Would you book a holiday just now ?

[llm24]

The travel industry has been one of if not the most hard hit industries since the start of the pandemic

January / February is normally one of the busiest times of year and every travel agent looks forward to these months with a lot of money going into preparing and advertising

My question is simply

Will you book a holiday for Summer 22 over the next months ?

If not , why not ?
If yes , will you be booking through a Travel Agent ? If not why not ?

Help a Travel Agent out

ive booked for june - hotels are cancellable up until 2 days before and flights booked direct with the airline
travel insurance got as well

@EnglishGirlApproximately

Thanks for reaching out

100% the industry don’t shout about the benefits of booking with an agent

It certainly doesn’t help with adverts to become a TA and all
you need is a love for travel 😡

In my agency we have 14 staff with most of us havin more than 20 years experience is no substitute for any google search 😂

Good luck for Jan too ❤️

Yes, I will be booking holidays and business trips for 2022 without a second thought. But I normally do it very last minute anyway.

No, I would never use a travel agent. The ‘experience’ they offer can’t be greater than mine. Pandemic aside, I take 50-60 flights a year and have plenty of experience booking flights and hotels. I’m on several loyalty schemes and can get discounts and deals from airlines or hotels myself. It’s much, much quicker if I do it myself. I know what I like and can book it within minutes, instead of calling or emailing someone else to do it for me.

PS I have protection from a solid annual travel insurance, and have great health coverage worldwide.

Yes I would book for 2022 (and already have, actually).

Personally I wouldn't use a TA but that's because a) I'm in the industry myself working for a small TO so have access to some of the same rates and discounts and b) I actively enjoy doing the research on a new destination and looking up all the different options myself. There's no way I'd pay someone to do that for me, nor would I trust anyone to find the perfect fit for us like I can.

@EileenGC

Thanks for your feedback

Understand when it’s last
minute it’s easier for you to book online
but with the amount of travel
you do I’m sure any agent would luv your business and you wouldn’t have to wait for long for a quote - save you doing it and it would help out an industry massively , every booking at the moment counts and is sooo appreciated

Yes, have booked 2 - August & October

Not putting things on hold any more. We will deal with whatever testing is relevant at the time and everything is covered for Covid cancellations anyway

I'm glad to have something to look forward to

Got me it is the ability to faff about as somebody upthread mentioned.

I am currently booking three holidays. I can manipulate the flights to fit the best deals, check the hotel, check with other members of the party travelling re dates and quickly make decisions.

Also with the issues of dynamic pricing, particularly for airlines, that means fewer people searching those dates / destination so less risk of the price increasing.

I can also check our credit cards for points / deals with hotels and airlines. In the past we have saved hugely with American Express / Marriot / SPG.

These are the only reasons I won't go through an agent. It always means a far lower price overall because we can flex and fit to the best deal and respond quickly.

Otherwise I would go through Travel Counsellors who I have always found to be amazing.

We have already booked our U.K. break for the summer. Still not convinced the rest of the world will be fully open by summer and no interested in going abroad with the stress of tests so maybe next year.

I have travelled abroad more that once a year every year since I started working but have never booked through a travel agent so I'm not one of their lost costumers.

Totally feel for them.

I've booked an Airbnb in September. It's too much faff to explain to a travel agent what I'm looking for, reject their first raft of offerings because they haven't got it right, explain again - I'd rather just do it myself for a fraction of the cost.

The one I use doesn't want to only book flights for people either, they want to book package holidays so I just go on the BA website and book my flights there.

@nellyburt

Thanks for your feedback

If you feel for them why not book your next trip through them , it really would be appreciated ❤️

@RedMozzieYellowMozzie

Thanks for your feedback

Many Travel Agents do get it right first time
Not all customers explain clearly what they are looking for 😂

I can confidently say my agency would take a flight only booking - it doesn’t matter to us how much your booking value is , it’s your custom and future bookings you may do with us that count ❤️

@Alwayssupportingdifference

Thanks for your feedback

As an independent TA we also get direct deals with airline/ hotels etc and rarely are beaten on price , yeah we don’t get all bookings but experience and working for an award winning agency normally gets the booing over the line

For your next trip defo give an independent agency a go you might be pleasantly surprised ❤️

My industry (entertainment) has also suffered throughout the pandemic but I am able to understand why some people prefer to watch a concert or a show on TV, stream music on Spotify, etc… instead of coming to watch us live. Some people prefer to enjoy those things from their own sofa. Fair enough.

