Hola Amigos!

Over the years I've been a devoted advocate for the Travel Industry and as such, I have contributed to many articles, magazine publications and podcast interviews both to educate the consumer and other industries about the value of working with a caring Travel Professional like you and I. I am also very passionate about mentoring and helping other Travel Agents to follow their dreams and build a successful business they love. 

Well, in the age of Facebook and Instagram these articles get pushed to the bottom of your feed rather quickly, don't they? so I've decided to create this #ThrowBackThursday Series to share with you some of these features that might benefit your journey. With that, cheers to "episode 1" of this series!

Let's dive into this contribution for The Bridal Society Blog, a Certified Wedding Planners Association that I both love and respect.

Benefits of Having a Professional Travel Agent as a Preferred Vendor

• What is a Travel Agent anyway?
• Aren’t Travel Agents a thing of the past?
• Why do I need a Travel Agent if I can just do it myself online?

Do any of these questions sound familiar to you? These are all common questions I get as a Travel Agent, and I am certain that you get similar objections as a Certified Wedding Planner.

I would like to start with the traditional dictionary definition of a Travel Agent/Agency.

“A Travel Agency is a private retailer or public service that provides travel- and tourism-related services to the public on behalf of suppliers, such as activities, airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, travel insurance, and package tours.”

~ Wikipedia

As a Professional Travel Agent, I do so much more than that. We will cover that shortly. According to a Google search, the roles and responsibilities of a Travel Agent are: 

• arranging flights, insurance, and accommodation
• using a booking system to secure holidays/vacations
• collecting and processing payments
• advising clients on travel arrangements, e.g. visas and passports
• sending out tickets to clients
• keeping clients updated on any changes

Well, those ‘Travel Agents’ are a thing of the past for the most part. I would like to introduce you to the ‘Millennial Travel Agent.’ Finish reading here...

Photo Credit: Amorcito Corazon Studio