Travel and technology

Technology and the travel industry have a love-hate relationship. 

Our degree of connectivity with our preferred suppliers and quick and easy answers to specific needs and requirements is great, however it can backlash when clients use the Internet as a tool to then take our suggestions and go to non-service websites to save a few dollars.

Travel consultants earn their keep through commissions, which suppliers pay them in exchange for our professional referrals and bookings. 

An experienced travel adviser sifts through a mountain of information and narrows it down to products that suit the needs of each individual client. 

They tailor-make a vacation based on expectations, budget, preferences and activities.

I often hear people say, “I always find better deals online." 

Let’s dissect that statement just a bit. Did you not first ask friends or family if they’d been there or what they liked about the destination? 

Or let’s be honest. Didn’t you talk to a travel consultant who suggested such and such a hotel or resort would be perfect for you? 

Technically you didn’t “find” a better deal online, you knew what resort to look at because a professional took the time to research on your behalf.

The travel consulting business has long been misunderstood and unacknowledged. Travel proposals and itinerary planning take lots of time and research. 

An experienced, well travelled consultant can offer invaluable insights, value added benefits and a guiding light through the multitude of options available. It has become a common practice for professional travel advisors to now charge initial consulting fees. 

They are reimbursed up front for the time and effort they put into creating tailor-made itineraries and/or negotiating group proposals. The fee is applied toward your final balance if you book with the consultant. Fair remuneration for a professional service.

Technology has also exposed the avid traveller to a global community of travel suppliers. 

The “in destination” suppliers that Canadian Travel Consultants deal with have all been sourced and vetted as legitimate tourist organizations. 

To do business in Canada they have purchased the necessary insurances and posted the required bonds.  They have long-standing partnerships and are governed by standards of conduct. 

We can broker their services with confidence and have recourse should arrangements go awry. 

It’s for these reasons that travel advisers don’t get involved with Airbnb or VRBO style of accommodations. 

We have no recourse should your money go missing or the accommodation not be as advertised. The Internet has allowed tour operators from all countries to advertise direct to the client.   

Their pricing seems so much lower but remember the monies you’re sending overseas are not insured and if services are not delivered who do you go to? 

The laws and conduct of business can be very different in other countries.

Your time, your money, your dream vacation is all priceless. Put yourself in the hands of a professional and the peace of mind alone is worth every dollar.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.