Using a travel agents- pros/cons?

[SM4713]

I haven't travelled long haul since pre-covid, and always used to book my own flights, hotels etc. Do travel agents get better rates/deals or are any savings negated by their commission? I haven't used one in years, but wondering if there is much point?

I’ve priced b

both before and it varies. Depends what you are looking for IME

I booked a long haul (flight and hotel) for next September with a travel agent and would much prefer doing it that way given the money and detail involved. She spent a good amount of time researching what I wanted and suggesting alternatives. Bottom line is I didn't feel confident enough to do it myself, but you might.

We’ve become great fans of travel agents recently, mainly for city breaks. You tell them what you want - they do everything else! Doesn’t seem to be a much more expensive way of doing it, but takes a lot of the hassle off your shoulders.

I used to do it myself pre-covid, but got my fingers badly burnt when one element was cancelled and others were not. I now only book with companies bound by the package holiday regulations

I still use a ta occasionally when I want something complex, & the cost is the same as if I'd booked all the parts myself. I do check that they're ATOL & ABTA.

I haven’t booked through a travel agent in 20 years. I did try to use one for flights ten years ago, but they quoted me £7000 for a return flight to America. I went on Opodo and found a similar flight for £2000. I asked the agent what on earth he was thinking and he just said “But you said you wanted to travel at 2pm.” The flight I found was only 30 minutes later 👀

Basically the only reason to use a travel agent is if you have a zero time to research destinations and hotels etc. Doing your own research saves a fortune.

Thanks everyone. I've contacted 2 agents, but awaiting the 2nd quote. So far, I'm not impressed. I asked for 3-4 star- they have quoted a 5 star. I said I don't need transfers because 'surely I'm paying extra for that?' The response was 'Its part of a package!'. So for the exact same flights and hotels, the quote is £600 more than me booking it myself. Yes- there are transfers included in that, but they were £20 each way when I last travelled there. I realise things have gone up, but by £600! I shall await the 2nd agents advice and quote.

We use an independent travel counsellor for complicated trips and she is great. We tell her the rough itinerary and she comes back with it fully planned and costed - travel, accommodation and building in whatever tours and other extras we want, while not making it too packaged. It worked brilliantly for Myanmar and Japan (although with hindsight we could have organised Japan ourselves and will do so if we go back). This is the umbrella organisation:

I think it depends what you mean by at TA. Going into Thomas cook on the high street, probably not. I have my own who works for Dial A flight. Have used him for years so he knows what we like and don’t like. Has all our details on file so can book stuff with zero hassle for me. Always finds us good deals and will suggest alternatives to get better prices. He will sometimes call me and say “BA were having a sale so I’ve cancelled your old flights and rebooked them. Even with fees/ deposit loss it saved you £x - what bank account do you want that paying into?” He’s amazing.

Been on several long haul trips using Trailfinders and they have proved highly valuable.

Our last trip was booked before the pandemic, due to travel the summer of 2020. As it was booked through them, it counted as a package for all elements so we received refunds / non quibble changes no problem and without having to claim through travel insurance. We eventually travelled this summer.

I second using Trailfinders. It won’t be the cheapest option but it makes everything run so smoothly. We used them to travel to Malaysia. It’s not a package as such - they put together exactly what you want. And they got us budget flights from KL to Lankawi from the second airport in KL - saving us over £300 . I would not have known that this small airport existed