How much does it cost to hire a Travel Agent for my trip?
My husband and I are wanting book a 7 day stay in New York City, and wanted flight and hotel covered. We live in Northern California (about 2 hours from the Oregon border) and I would like to know if anyone knows how much it would be to go through a travel agent? Is their cost added into the cost of the package with the flight and hotel? Or do they get a commission on booking vacation packages, and thats how they get paid, so there would be no money coming out on my end?
Please, only serious answers. Thanks!
6 Responses
MyParadisePlanne
13 Nov 2010
Karen
13 Nov 2010
They get paid through the cruise lines and destination hotels. But, the price they charge you is probably higher than what you would pay if you book it yourself.
kamaole3
13 Nov 2010
Not all travel agencies charge the customer a fee. It depends on whether or not they receive a commission from the airline and/or hotel. What I would do is go to Travelocity.com or Expedia.com, select Flight and Hotel package, put in your departure and destination cities and from-and-to dates, and see what comes up for choices. On the last couple of trips I booked with them (one with each company), they did not charge me a service fee. And it wasn’t built into the cost either, because I checked the individual airlines’ websites and they were not charging less money on a direct booking. If you find something that meets your needs, and the price is right, you can either book online or contact a local travel agent to see if they can do better.
David N
13 Nov 2010
It depends on the travel agent.
Some work on commission from the hotels and airlines, some may charge you a percentage.
They can often get hotel rooms cheaper than you could so that even if you were to pay a percentage, you might end up paying the same amount that you would pay if you booked it on your own — without all of the time and hassle.
If anything goes wrong, travel agents usually have more clout than you do.
Rax
13 Nov 2010
They get commissions from the airline or tour operators. Why not try booking through the internet? That way you can compare prices and tour destinations.
Jared P
13 Nov 2010
Travel agents do get commission or charge a booking fee. This does not mean that you are going to pay more necessarily than booking it on your own. Agents sometimes have special deals with hotels that can be cheaper than on booking engines. The best way to see is to compare prices. Try http://www.travelection.com to get bids from a variety of sources.
It depends on the travel agent. I myself don’t charge any fees at all, but some agencies do. The reason agents sometimes charge fees is because we do a lot of work planning a client’s trip and then if the client doesn’t book it with us we don’t get paid that commission through the hotel we were going to book them with. So most agents charge a fee just to cover their backs and make sure they get paid for their work.
But internet booking sites, such as Expedia, actually do charge fees! They take them on at the end and hide them in their "taxes and fees" price so you have no clue, but they do charge you for their services.
It’s better to use a travel agent for your trips. They care way more about making sure you have a great vacation as opposed to sites like Expedia where you’re just another number.
With a travel agent, you won’t have to resort to Yahoo Answers to ask questions, just a quick phone call or email to your TA will answer any question you have making the whole process much easier for you. 🙂