Travel Advisors Do More Than Sell Travel....They Help Keep You From Being Depressed!!

Travel Advisors Sell Happiness!

We could have probably had a shorter title, but I wanted to get your attention. According to the 10th annual Allianz Global Assistance Vacation Confidence Index, Americans who don't feel like they can take a vacation, despite wanting to, are nearly two times as likely to show signs of moderately severe to severe depression. So, the first thing to do is to realize that you do need to relax, then secondly, reach out to your travel advisor who will take the stress out of planning a vacation that will make you a more productive employee or owner. Taking time off is not a frivolous thing, it has real benefits to your mental well-being.

A recent study found that around 75% of Americans are considering working with a travel agent to plan their vacations. The study also found that 46% of the respondents feel that working with a travel agent adds value to their trip. Another quote from one of my favorite agents, Richard Turen, is that travel advisors “all share one characteristic: an overriding belief that travel is best planned by a consultant who has been there, as opposed to a computer that hasn't.”

Although travelers today have myriad ways in which to book their vacation, they recognize the value of working with a professional, experienced travel agent to make sure there is a return on their travel investment and lifetime of memories to be made.

Some benefits of working with a travel agents include saving time, receiving expert recommendations, reducing stress by receiving help when things don't go according to plans while on vacation, and often times they can make money-saving suggestions not thought of by operating on your own. We just had an actual illustration of that this week when a person who was wanting to travel with a little group decided that our agent was ripping those in the group off by charging too much to go to an adult-only property. So they decided to make their own reservations and there was quite a price difference. It just so happened that they had made reservations at another hotel by the same name, but it was not in the same location as the group.....and they had made a non-refundable deposit!!! Now, that's not only stressful, but it's costly too.

The editor of Travel Agent, Ruthanne Terrero, told of some situations where using a travel agent would have been so much better. One of the illustrations was this one person was just tired of talking to people and just wanted to communicate over the phone so she booked her annual vacation online with just 3 simple clicks, and felt so proud but didn't read the small print on her small phone. She didn't see that the trip was completely nonrefundable, no matter what. And it was a painful lesson to learn when the owners of her company called a mandatory meeting for the very day she was going to depart.

Another scenario was about a lady who was so excited about a getaway with her best friends. All of the others had booked their reservations with a travel agent, but she was an independent soul and thought she was smarter than most people. What a horror that first morning turned out to be when she was the only one to get a bill for the first big meal together. Turns out their agent had been able to get them all the valuable perk of a free breakfast every day. The website she booked on didn't provide that. Who knew a breakfast buffet could cost $49. Turns out it was the most expensive trip, ever!!

The travel advisors at The Travel Factory want to help you manufacture the vacation of your dreams and in the process keep you from a depressive state. Call us at 698-1421 or drop in for a good visit at 4150 Southwest Drive. We like to watch you walk out the door, jump in the air, clicking your heels, fist in the air with a whoopee shout in anticipation of being able to get away from stress.