Finding the right travel agent used to be easy.
The top agents had a defined set of skills and certifications,
and they belonged to the same trade groups. So for someone like
Kathleen Corcos, who recently contacted me for help finding a
“reputable” travel agency in the Chicago area, the answer should have
been pretty straightforward.
“I’m
planning a trip to Europe and I need someone with experience in booking
rail trips,” said Corcos, a retired university administrator from River
Forest, Ill.
A
quick visit to what was then the American Society of Travel Agents’
website to find a specialist in European travel would have yielded a few
usable leads.
But
in the fast-changing world of travel, is anything that simple? Maybe
not. Airline, car rental and hotel sites enable you to act as your own
travel agent. If you need a little hand-holding, you can visit an online
travel agency and avoid some fees. And now, to add to the confusion,
some travel agents aren’t even calling themselves agents anymore.
That’s
right, those agents are now advisers. Last year, the American Society
of Travel Agents changed its name to the American Society of Travel
Advisors.
Paul
Metselaar says it’s an important shift. Travel agents are no longer
“order takers,” or intermediaries between the traveler and a company, he
says. People now think of them as professionals, like lawyers or
accountants. As the CEO of Ovation Travel Group, a New York-based agency, he was among the first to discard the “agent” label in favor of “adviser.”
“As
travel advisers, we’ve built a significant level of trust with each of
our customers on a highly personalized level,” he says.
In
the face of fierce competition from online agencies, travel agents are
also upping their game, says Dave Hershberger, ASTA’s chairman and owner
of a Travel Leaders agency in Cincinnati. “That’s the biggest change.”
Instead of offering a broad range of services, many agents now specialize in niche products such as honeymoons or cruises.
If
agents — or advisers — don’t see themselves as intermediaries anymore,
are there some trips you should book yourself? Yes. For a simple weekend
trip, self-booking might be easier. Plus, you can avoid an adviser’s
consulting fee, which averages about $100 per trip. But for a
complicated rail adventure through Europe, like the one Corcos is
planning, you’ll probably want to hire an adviser.
