party. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and don’t be afraid of over-sharing. The best way that we can help you make your next vacation perfect is by you telling us exactly what you’re looking for – or maybe what you’re not looking for, for that matter. There’s really no such thing as “TMI” with your Travel Agent. Share all of your specific wants and needs. Be honest about your budget. And we will, in turn, be honest with you too. Our ultimate goal is to have happy clients, so share away!
Now pack your bags… you’ve got a vacation to go on!! Enjoy!!
Aly Hirst
