Okay, travelers, today we’re doing something different. Welcome to the travel advisor confessional. I’m opening the vault and breaking the travel advisor code of silence. I promise I’m not naming any names or spilling anybody’s secrets, but after years in the travel business, I have plenty of tea.
There are things I hear over and over again. “Can I make this half-hour connection?” “I’ll just book the cheapest room.” “I don’t need travel insurance.” (That’s the biggest one.) “We’ll just figure it out when we get there.” And my personal favorite: “Oh, we just booked online for $200 cheaper.”
So let’s talk about what happens behind the scenes, what travelers misunderstand about working with a travel advisor, where people sabotage their own vacations and how to become the client your travel advisor loves working with.
Confession #1: Cheaper Doesn’t Always Mean the Same
Inevitably someone will say, “I found the same hotel cheaper online.” Maybe you did. But before we start popping champagne over a $127 savings, let’s make sure we’re comparing apples to apples.
When a client tells me they found something cheaper, I say, “Great, send me your cart.” By the time you get to the end of most booking sites, you’re in the same place. For most cruises, theme park vacations and all-inclusives, booking with a travel advisor is the exact same price. What usually happened is a different room category, or no breakfast included, or the taxes and gratuities weren’t shown until checkout. So ask yourself:
Is it the same room category?
Are taxes, gratuities and resort fees included?
Are transfers included?
Is it prepaid, and what are the cancellation penalties?
Is it a legitimate booking source?
And the big one: what happens when something goes wrong?
The terms and conditions these days go on for pages and pages, and by the time you’re done, you wonder whether you just bought a house. We read them. We understand them.
The 11 p.m. Factor
That cheap online booking looks fantastic at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday on your couch. It looks a little different at midnight in Italy when the hotel says it doesn’t have your reservation. If one of my clients calls me at midnight, I know they’re in Italy and something is wrong, and I get out of bed for that.
I have been there for my clients through deaths, sickness, broken bones, car accidents that kept them from leaving and “I left my passport at home.” I have saved more vacations than you could possibly imagine. Most travel advisors care like that. A big online booking site is not going to.
Why Use a Travel Advisor If the Price Is the Same?
Because you already paid for us. Our commission is built into the price, so you get all of those added benefits for free (unless an advisor charges a fee; at Fabulous Adventures Travel, we don’t). Call a cruise line’s 1-800 number and get someone who can’t even find your reservation, and that’s the experience you paid for. Call us, and if we couldn’t find your reservation, I would panic. We’re on your side.
One cardinal rule, though: not all travel advisors are created equal. Ask how long they’ve been in the business and whether your trip is their specialty. If you ask me about an African safari, I’ll send you to someone who knows safaris, because I’m not going to send you on a very expensive vacation I know nothing about. And make sure you have a good vibe with them.
Confession #2: Tell Us Your Real Budget
Everybody has a budget. I have a budget. It doesn’t have to be your hard stopping point. If your number is $5,000 and I show you something at $5,100 with an add-on you can’t live without, great. But give us the number.
If you tell me you have no budget, and I send you what the vacation actually costs (not because I sent you to the Ritz-Carlton, but because that’s the real price), and you come back with “that’s not my budget,” we’ve both wasted our time.
Tell me especially if your budget is low, because I will be realistic with you. If you want an all-inclusive for $2,000, I may have to look you in the face and say, “That’s not happening,” because you have to fly there and stay there. A good travel advisor won’t hear “$5,000” and push you right to the top. Honestly, I’ll be relieved that you’re realistic.
Confession #3: “We’re Not Picky” Usually Means You Are
I don’t know how to say this without being mean, so I’ll just be honest. I cannot tell you how many emails start with “Don’t worry about us, we’re not picky, we’ll be your easiest clients.” Nine times out of ten, they’re the hardest clients you could imagine.
Five minutes later it’s: we don’t like big resorts, we need an ocean view, we don’t want to be near kids, my husband needs a king bed, I hate buffets, we don’t want nightlife but we do want nightlife. Then the room location that was “great” the first time isn’t anymore.
I am not judging anyone for being picky. Be picky! Just tell me up front. Give me the details at the beginning, so the first quote I build hits a home run. Some of my clients send me exactly what they want, I book it, they go, they love it and I barely hear from them again. That’s the dream.
Confession #4: Your Pinterest Board May Cost $30,000
Social media has completely changed travel. TikTok and Instagram send you to the most gorgeous places, which are usually the most expensive places.
