I am a travel agency owner and would like to offer the following insights:
Travel Agency Booking vs. DIY Booking
1. Booking your own airline ticket
D.I.Y- you will not be charged a service fee but it also means you need to have the patience and time to really find good deals and compare prices. Cheap prices are usually published in the middle of the night, so if you want to score that much sought after promo fare, be ready to burn the midnight oil and spend hours comparing prices. For international airlines, credit cards are required to purchase online. For domestic airlines, they accept bank deposits, credit card and OTC payments in select payment centers.
Travel Agency- You will be charged a service fee, but in return we will find you the cheapest available airfare out there and if you are chummy or if your travel agent really likes you, you will get advance notice of all upcoming promos. No effort needed on your part, but remember this, the rule of thumb is this, all airline reservations and bookings must be paid the same day or within 24 hours or it will be forfeited by the airlines. DO NOT HARASS or GET MAD at your travel agent if you decide to pay 2-3 days after your booking and the seat is no longer available. Most travel agency would only rebook you if you ask them in advance. It takes times and manpower to do that and from an a agency standpoint, it's a waste of time/money to rebook a client when we are not sure if the said client is still interested to book that said flight. So if you can't meet the deadline set, do inform your travel agent, so they could rebook you. Payment terms: cash and credit cards
2. Booking your own Hotel Rooms
D.I.Y- in this time and age its so easy to score a good deal online, that is if you have the time and knows how to search for it. The internet is your best friend when it comes to finding promos and discounted hotel rooms. The cons, most hotel requires credit card payment if booking online, and if you don't have a credit card, then all that time spent is wasted time.
Travel Agency- We don't charge you a penny for booking your hotel through us, we earn from the discounts given to us by the hotel. If your booking a budget hotel, hostel, or dorm type accommodations, there isn't much of a difference in terms of pricing, as this types usually gives very small discounts to travel agents. So we have little choice but give you the same prices as their published rates. Despite that, you still win because you do not need to spend time and effort in booking your hotel rooms. Now if you are booking a 3-5 star hotel, GO TO A TRAVEL AGENCY instead of doing it yourself. As mentioned earlier, we earn from the discounts given us and because this hotels give us higher percentages, some of that discounts are passed on to our clients. If you are booking for a large group, book through a travel agency, not only will it save you time, it will save you a LOT of money. Some hotels offer freebies to group bookings. This freebies comes in the form of free rooms or special discounts or use of exclusive facilities or vouchers for future use. This freebies are rarely offered to walk in clients. Travel agents can usually request for freebies or knows in advance what other benefits they will receive if they book X number of rooms with a certain hotel. A good travel agency will never keep this freebies to themselves but will instead pass this on to their clients. It wins us brownie points with the clients and the clients in return gets an unexpected bonus on top of the huge discount they already received from the travel agency.
3. Booking packaged Tours
DIY- if you don't mind doing all the research and is not afraid to get lost, DIY is cheaper than getting a package from a travel agency. Just remember this before venturing out, make sure you have a map, a plan on where to go and a brochure/calling card of the hotel where you are staying. Ask the front desk clerks for directions, tips on where to eat and always ask them for the cheapest way to arrive at your destination. If your taking a taxi, ask them for reliable taxi service companies and how much you should pay the cabbie. This way you would not be duped.
Travel Agency- Travel agencies offering tour packages either have tie ups with tour operators or they operate the tours themselves. If you are traveling alone or in a small group (less than 6) expect to spend the whole tour with other people you don't know. This could go either way, you meet new friends or you will end up enjoying the trip but not the company. In terms of costs, DIY tours are cheaper, but you have to endure the inconvenience of public transportation and trying to find out of the way or inconveniently located tourist spots on your own. Packaged tours on the other hand are a bit more expensive, but you enjoy the benefits of private car/van/bus service which will pick you up and drop you off your hotel on a designated time, a tour coordinator to assist you, a guide to show you around and a ready made itinerary. This is ideal for the inexperience travelers, solo travelers (a great way to meet new friends!), seniors, and for those that want the convenience of touring with private transportation and tour guide.
