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Why Use a Travel Agent? One Reason Is Surprising

July 29, 2022
"Travelers Delight." a map with passports, cameras, sunglasses, cup of coffee, and polaroids assorted on top of it.

We all love to travel, right? Dreaming of, and planning that next trip is almost as fun as the trip itself. With so much information at our fingertips, researching everything from destinations, flights, hotels, and tours, to local customs, foods, and hidden gems is more accessible than ever. At the same time, the seemingly endless options can overwhelm even the most experienced and savvy D.I.Y. traveler. 

If you’re planning a trip for the near future, you may want to consider booking with a travel agent. Don’t be so quick to assume “you got this” and there’s no need for a middle person. Now more than ever, these pros can work their magic to not only help you plan your trip, but to keep it moving along smoothly. Here are our top reasons why we think you should use a travel agent and the last one will probably surprise you.

Travel Agents Have Connections That You Don’t

a woman lounging on the balcony of her cabin on a cruise ship. she is smiling, her hands crossed resting in her lap and her legs are stretched out with feet crossed and resting on the railing.

©Stephen & Andie

Travel agents have unique and leveraged relationships with the businesses they book. They have access to discounts on flights and accommodations, which alone will save you money. Travel agents also have the buying power to get extra perks and amenities that we everyday consumers don’t have access to. It’s the exact reason “do use a travel agent” made the #1 spot in our First-Time Cruisers Dos and Don’ts article.

Inside Knowledge and Experience

man and woman horseback, posing in front of Cotopaxi - Ecuador's second-largest active volcano. Cotopaxi National Park.

©Stephen & Andie

Travel agents can have in-depth knowledge and experience in the specific type of travel you are trying to book. This means they can offer tips and recommendations to give you a better experience. Case in point: with our recent trip to Ecuador, Cotopaxi National Park wasn’t on our radar – like, at all. But our agents recommended it as a day trip from Quito and set us up with an amazing horseback riding tour there. We spent three hours exploring the vast area surrounding Ecuador’s second-largest active volcano, and that ended up being one of our favorite experiences of our entire two-week trip.

They Will Look Out For You

man sitting in bathrobe on bed in his cruise ship cabin with suitcases next to the bed

©Stephen & Andie

Before our first cruise (to Alaska!), our agent prepped us with information that we newbies might not have known otherwise. One example is something that is common knowledge to experienced cruisers. The crew will collect your bags the night before disembarkation and have them waiting for you off the ship the next morning. This isn’t mandatory, as we’ve seen plenty of people wheeling their own luggage off the ship, but it sure is convenient. Without that heads-up from our agent, we might not have known to bring a small day-bag along to carry off our PJs, toiletries, and any other items we needed to keep with us on that last night.

Another example of our travel agents having our backs was during our time in Ecuador.  Being in places like the Amazon and Galapagos Islands, that trip included more pre-scheduled group tours than we would normally take part in. If we had any issues connecting with these tours, we were able to contact our agents to help us. They were even available in near real-time to answer any questions we had during our D.I.Y. days in Quito – one of which we spent taking in some of the most amazing views the capital city has to offer. You can see them for yourselves in our vlog, Two Days of Incredible Views | Quito Ecuador.

How Much Does a Travel Agent Cost? 

Here comes that “surprising” bit we mentioned in the title. So, you’re asking, “how much does a travel agent cost?” When we started to talk with friends and other travelers about our experiences with our travel agents, one of the first questions we get asked is “how much do they cost?” A lot of people like to D.I.Y. their trips to save money, and they feel that a travel agent might be an unnecessary expense. Our travel agents cost us nothing. In fact, they saved us money. In the case of the agents that we have used, they get paid in commissions from the tour companies that they book us with. We have never paid a dfee to our travel agents. There are some that charge for their services, so be sure to ask up front. But many do not and that’s why we feel there’s no good reason to skip including this essential travel partner in your plans.

In Conclusion

If you’re planning to stay in budget accommodations, not pre-planning activities or transportation, then you might be better off booking your own trip.  But if you’re looking at a more complex itinerary with more moving parts, or simply seeking inside knowledge to help guide you in unfamiliar territory, it’s a great idea to use a travel agent. They’ll make your life easier, get you discounts, and be there in case anything goes wrong.

Have a Look At Our Trusted Travel Partners:

Dale at Treat Yourself Travel.

Angelica and Christian at Terra Sur Travels.

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TRAVEL, FOOD, CULTURE, CLIMATE
CURRENT SERIES: 🐒 Ecuador! 🇪🇨

Stephen & Andie | Travel Stuff
Cotopaxi – we had it all to ourselves! 🌋⁠
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We took a day-trip to Cotopaxi National Park and explored Ecuador’s second-largest active volcano on horseback. After stopping along the way to pick up some coca candies to help prevent altitude sickness, we were surprised to learn that we were the only ones in our group to choose horseback riding over hiking or mountain bikes. This meant we had the entire vast area surrounding Cotopaxi all to ourselves! Our guide and our three beautiful horses led us through an ever-changing terrain and the weather took a turn for the worse halfway through. We got pelted with hail and rocked by wicked thunder and lightning! We also saw lots of bones, a lone wild horse, and got some incredible drone footage!⁠
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Our new vlog is Episode 3 of our Ecuador series and it's live on Youtube! This is the third video in our first-ever international series. Quito, Ecuador was the first international trip we took together back in 2011. Eleven years later, it’s where we filmed our first international series and first drone footage for our channel! ⁠
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We spent two weeks in Ecuador this time, including Quito, day-trips to Mindo and Cotopaxi National Park, the Amazon, and one of our top-3 bucket list destinations: the Galápagos Islands! Our Amazon and Galapagos vlogs will be rolling out over the coming weeks!⁠
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Have you been to (or would you go to) an active volcano? Which one? Let us know!⁠
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Giddy on up over to that → link in bio ← to see the vlog!⁠
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#cotopaxi #cotopaxinationalpark #ecuador #volcano #activevolcano #ecuadorvolcanoes #horseback #travelmatters #YouTube #travelvlog #southamericatravel #ecuadortravel #terrasurtravels
This video is slowed down to 25%. That means this This video is slowed down to 25%. That means this little guy is really flapping his wings 4 TIMES FASTER than this! 🤯 Oh yeah - and he’s in today’s new vlog.

