Travel Insider Tip #1

Since you can see the link to my own CruiseOne website at the top of this blog, you know that I am travel agent specializing in cruises.  For this reason, I end up party to a lot of inside information on how the industry works which I am perfectly happy to share with visitors to this site.  So, consider this Part I in my inside secret tips that can help you plan a better vacation at considerable savings.

To begin with, a lot of people know that prices tend to fluctuate throughout the year based on supply and demand.  For example, an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean is going to cost you more per person the week after Christmas than it will even a month later--and a lot more than in July when people are enjoying nice weather here in the States and aren't as interested in traveling south to the Caribbean as much.  Seems simple, but this is a source of frustration for many people when they go to book something for a particular week, look at the price and then feel like they should be getting a better deal than they are getting.

What people don't realize is that almost all resorts and cruise lines practice what you might call "flat pricing" in that the rate they offer one travel agency is the rate they offer everybody else.  So, you will often see a lot of teaser rates out there and a lot of come-ons that have a lot of fine print in them as agencies struggle to differentiate themselves in a market where there is essentially little, if any, differentiation--at least when it comes to pricing.  The real difference boils down to the quality of service that you might expect which is definitely going to vary from agency to agency and even agent to agent.

This is really the driving force behind the rise of travel agents throughout the country, which has been reported  on recently in The Washington Post, ABC News and USA Today.  Clients have realized that they are going to get the same price booking something themselves online as they are with a travel agent--except with a travel agent you get personal service and you have recourse beyond a 1-800 call center.  I can attest to this directly since twice in the last month alone I have booked people that have traditionally booked online and they were completely blown away by the fact that they were getting the same price from me as what they were getting online from whatever website or even with the cruise line or resort itself.

Anyway, I don't want this to sound too much like a plug, but it is some real insider information that can make a big difference in making sure you get what you want at the best price possible.  And hey, if you are going to pay the same anyway, why not put us travel agents to work for you and save some headache on your end?