This past week, I was reading a blog written by a good friend in the safari industry. Do you want to hyperlink and share this blog? One of the comments on his blog was that travel agents and tour operators are going to become a thing of the past. This got me thinking. One of the reasons why I plan African Safari Vacations is because I love what I do. Isn’t this what it’s all about? Shouldn’t we all being doing something that we love and are passionate about? I love planning trips to Africa for our clients. I feel very fortunate to be able to spend my days dreaming up African vacations that will change people’s lives.
Sandy on safari in Madikwe
Why do I do this and why do clients come to me to do this? We in the travel industry are facing lots of consumers scouring the internet looking for deals, when to go on vacation, where to go, how long etc? So the question begs …. why should you book your vacation with a specialist? It shouldn’t only be because I love what I do. I have spent the past week thinking about this question and the comments posted on my friend’s blog. If you are in the travel industry, I would love to hear your feedback, but in the meantime I’ve come up with some answers.
Here are 10 reasons travelers should book with a specialist.
1. Clients come to a travel agent or tour operator for their expertise, knowledge and advice. Most travel agents have a specialty or niche. At Hills of Africa we have three specialists who have been in the industry working as guides, working at hotels and working in the travel industry for over 15 years. We spend large amounts of time investing in ourselves to make sure we know our product. In my case I take 2-3 three-week trips to Africa every year to educate myself on my product and the destinations I promote. I never recommend a product to a client that I have never visited. It is important for me to be able to talk with my clients about the different types of accommodation, the game viewing experience, the cuisine, the quality of guides, even their names.
2. More for your money. If you are scouring the internet for the best deals, you might not come up with the best deal. Those of us in the industry are kept up to date on deals, for example some properties offer a “stay for 3, pay for 2″ deal, or even a combination of staying at three different properties with a “stay for 9, pay for 6″. As they say, the lowest price isn’t always the best deal, travel agents are aware of the deals that are only available to the travel agent trade.
Surprises for our clients
3. Personal Service. Even if you are not going for a special occasion, it is worth noting that travel agents and tour operators take the time to get to know you; they find out what your favorite drink is, what type of chocolate you like, what your favorite flower is. Now I might be giving away trade secrets here, but how surprising and special would it be to receive a bottle of your favorite bubbly with a welcome note in your room on arrival, or a surprise “massage for two” after a long flight from your travel agent. We enjoy spoiling you.
4. Preparing you for your Trip. We like to prepare you for your trip from the moment you leave home to the moment you return. You are our responsibility once you get on that airplane, and so it is important for us to make sure you are well prepared. At Hills of Africa, we send you a Question and Answer document which answers every question you might have about an African safari vacation, from how long your passport needs to be valid after entering the country to what type of inoculations and medicine you might need for Africa, to whether or not you should take a hairdryer with you. We also prepare destination guides for the countries you will be visiting which will include restaurants (and of course we know which table to book!), tours, bank hours, markets worth visiting. Travel agents leave no details out and our mission is to help prepare you for your vacation so that you will be able to enjoy yourselves without worry or hassle.
A friendly face welcoming you
5. We are there to help you when something goes wrong. Every step of the way, travel agents are with you. Because we know your itinerary, we will be there to help you when something goes wrong. If your flight happens to be canceled or delayed we are there to help ensure that you get on the next available flight. Not only that, because we have staff on the ground in the countries that you will be visiting, our staff will know that you have been delayed. They will be waiting for you, you won’t have to go find a tax and make your own way to your destination. We will have informed the hotel or safari camp that you are staying at, and on your arrival you’ll have your favorite beverage ready for you (because we have taken the time to get to know you and your preferences!) with a warm and inviting smile. Having a travel agent working with you, can save you hundreds of hours and money when something goes wrong.
Celebrating after a soccer match in the local community
6. Custom designing your vacation of a lifetime. I think most travel agents and tour operators are like us at Hills of Africa Travel. When a client comes to us with a request we spent a lot of time designing their itinerary to meet their travel needs and desires. I love the fact that we are small, we are proud of it too. As a small tour operator we don’t have to worry about volume discounts with specific properties and then having to push clients to those properties to meet contractual obligations. What we take pride in is actually listening to our clients, incorporating everything they desire and then presenting them with an itinerary that matches exactly what they are looking for in terms of budget, time frame and travel tastes. This could be something like a family wanting to be more involved in the community, so arranging a soccer match in the local village they will be visiting, or arranging a surprise dinner in the African bush, or volunteering for a day in a local community to prepare a field for vegetable gardening. All travel agents and tour operators are passionate about their work, but we are even more passionate about our clients’ experiences.
Giving back
7. Giving Back. Travel agents have a desire to give back. At Hills of Africa Travel our mission is “changing lives one journey at a time, every time”. What I mean by this, is that it is our intention for you to have a life changing journey to Africa by being mesmerized by it’s beauty, captivated by its animals and your hearts warmed by the smiles of the people you will meet. It is also so that the people of Africa to get to know you and their lives are changed forever by having been given the chance of getting to know you and learning about your family, your history and your culture. Now I know that everyone has the right intention to do good, but is it going to the right place? We make sure that your travel dollars go into the right hands, by choosing travel providers who make a difference, who are passionate about Fair Trade and equality for their staff and their families and who are willing to make a difference.
8. Booking with a travel agent, saves you bank fees! When you book your travel with a travel agent, you are only paying one bill. We organize your itinerary to include someone to meet you as you exit the airplane, transfers, hotel and safari accommodation, tours, restaurant bookings. If you were to organize this yourself you would have to pay numerous companies (let alone keep track of all the confirmation numbers, dates, times, places, etc), we take this hassle away from you and pay all of these suppliers on your behalf. With African bookings as well, the travel agent takes the exchange currency risk, not you.
Relaxing at Azura in Mozambique
9. More time for you. A travel agent can save you countless hours of scouring the internet, when you could be making money doing your own job. A travel agent has many more avenues to search from, we know our business well and we take pride in what we offer to you. We spend a lot of time researching and making sure that each transfer is with a trusted agent, each hotel room is in perfect condition, your flights have you in your preferred seating. We have taken the time to be the very best agents by investing in our education and knowledge so that you don’t have to spend your time doing planning a vacation when you could be spending quality time with loved ones, or making money in your own day job.
10. We think of you. Travel agents have the knowledge, expertise and the “in” on what you need to do to plan your vacation, what you need to do make your dream trip a reality and not just a dream. We make sure that you are looked after from the time you leave home to the time you return. All the worry and stress of having to sort out the details are taken away from you, leaving you with the opportunity of being able to enjoy every single treasured moment of your vacation.
If you are planning a dream vacation will you trust your vacation of a lifetime to a travel agent? Travel agents, I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts and what actions you take to make your clients’ dream vacations a reality.
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