Do I Need a Travel Agency?
In the age of the almighty Internet, a lot of travelers tend to scold travel agencies and claim that they are not worth the money. We personally love planning our trips by ourselves and have already recommended you how to plan your trip online, find the best accommodation, and what apps to use on the road. However, agencies can also be a mighty travel tool if you know when and how to use it. Here are some situations in which you might want to check out your local agency.
You Need a Visa
Applying for a visa can be a confusing process, taking a lot of your time, nerves and luck. Sometimes embassies are far away and sometimes they require papers that are difficult to get, such as invitations. Good news is that travel agencies know how visas work, and they can help you fill in the papers or will even do that for you for a fee. Usually, it’s a separate service and doesn’t require you to book a tour with them.
You Have No Idea Where to Go
Sometimes you’re just out of ideas and don’t have the energy to come up with a plan. You have a fixed amount of time and a fixed amount of money and you want to simply hear a list of options that can suit you. That’s exactly what a travel agency will do for you! And who knows, maybe they’ll offer something you’d never have thought of yourself?
You’re Planning Last Moment
The first rule of booking on the Internet is that everything is cheaper when you buy it in advance. Therefore, if for some reason you have to fly tomorrow, it makes sense to ask a travel agency of they have a pre-booked offer for your dates and destinations. A couple of days before the trip the discounts can be exorbitant as they try to get at least some money for the under-booked trips. They might even have tickets to the planes that are shown on the web as fully booked!
It’s a Big Company / Many Destinations
Booking everything on your own is so easy if you’re just you plus a friend or two, but doing it for >5 people can be a nightmare. There might not be enough tickets for buses, enough rooms in a hotel, etc. So let the professionals handle your group bookings, and maybe negotiate you some deals while they’re at it! The same goes for complicated logistics – transporting those big groups of people across several countries is not what you want to do if you’re not a professional.
It’s your First Time and You’re Afraid
Travel can be scary, if you’re not experienced in it, so in case you’re just preparing to dip your toe in the wonderful sea of travel, maybe having an organised trip is not a bad idea. Paying attention to all the organisational minutiae can add so much stress to your already stressful out-of-the-box venture that it stops being pleasant altogether. It’s just easier to focus on your experience if you don’t have to worry about where you’re going to sleep tonight.
You don’t Know the Language
Ok, so your English might be adequate (otherwise, how are you reading this article?), but there are still places on Earth where it won’t help you communicate (looking at you, Morocco!). It can get really exhausting trying to convey your thoughts by gestures all the time and not getting what you want. On organized tours, you have somebody who speaks your language and a local one. Moreover, you’ll meet fellow travelers with whom you can chat in a common language.
