If you’re like me, internet searches are your BFF when it comes to travel planning. As a travel journalist and an experienced traveler, I typically rely heavily on searches and booking websites when making travel plans. There’s a lot to consider when planning a family trip. Let me tell you, there’s no shame in asking for help!
Reasons to enlist an expert
So what can a travel professional do for you? We reached out to some expert family travel planners to find out the benefits.
1. Hassle-free planning
One way to travel is with a tour company. An organization like Intrepid Travel is skilled at planning out all of the details for its guests, as it’s done for more than 30-years. The company’s focused on responsible, ethical, small group travel. Intrepid’s got tours specifically for families, as well as for families with teens.
If you’re considering a trip abroad, especially in an unfamiliar country, this is a great way to travel. If planning a family trip to Asia or Africa seems daunting, a company like Intrepid can handle all of the details. Sounds nice, right? Intrepid Travel operates two dozen global offices with on-the-ground experts, meaning you get an authentic experience.
Matt Berna is Intrepid Travel’s Managing Director in North America. He tells us that, “Booking your next vacation with Intrepid Travel means you can continue to dream about your upcoming trip with your children, knowing that all the logistics – including accommodation, in destination transportation, activities and meals – have been planned for you and they will give back to the people and places you visit.”
2. Knowledge of the rules
The rules of travel have changed a lot in recent years, for a myriad of reasons. Whether due to the pandemic, or visa requirements that affect American travelers. A travel planner’s job is to keep up with these changes for their clients.
“Travel is on its way back, but it’s complicated,” says Kimberly Anwar. She’s the owner of Magic Family Getaways, an authorized Disney Vacation Planner. “At Magic Family Getaways, we do our own due diligence on each of the suppliers and destinations we present to our clients. We take the stress away from searching and planning, and truly are advocates for our clients. We learned a lot during the pandemic and have specific destinations top of mind for our clients where we know they have excellent health and safety protocols.”
Jeanne DeBell Polocheck is the Owner of Well Traveled Texan Luxury Travel. Polocheck stresses the importance of using a travel advisor, especially right now. “We cut through all the confusing information on destination requirements before you go, what it’s like on the ground at that destination to set and manage your expectations and give you an idea of the best trip ideas for your budget right now.”
3. Ability to save you money
If you think that booking through a tour company or with a travel advisor will cost more, that’s not necessarily true.
“Many people don’t understand the benefit of using a travel advisor. When you book your vacation with Magic Family Getaways there’s no fee for our travel planning services. You pay the exact price as you would online with the supplier directly, but you have a travel advisor there for you to help you every step of the way. Agents typically make money after people have traveled and paid by the supplier,” says Anwar.
By using a travel advisor, you’ll definitely save time and worry.
4. May have extra perks available
Potential cost savings aren’t the only perk. Travel advisors may also have hook-ups, thanks to their partnerships.
Polocheck explains how these relationships can benefit her clients, “Well Traveled Texan is a member of the Signature Travel Consortia, a group of agency owners like myself, who use our collective buying power to negotiate complimentary VIP benefits for our clients at over 1,500 hotels, resorts, cruise lines, and land tours – benefits like daily breakfast for two, $100 resort credits for food and beverage, and upgrades when available.”
5. Will advocate for refunds
Sometimes plans change unexpectedly. Your travel planner is also your advocate when it comes to adjusting your plans and getting your money back.
“When there’s a situation where a vacation needs to be changed or rebooked, it’s the advisor calling, replanning the vacation, checking new availability, doing all the behind the scenes work to assist that client to rebook or cancel – if that’s necessary. Travel advisors help the client to get the refund. They spend hours upon hours on hold rebooking or canceling,” says Anwar of her team of travel specialists.
And when booking with a company like Intrepid, you’re just working with one company, instead of changing or canceling with multiple destinations and operators. Intrepid’s flexible bookings policy allows travelers to change or cancel trips up to 21 days before departure for international trips, or 30 days for domestic ones, without fees.
6. Skilled at anticipating trends
Intrepid stays on top of travel trends and adapts its offerings accordingly. Immediately following the pandemic, 90% of Americans travelers explored the U.S. instead of going abroad.
In response, Intrepid Travel added several U.S. family tours. Some of those trips include adventures to Zion, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. There are no more than 16 travelers per group and, according to Berna, “the tours are designed to be more immersive than sightseeing, embedding sustainable experiences.” He says, “Parentsvare eager to integrate their children into the world, whether it’s visiting an Indigenous Navajo community outside of Zion National Park or experiencing dog sledding with a visit to Iditarod Sled Dogs in Alaska.”
Travel planning checklist
A few final words of advice, check flights in advance of booking other details as there may be fewer choices this year. If a rental car is needed, reserve it early. Most rental car companies don’t charge a deposit which means you can always look for a better deal as you get closer to your travel date.
Now that the planning’s covered … if only someone else could do the packing …
Related: What To Do If Your Passport’s About To Expire
