the Cost of Travel Agents

A Michigan-based travel agency provided me with the name and contact information for a single agent who, via email and phone, helped suggest and arrange round trip flight, car rental, and hotels for a two-week trip overseas. The agent emailed options and prices according to my needs and specific requests regarding price, timing, and locations. I never met with her in person.

The agent was prompt and helpful in responding to my requests during weekdays, but not available on weekends, which was somewhat inconvenient. She was able to find excellent savings on airfare and car rental (both at least 25% less than what I could find on my own) but I found lower prices for hotels on my own by searching online than what she suggested. The airfare and car rental savings alone were worth the price I paid for this service, however, and I would definitely use this service again. In the end, it saved me both time and money.

Paying a fair price for a travel agent or agency can save you both time and money when searching for airfare and car rental with their inside connections, but make sure you spend a moment checking prices yourself to make sure you're really getting a deal. You may be able to find cheaper hotel prices yourself through any of the online hotel booking sites. The other advantage of this is reading other travelers' reviews and making sure it is a good match for you, which is a more important consideration for hotel than for car or flight.