Travel restrictions are ever-changing and beginning to loosen for sure all around the world, but traveling this summer and beyond may be more challenging to navigate because of the changes from COVID-19.
I’m not writing this to tell you to work with me, specifically. Work with anyone you trust. But going at it the old internet way might be a little dangerous. As a travel professional, I have seen a lot of situations where someone did not work with someone, tried to go it alone, and it turned out rough for the traveler.
A travel professional is your personal contact, not an 800 number, who you can text or call from the time you inquire about your trip to during travel and even afterwards if something happened that needs customer service attention.
Not only do travel pros have a good amount of personal experience, due to going on familiarization trips, attending conferences & training, & yes, some zooms over the past year or so, to keep up to date on the continuous changes in the industry, but we also have feedback from other clients to keep updated as to what things are like in the destination. This provides the necessary background to know it’s real advice. When we don’t know something, we know where to look or who to ask that’s trustworthy.
Professional travel advisors also can, at times, use their relationships with suppliers that we book through to use our networking to get you a free perk or advocate for you in the event of a problem with the trip, such as a cancellation, change, or delay.
In addition, bundling packaging makes it very convenient and easy to use, and sometimes that gives exclusives offers! Sometimes you save a lot of time, and in some cases some of your cash too – or you get a better overall bundle compared to patching it together.
With COVID-19 at the top of everyone’s concern list, safety is the most important factor today, and that’s where it gets tricky if you’re investigating online on your own, unless you really know where to look for the best up to date information.
More likely than not, you’ll need COVID-19 test paperwork that match the requirements of your destination, any proper health forms, and keeping in mind that every airline, hotel, resort, and cruise line are different about their policies, we work hard to make sure your safety as well as protecting your vacation investment are very important. Travel professionals want to ensure the airline you fly on and the destination/resort/cruise line you visit is following proper protocols.
Travel professionals, myself included, also should always be presenting you with a great travel insurance policy to match the trip and coverage you need. I personally find this to be so important that we make this decision before you deposit, always.
Honestly and truly, I do believe that as travel has evolved into a more detail-oriented thing than in the past, the biggest mistake you can make, especially for international travel, is to not at least consult a travel professional; however, you can either consult or book through one.
My goal as your travel professional is to save your very important time, being aware of any health, safety, & financial risks involved in any trip and protecting everything involved – you, your family, your friends, your wallet, and your health. I’m here and you can request a time to talk to me when you are ready to travel again.