Planning a trip for your small business can be tedious, not to mention time-consuming. Remember, time is money, and if you waste time aimlessly browsing through travel blogs and travel sites online, that is money lost. Save yourself from the mind-numbing ways of comparing rates from one hotel to by coursing your travel bookings through a travel agent. If you still need more assurance, here are four ways that enlisting the service of a travel agent is a foolproof way to help you arrive at the most productive and cost-efficient ways to book trips for your business.
1. Do not overthink the fee. The principle here is simple-the cost it will incur to hire a professional is almost always less than how much it will cost if you'll book your trips on your own. Travel agents can usually get you corporate discounts, no matter how many people are traveling for that particular trip. They are well informed about the discount vacation programs that different airlines, hotels, or even car-rental services offer.
You must also remember that travel agents have already established relationships with these companies, and are most likely enjoying personal discounts that they can gladly extend to you to further reduce the cost of your travel.
2. The web has everything to offer, but sometimes, that's exactly the problem. Have you ever tried typing in "company trip to Thailand" and end up with sixteen million or so results? With the agenda of the trip itself already on your plate, the overwhelming task of weeding out useless and scam-like results is the last thing you need. You don't have to go through all this when you have a travel agent in the picture.
Whether you're looking for the cheapest rates, or trips that will allow you to book at the eleventh hour, your travel agent can easily whip up options for you. You can even simply tell them your preferences, and it will be up to them to tailor-fit a travel plan that meets your specifications.
3. Incentives, incentives, incentives. You'll be surprised by the amount of incentives you can get by booking your trips through a travel agent. We're not even talking about vacation discounts alone-we've covered that already with the first point. When we say incentives, this could be something small, like free dinner on your first night, or something as big as an upgrade in your flight from economy to business class on your next booking. It is somewhat similar to having access to a pile of coupons, thanks to your travel agent.
Always remember that travel agencies want to build relationships with as much as they want to with suppliers, so they could keep you coming back. So whether this can be done by giving you upfront perks or incentives that you can only avail when you course your next trip through them, these are still items and services that you get on top of what you paid for. At the end of the day, it is still about business, and we all know that loyal patrons always translate to revenue.
4. Travel emergencies can be solved in a jiffy. Inevitable things can happen during your trip-this includes bad weather, missing passports, vacations that are suddenly cut short, and what not. There is also that unimaginable nightmare of having one of your employees missing. These occasions can easily turn into a fiasco especially when you're overseas, but that's not always the case when you have a trusty travel agent to solve this for you.
Travel agents are easily available when you need to rebook your flights in such short notice. Do-it-yourself online booking sites rarely offer this service, and you know full well what happens when you don't rebook your flights on time. Yes, you shell out extra money.
Booking your trips online can work for you if you're the hands-on type, but it is always a good idea to consider the value that will be added by enlisting the help of a travel agent. This value is not just limited to tapping into discount vacations, but also finding a safe and hassle-free way to plan your travels.
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