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I’ve written a few posts about why it’s a good idea to use a travel agent for certain trips. (See When It Pays to Use a Travel Agent). Mainly, there are advantages to using one to book theme park hotels and cruises (also see this post).
Recently, I’ve been reminded once again how glad I am to have a travel agent in charge of my upcoming cruises.
What My Travel Agent Is Doing For Me
In case you haven’t heard, the Omicron variant is wreaking havoc on many industries right now, including the travel industry and especially cruise vacations. Due to infection among the crew, cruise lines are struggling to provide consistent entertainment and service on board. In addition, some islands are turning away cruise ships if their case count is too high. Several cruise lines have canceled upcoming cruises, including Norwegian Cruise Line (see this post).
After reading many accounts from recent passengers on board cruise ships, my family made the decision to postpone our upcoming cruise. The problem is, many other cruisers are also cancelling or postponing cruises right now. Most of these changes must be done over the phone, and the phone lines are swamped.
Here is where my travel agent comes in: she is doing the hard work for me! All I had to do was email her my desired changes, and she is spending hours on the phone making them happen. I don’t have to deal with being on hold all day and carving out time during the day to make changes. Thank goodness!
By the way, if you know a travel agent, send them some extra TLC right now. They have really been through the wringer with Covid cancellations over the past two years. Most are paid on commission from travel companies after trips happen, so they are doing a lot of work for delayed payment lately.
Are you using a travel agent for any of your upcoming trips?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Good for you, Nancy. I was an international corporate travel agent for 35 years, but was let go last March, since international business travel has not come back to any meaningful form.
During the year from March 2020-March 2021, I was taking care of hundreds of cancellations and changes. Instead of getting airline vouchers for my clients unused tickets, I suggested we refund them whenever possible. Due to this decision, I saved my clients thousands of dollars of unused tickets. It was very painful, but I felt it was better for the client to have their money back vs. having an unused ticket hanging out there.
Travel was a complete mess during the early days of the Pandemic; rules were constantly changing since the situation was so fluid.
Our motto is “Without a travel agent, you’re on your own.”
Cheers
@Gene Sorry to hear you were laid off last year. I’m sure your services were very valuable. My husband used to travel a lot for work, but he’s only had one trip since Covid hit. So many conferences have been canceled and moved online.