Exciting Ways to Spend Your Holidays

Before the dawn of the information super highway, brick-and-mortar travel agencies were the key to booking travel arrangements and finding deals on airfare. These agencies helped travelers plan trips and book flights, hotel and car rental reservations, and other travel necessities. But as the Internet started to dominate all areas of commerce, travelers began to turn to online travel agencies instead of the brick-and-mortars. These “virtual” agencies offered all the travel planning options and discounts conventional travel agencies offered without requiring travelers to leave their home. No longer did travelers need to make appointments and meet face-to-face with a travel agent just to make travel arrangements. There was now a convenient online solution to booking travel arrangements and finding discounts on airfare.

Reality Check

Online travel agencies haven’t completely decimated the conventional brick-and-mortar shops. Traditional travel agencies still do a great deal of business with travelers and are one viable solution to booking travel arrangements. However, as busy as our lives can be, online travel agencies do offer a quick and convenient solution to finding airline tickets without taking you away from home, or even work – and the brick-and-mortar shops realize this. Some conventional agencies are also hitting the web and establishing travel websites to cater to those individuals looking to quickly search for and book flights. So even though online travel agencies haven’t completely decimated the conventional travel agency industry, they have established a viable and convenient alternative to booking vacations, business trips, and other travel plans.

Life Still Exists in the Brick-and-Mortars

Conventional travel agencies still command a large portion of the travel booking industry. Their face-to-face service is what keeps them in business and, depending on the needs of the traveler, a more realistic solution to booking travel arrangements. When you book your travel plans through a brick-and-mortar travel agency, you’re working with real people and if you’re a frequent traveler, it’s nice to have a “favored agent” to turn to for travel information and advice. With an online travel agency, you’re simply interacting with a virtual interface that allows you to search for and book your own travel plans without ever speaking with a live person. Many people prefer face-to-face interaction and would never even dream about using a travel website to book their travel plans. There is still something to be said about personal service and the conventional travel agencies are capitalizing on it by offering personalized services and conveniences to travelers.

So Where do We Go from Here?

As you can see, there are benefits and disadvantage to both conventional and online travel agencies. Each one offers its own experience and features that make it unique from the other and in favor with different people. When it comes to selecting the best option for you, you merely need to ask yourself “What am I looking for in a travel agency?” The best way to answer this question is to check out a few online travel agencies, compare them to some brick-and-mortars, and see which ones have the savings, products, and services you desire.

Remember the old days of airline travel? You drove to the brick-and-mortar travel agency, sat down with a travel agent, and discussed your vacation or business-travel plans. As we all know, those days are long gone. The rise of the Internet and online travel agents has made vacation planning and airline reservations a breeze. Nowadays, you can plan your vacation and book airline tickets at your computer, from the comfort of your home.

Using online travel agents makes vacation planning easier and more efficient than going through a traditional travel agent. You simply input the dates of your departure and arrival, your destination, and which airport you’d like to use. The online travel agent then searches hundreds of fares to find the best one for you, letting you compare offers from dozens of airlines. You can also check fares from airports in the surrounding areas from your chosen airport. Online travel agents also offer you the option of setting up e-mail alerts to find a fare in your preferred cost range.

The Advantage of Online Travel Agents

The benefits of online travel arrangement don’t end there, however. Hotel and car reservations are also available when using an online travel agent. Airline reservations can be bundled with deals from car-rental agencies and hotel chains, allowing vacationers, business travelers, and frequent flyers to do some one-stop shopping.

E-tickets are also available when you use online travel agents. Although some passengers feel more secure with a paper ticket in hand, these days, many airlines are charging extra for paper tickets. E-tickets, on the other hand, are cheaper and can be printed from your computer. They also allow passengers to check in online, over the telephone, or via self-service terminals at the airport. With e-tickets, boarding passes may also be printed at virtually any location with an Internet connection and a printer.

But What about the Human Touch?

Some may decry the loss of human contact when making important travel plans with an online travel agent. After all, if reservations are lost or erroneous, it’s hard for your computer to lend a sympathetic ear. However, in this 24-hour, workaday world, the convenience of an online travel agent allows travelers to make reservations at any time, not just during business hours. Online travel agents put you in control, allowing you to customize your reservations down to the smallest detail.

Speed, efficiency, and choice are the online travel agent’s stock in trade. Take advantage of this technology, and you’ll never have to page through a travel brochure again or sit in a travel agent’s office again!