Let’s be clear here, while we thoroughly enjoy the challenge of putting together the flight, accommodations, local tours, etc., you may not, and you’re not alone as most people don’t. Planning can be quite detailed and complicated, so utilizing a travel agent to negotiate the territory on your behalf often provides an invaluable service. There are numerous excellent reasons to use a travel agent, some of which can be found below:
1) As this “ain’t their first rodeo”, they can bring to the table a lot of things you’d probably never consider
2) You’re the polar opposite of the “wing it” type
3) You’re too busy to plan on your own
4) You’re not good at planning
5) This is your first journey and you’re unsure of what to do
6) Unknowledgeable with regard to the place you are going
7) Don’t want to deal with details of the planning
8) Don’t need/want the stress of planning
9) You want a “defined” journey with less potential for big “surprises”
10) If you need someone to “fix” a problem that shouldn’t have happened
11) They have good travel insurance
Knowing most of the details, for instance, where you’re going, how to get there, and what to do when you show up, serve to make you feel more confident when traveling on your journey. Knowing even simple details with planned travel and those nuances, such as, does the resort run a shuttle from the receiving airport to the resort? Some do, some don’t. It’s nice to know that ahead of time. We’ve had both happen in countries where our understanding of the language was limited. Thankfully that’s not something that rattles us.
As stated earlier, the more you know, the more confident you can be while traveling, the easier it will be when you experience something unplanned. Because it happens, period. But don’t be scared, often it can be fun figuring out how to get through an unplanned situation! Things like changing out a hotel stay at 9pm local time where you’re traveling might sound like a horrifying and a formidable task, but it’s actually not as bad as it sounds, we’ve done it several times.
One of the biggest pitfalls is when our journey may be taking us to a place that is culturally rich, it’s very tempting to try to pack as much in as possible. Our advice? Schedule as much as you feel comfortable with, but don’t cram in so much that you can’t enjoy your experience. Maybe a second journey will be warranted to experience the rest…
Bottom line, is that we think one of the most important things to remember is –
Your journey is YOUR journey.
Always be cognizant of your goals for the journey. Don’t do what someone else thinks you should do, just because they want you to, do it because you want to. Unless you’re traveling with others (which is a whole different ball game), you’ll want to tailor it to you and you alone. When taking a journey with others, it goes without saying that the planning should include things that benefit everyone involved as best as can be.