Considering getting an Amex Platinum Card and was wondering how the travel agency prices compare to discount sites (domestic travel)? I believe AMEX is a full service agency, which generally means they have higher prices.
So how do the prices compare to online discount places like Orbitz?
Yes, I think you’re right on that one…. I agree that AMEX has higher prices. They’re quite expensive…. I’ve booked trips both on line and with AMEX and there is a considerable difference.
I’m going on a foreign exchange this summer with Rotary International. We have the option to either book the flight ourselves or go with a travel agency. I’m not sure what to do because I have booked plenty of flights in the past, but never an international flight. Also, I’ve always thought that travel agencies just rip people off.
Travel agents can usually match the fares you get on the internet (or come very close to it). What I have gotten out of travel agents that I could not do online myself are the following: (not all of these will apply to you ‘cos most of this depends on what kind of deal your airline has with agents)
1. Hold a reservation for several weeks without paying.
2. Get waitlisted for a flight that was sold out online, and the agent got me on.
3. Get upgraded because the agent (corporate) knew people in that airline. (this is kind of rare, though)
4. Get free transportation to the airport. (Agent was a tour operator so no problem)
5. Agent managed to get the airline change fee waived when I couldn’t travel.
6. Still sell to me at yesterday’s lower fare when the fare went up online today.
And most important difference for me,
7. Buy tickets with open return.
Sometimes my agent just tells me to book it myself online when she knows she has nothing extra to offer me. It just depends on if you have any special needs.
I Just started my home-based travel agency and if anyone has any great ways to market it online I would greatly appreciate it.
Networking and a website would help a lot Talk to your friends and family also. People love to travel and if the price is right people will come running.
I hold international credit cards issued outside US and would like to travel from New York to Montreal by bus. I couldn´t buy on line directly with Greyhound. Is there a travel agency on line that sells Greyhound tickets?
I have been entirely unable to locate another online site selling greyhound tickets.
This note from greyhound may be useful to you, however:
For International Customers
An International credit card can be used for Will Call online ticket purchases. International customers can also purchase their ticket at any Greyhound location upon arrival in the U.S. or Canada. For international customers without toll-free access, please call 214-849-8100 any time between 5:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. Central time for fare and schedule information.
Benedict XVI will travel to Spain on November 6th and visit Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona.
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I just paid for my trip overseas and my stop over accomedation in Singpare. I’m not really happy with the travel agent as I had to call her to find out the original hotel I was going to stay at did not have availability. After paying for my trip and another hotel in Singapore. I told the woman what if this hotel is not available and the waiting list comes back negative? The lady said, oh I never thought of that. I won’t put your payment through then. I can’t afford to pay for accomedation outside the category A hotels and when I just checked my funds the money has been taken out. This lady is supposed to be assistant manager. Perhaps I should have gone to the same travel agency but in the more well to do area where the assistants have more experience but I want to know if I will get re imberssed if I do not get a room?I am a seasoned traveller so I’m not looking for travel tips but if anyone can help me out with this Q it would be greatly appreciated!
It doesn’t sound as if you’ve gone back to the travel agency after the payment was made and discussed it with them. This should be your first port of call.
If this doesn’t work, what happens next depends on where you live. If you’re in the UK then the travel agency should be ABTA bonded which means you get protection. Write to ABTA explaining the situation.
But you really need to go back to the agency first and talk it through with them.
Next time, book it yourself – it’s far more reliable and you know exactly what you’re getting, not some travel agency’s "preferred" (read: kickback) hotel!
I am writing a letter to a travel agency to complain about my holiday trip which was a disaster from start to finish. What are some problems that I could have encountered during the trip? The tour guide could hardly speak english? The tour schedule was not punctual? Flight delays? I need this for my English subject. Thanks in advance.
flight delays wouldn’t really be the fault of the travel agency. However, how/whether you were taken care of,
whether things were smoothened out,
whether you were able to catch the connecting flights,
whether you were provided proper food & lodging [in case of inordinate delay - altho' technically, this would be the airline's concern],
whether concerns & fears were passed on to the airline officials,
whether any alternatives were chosen,
whether you were kept properly informed, etc. etc. Could be areas of complaint.
some more could be :
– the sight-seeing was too hectic
– sight-seeing not properly planned
– hospitality lacking
– rooms chosen were not up to the mark [or as advertised]
– rudeness of guide, etc.
– first-aid kits, & basic emergency equipment were lacking in the tour buses
– basic amenities lacking in hotels
– food & provisions not of promised grade.
hope these get you started
all the very best 
I am planning to take my 8 month old baby to overseas. I want to request a bassinet and special meals for him. Is it better to buy ticket directly from the airline so that I can request all those things personally or does travel agency do all that for me?
I think it’s always better to go with an online travel site. I’ve been using yourtripstartshere.com. They’re the lowest I’ve found online.
What benefits can a local travel agency offer that the Internet does not?
The greatest benefit is advice. A good agent will be able to tell you about popular destinations and research hotels and airfares for you. If you’re traveling out of the country, an agent can help you obtain a passport and any visas that are needed. They can also answer basic questions like typical weather and how to get around.
If you’re an experienced traveler, that might not be important to you. If you’re not an experienced traveler, it can be invaluable. I formerly worked for a major travel website, so you would probably expect me to say that everyone should use the Internet. Not true. Many of our customers could book their own trips, especially simple ones, without any problems. However, I also saw a lot of "amateur" mistakes that a good travel agent wouldn’t make. These include simple ones (booking a dirt cheap hotel and being amazed that it’s run down) to catastrophic ones (arriving at the airport without a passport and having the airline refuse both transportation and a refund).
The first of MANY travel agencies.
Also, no major changes in settings between this video and the last.
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