Like someone else mentioned, I’m not causing TAs any losses because I never used them in the first place.

I appreciate that many TAs do get preferences right, but it would be a right faff to explain exactly what I want when I travel. Those needs also change from trip to trip. I don’t have the time to tell someone else what I want, on a weekly basis, when I can just press ‘pay’ myself. Plus, I don’t think I can wake up a travel agent at 11pm on a Friday night, after getting a phone call saying I need to be in X country by 9am the morning after. That’s the kind of travel I deal with and I doubt any regular TA would ‘luv’ my business.

If I was booking an annual family holiday to Mallorca, maybe they would be useful to me.

@EileenGC

Totally under where you are coming from and yeah when it is as last minute like that there isn’t anything we could do to help

I’m sure any agent would be grateful for your family holiday business that would be appreciated ❤️

@llm24 thanks, we are still undecided for our December 2022 long haul.

I've been impressed by your attitude and all you have said on this thread and happy to give you the opportunity.

I know you weren't touting for business for yourself specifically but if you DM me an email address we can take it from there?

Let's put it to the test ;)

@Alwayssupportingdifference

Thank you so much and 100% this post was more market research to find out how we can improve our business after a tough two years

I defo will PM
you my address , currently in isolation. it back to work next week

Too much uncertainty makes me hesitant to book anything abroad, including likliehood of catching covid (already had to cancel one - UK - holiday this year), uncertainty about vaccination status, (especially for DC) and constantly changing rules, need for PCR, isolation etc.

I have only used a travel agent to book specialist trips, and for long haul flights, and had great service.

For a typical week in the sun package holiday booking direct via, e.g. Jet2 is so easy. I do a lot of research on holidays and feel I can do that myself online. I don't live anywhere near a travel agent shop so its as easy for me to book online direct than via a third party.

I haven't used a TA in years. I enjoy planning our holidays and like to find really nice self catering accommodation or small boutique hotels in locations like SW France, Northern Spain, Tuscany. I'm not sure a TA would be able to help with this type of brief and I imagine them being bigger on chain type hotels and resorts.

I have found that holidays are 40-75% at least more expensive when booking through a travel agency so I will continue to book online, I don't believe in paying twice for the same thing.

@TheDogsMother

Thanks for your feedback

It may surprise you what a TA can do now a days
I suppose it’s all about finding the right one ❤️

Booked in the UK for Summer 2022, cannot be faffed with all the ever-changing hoops that we have to jump through. I won't be booking abroad for a few years.

We're going to book some accommodation for the summer with free cancellation, but won't book flights til nearer the time.

Summer 2022 abroad already booked - researched and booked online by us. Haven't used a TA in about 15 years. I honestly don't know why you would need one these days when you can do it all online yourself. Obviously many people do use them but everyone in my family unit and friendship group research and book online ourselves.

OP thanks for this interesting thread.

We have a trip planned in Jan and are currently overseas. The extra paperwork/test etc requirements are not a stopper for us but just need to built into travel plans. We have insurance.

We haven't used a TA for 20 odd years so we are not your lost customers. We are a couple with no children and a reasonable cash cushion in case of things going awry, so we're reasonably confident travellers. When we holiday we often undertake a journey, eg Singapore to Thailand, and it would not occur to me to seek a quotation from a TA. Is this the sort of thing they are interested in? We typically spend a night or two in each location and link them with public transport, with a slightly longer stay at the end. I have never asked as I am respectful of their time as I have assumed I can source it cheaper so would decline their offer having wasted their time.

It occurs to me that the people who are returning to travel and are happy to undertake the research and rigmarole around what is necessary to travel, are quite possibly those who do their own research and booking for their travel anyway. I suspect more anxious travellers who rely on the security of a TA 'sorting it' for them are your missing customers. In which case they would probably want reassurance their money is safe and straightforward guidance on what tests are necessary at each stage of travel and a simple way to access those tests.