1. Gulf Shores, Alabama
2. Denali National Park, Alaska
3. Sedona, Arizona
4. Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
5. La Jolla, California
6. Colorado Springs, Colorado
7. Mystic, Connecticut
8. Key West, Florida
9. St. Simons Island, Georgia
10. Oahu, Hawaii
Travel planning can be time consuming, stressful, and downright confusing. So often travelers make very simple mistakes and even leave money on the table because they just don't know. That's why you should always work with a travel agent- we are the professionals.
Here are 5 common mistakes travelers make:
1. They don't do their research. It's so easy to jump at great deals especially when you are planning an expensive, once in a lifetime vacation. That discounted hotel looks so great in the pictures, and the cheap flights work perfect with your budget- what could go wrong? Everything! That hotel may be discounted because it's in a terrible neighborhood or under construction. The flights may be cheap, but they're going to charge you for every piece of luggage and there's an 18-hour layover causing you to miss the cruise. 😔
2. They don't read the fine print. Many times, people see a great price on a booking site and think they hit the jackpot. What they don't notice is what is included or excluded and can end up in destination disappointed and paying more out of pocket.
3. They don't check visa or vaccination requirements for their destination. Can you imagine you have just paid thousands of dollars for a tropical vacation only to arrive to find out you can't enter the country because you didn't get your COVID shot?
4. They don't take care of the details. How are you getting to your hotel? Did you make dinner reservations? Do you have a transfer to the cruise terminal or airport? Did you plan the excursions in advance? Forgetting these simple things can leave you scrambling to figure it out when you should be enjoying your vacation.
5. They don't find all the best promotions or discounts costing money they could be using on more fun.
I think it goes without saying that all of those mistakes could be avoided by working with a professional travel planner. In most cases, it does not cost you anything extra (travel suppliers pay travel agents from the commission built into your vacation price).
I recently worked on a cruise quote where the client had very specific requests: had to be May, June or July 2024, had to be Disney Cruise Line, had to be 2 balcony cabins or suites adjoining, and needed to be 7 days plus to specific cruise ports.
It was not hard to pull based on what she wanted, but the client was very upset because "that's so much more than when we cruised in 2021. Don't you have secret deals you can give me?"
A common misconception is that travel agents get "secret deals." We don't. We do have many suppliers at our disposal that we can search for great deals, but often "The Price Is the Price." We can apply promotions after the fact if a better price pops up, but there's no secret stockpile of "deals." I will always keep my client's best interest in mind to create the best trip for THEM.
In this case, had the client been flexible with her travel dates we could have saved at least $1000.
Summer 2024 is already selling out, so in her case the price will not go down, but steadily rise as the sailings fill to capacity. Ultimately, she did not trust that I was giving her the best offers that I spent time researching and off she went to do it herself. It happens and I truly hope she is able to find what she is looking for.
When you work with a travel professional like myself, I do my best to learn what it is you want your vacation to be. The WHY behind an experience. Then I curate the trip to you. It might not be the cheapest in some cases (I'm looking at you WDW), but you can trust that I will always put what is best for you ahead of my commission. I grew up getting to travel, but often it was on a shoestring budget and I believe that everyone should be able to see the places that they dream of.