Who uses a travel agent anymore?
A lot of people.
Or else i wouldn't have a job.
The last time I saw an open travel agency was in a Boscov’s department store where the median age of the clientele was ~80.
You're in Orlando. I don't necessarily think
the people driving down the street to go to Disney and Universal are going to be asking a Travel Agent to book their stuff.
(And even then, we have people like Cup_of_Coffee claiming that people in your own city still need help)
You think families with kids and full time jobs want to sit down and figure out how to manage their FIRST time trip to Disney or Universal warts and all?
As an agent who specializes in Disney and Universal, i make a point to NAIL it for them and make it all count so that when they go down and have a great time, they always come back to me! And i genuinely feel bad for someone like Codeman who has been done dirty by a travel agent, because that's a client lost and a person who never trusts them to do something again, which is a shame, cause it's that type of loss that does the entire industry a bad name.
It's gotten so complicated, that people would rather throw money at trip planners to do their work instead. People don't have time to sit through various articles on when's the best time to visit, where to eat, where to stay, which ticket package is worth it, what is a lightning lane, etc.
When you're planning a trip that prices out to about $5K+ for a few days, it's easy to pay an extra hundred bucks to 'guarantee' a better planned trip.
Still a big market for international visitors to use touring agencies.
There is a PLETHORA of examples.
What's a Skyliner and why is it only offered at certain resorts?
How about Disney Dining plan options? What's the difference? How do those credits work? Why does something like Cinderella's Royal Table or Be Our Guest use 2 of them?
Lightning lane options? Multi-Pass? Virtual Queue?
Do you know how Disney promos work? When they're released? Do most people even know that you can still add a Disney promotion to your trip even though it was booked 6 months ago and it can end up saving you hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars?
Like, Alicia said, these companies change their policies SO OFTEN why not go to a professional to get those details yourself?
And guess what? I charge NOTHING EXTRA for my services! These agencies exist!
What's better than an expert in their field giving you the same price, if not better, for what you were already looking to do and now YOU don't have to do any of the work?
Let's open our eyes a little bit wider than simply what we're used to seeing, empathize with what we might not totally understand, and see that there is a big world out there and not everyone has time or wherewithal to dedicate to planning their own trips