Have you seen the video of the Greek hotel where a girl runs through what is basically a cave room with a pool running through it, then lands on a daybed surrounded by water with the most gorgeous view? If you can frolic through a hotel room, it’s probably out of most budgets. We’re talking something like $3,000 to $5,000 a night. If you can spend that, amazing, call me, and please put me in your suitcase.
Remember that a lot of those creators take those trips for the views, to earn more views. So send me the TikToks. I love them and I watch them myself. Just be realistic about what’s in your budget.
The dreamy cliffside pools on your feed are real, and so are the nightly rates. Send the TikTok, and bring your budget.
Confession #5: Stop Trying to See All of Europe in Nine Days
People tell me, “I want to go to Italy, France, Spain, London and Germany.” How many days do you have? “Seven.” Have you looked at a map?
You’re not going to see all of that, and you won’t do any of it justice. It also busts the budget. Everyone says, “We’ll just take the train, it’s cheap,” but getting from southern Italy to Switzerland, Germany or France is not a quick trip. You’ve spent a whole day on a train. Even flying, you lose time in airports.
Pick one destination, maybe two. If you want Rome, go to Rome, then explore the off-the-beaten-path places around it. That’s where you experience the culture.
Want Rome? Go to Rome, then explore the off-the-beaten-path places around it. That’s where the culture is.
Confession #6: That 45-Minute Connection Isn’t the Flex You Think It Is
Airlines will sell you connections they think you can make. They’re not factoring in the Orlando storm that delays your flight to Atlanta before your flight to France. On an international trip, there’s often only one flight a day, and if you miss it, you lose your first night.
Domestic is different. Flying New York to Orlando with a 30- to 45-minute connection? Go for it, because there are probably three other flights you can hop on if you miss it. International? Don’t do that to yourself.
On an international trip there may be only one flight a day. Give yourself time to make that connection.
Confession #7: Your Flight Time Matters More Than You Think
Look at the total hours, not just the price. I’ve been trying to get from Orlando to Vienna, and there’s no direct flight. Some of the cheaper options were around 22 hours of travel. No thank you. Pay the extra $100 or $200 for the much shorter itinerary. It saves time and hassle. Spend the money on the flight and save on the hotel.
And when there is a direct flight, I take it, every time, even if it means giving up my loyalty to an airline.
Confession #8: Please Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute
Don’t count on prices coming down, especially when there’s a flight involved. You can sometimes find last-minute deals, but only gamble if you’re okay with not going. If it’s a honeymoon or a big celebration, book it ahead of time.
Many things, like cruises, let you reprice if the price drops in your favor. Hotels are stingier. Wait too long and it may be sold out, the flight may cost more than the hotel savings, and you may end up with the last cabin nobody wanted. (Maybe you’re fine with that if you just want to get on the ship.)
Confession #9: Travel Insurance Is Boring Until It Isn’t
Nobody gets excited about buying travel insurance. You’d rather put that money toward a spa treatment. So would I. But travel insurance isn’t for when everything goes right. It’s for the phone call nobody expected: an illness, an injury, a family emergency, a major delay, lost luggage.
I’ve had clients call because they got in a car accident, broke an ankle or a wrist, or couldn’t travel after getting sick. Policies are not all the same, so make sure you understand what’s covered and what isn’t. I recommend insurance to every client, not to make money on it, but because it helps every single person who’s ever needed it. I don’t travel without it myself, especially on an expensive trip.
Confession #10: Don’t Ghost Your Travel Advisor
For the love of everything holy, please don’t ghost your travel advisor. We put a lot of time into researching your trip. Then, poof, you’re gone.
Just tell me. “We went a different direction.” “We decided not to go.” “It was over our budget.” (No hard feelings; I’ll help you find something that fits.) “We booked with someone else.” Awesome, thanks for letting me know, and I can close the file. Or “I’ve been busy.” I get it. I have a radio show, a whole other podcast called Talk Virgin to Me, an entire business and a kid. Just let us know.
How to Be the Client Your Travel Advisor Loves
Share your real budget and your real must-haves up front.
Send the cart before you assume online is cheaper.
Pick one or two destinations, not five.
Choose sensible connections and shorter flights.
Book early, and buy travel insurance.
Answer your advisor, even if the answer is “no thanks.”
I absolutely love what I do. I wouldn’t be doing anything else, unless I were still on Broadway kicking up my heels. If you’re looking for a travel advisor, my team at Fabulous Adventures Travel would love to help. And if we’re not your jam, please work with another good travel advisor, because we really do make your vacation easier.