➡️ LINK IN BIO ⬅️

We took a day-trip from Quito to Mindo and hiked through the cloud forest to see some beautiful waterfalls and zipline above the canopy. On our way there, we stopped at San Tadeo Birding (where we met this hummingbird) and Mariposario De Mindo. Since Ecuador is home to some of the world’s best chocolate, we visited a local, artisanal chocolatier to see how it’s made. 
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#hummingbird #ecuador #mindo #travelvlog #vloggers #travelmatters #southamerica #youtube
Our first international series (and our first dron Our first international series (and our first drone shots!!!) in 1, 2, 3, 4… 

Quito, Ecuador was the first international trip we took together back in 2011. Nearly 11 years later, it’s where we filmed our first international series and our first drone footage! 

But on this trip to Ecuador, we spent two whole weeks and we didn’t just visit Quito. We made day trips to Mindo and Cotopaxi National Park, spent a few days in the Amazon, and five days in one of our top-3 bucket list destinations: the Galápagos Islands!

This week’s vlog kicks off of our Ecuador series with Quito! Head to that LINK IN BIO to explore the capital city with us!

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#elpanecillo #elpanecilloquito #quito #ecuador #southamerica #travelvlog #travelmatters #youtubers #travelvloggers #dronevideography
Is this seat taken? ⁠🥰⁠ We don't typically Is this seat taken? ⁠🥰⁠
We don't typically lounge in the sun, or take cruises. But when both of those things happen twice, within 6 months' time, there's only one logical thing for us to do: 🛳 A SHIP-COMPARISON VIDEO! 🚢⁠
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Which cruise line did we like better? → 🔗 IN BIO ←  for our @princesscruises vs. @royalcaribbean face-off video! ⁠
We explore the differences between the ships and ⁠compare things like the food, our cabins, the service, decor, and more!⁠⁠ Spoiler alert: the competition wasn't even close!⁠
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This is the final video from our Caribbean cruise series⁠ which took place on @the80scruise! Swipe ⬅️ for a taste of the on-deck differences 📷:⁠
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⬅️ 1) taking full advantage of a rare, empty row of lounge chairs on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas.⁠
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⬅️ 2) so long, Seattle. Alaska here we come! sailing away on Princess Cruises' Majestic Princess⁠.⁠
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⬅️ 3) from trying to stay cool on the Caribbean...⁠
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⬅️ 4) ... to trying to stay warm in Alaska.⁠
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⬅️ 5) Mariner of the Seas had hammocks and plenty of on-board games and activities...⁠
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⬅️ 6) ... and Majestic Princess showed us glaciers(!) and some of the most amazing wildlife and nature we've ever seen. ⁠
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#princesscruises #majesticprincess #royalcaribbean #marineroftheseas #alaskacruise #caribbeancruise #cruiseshipcomparison #cruiseship #cruiselife #travelmatters #youtubers #travelvlog #cruiseshipvlog #caribbean #alaska
BEST SANDWICHES! If you are in New Jersey, go here BEST SANDWICHES! If you are in New Jersey, go here and tell Giovanni that Stephen & Andie sent ya!

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#foodstagram #travelvlog #travelvlog #travelmatters #italiandeli #bayonne #newjersey #bestmozzarella #foodie #whattoeatinnewjersey #supportlocal
Don't forget to stop and take time to appreciate w Don't forget to stop and take time to appreciate where you are.⁠
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So much of the time, we're go-go-going. We often have to remind ourselves to just stop and take it all in. We've been so fortunate to see some amazing places and things just this past year alone. Now, we want to figure out how to slow down a little and make the experiences even richer.⁠
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How do you like travel?: ⁠
Do as much as possible or slow + chill?⁠
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#stmaarten #sintmaarten saintmaarten #saintmartin #caribbean #caribbeancruise #royalcaribbean #travelmatters #vloggers #travelvloggers #youtubers⁠
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☀️ Hello, summer! Wishing you a summer full o ☀️ Hello, summer! 
Wishing you a summer full of happiness, incredible experiences, and tons of new memories. Are these geese #summergoals, or what? 😊
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#firstdayofsummer #summervibes☀️ #summertime #summer2022 #canadageese #canadageeseofinstagram #goslings #northcarolina #westernnorthcarolina #water #waterreflection #pondlife #reflections
They were SO CLOSE! 🛩 😳 When we learned St. They were SO CLOSE! 🛩 😳
When we learned St. Maarten was one of the stops on our @RoyalCaribbean cruise, we knew there was only one thing we had to do – go to Maho Beach a.k.a. “airplane beach." The planes were so low – and directly above us! – as they came in for a landing!

It is seriously SO FUN! It seems like you can practically touch them, and if you’re lucky enough to time your visit right, you’ll catch one of the couple massive JUMBO JETS that come into Princess Juliana International Airport every day.

It was a $10 cab ride from our port. If you’re not up for standing right in the path of the planes, there’s a restaurant right at the end of the beach where you can enjoy a drink and/or food with a view of all of the action.

Buckle up and hit that 🔗 to see em all in our ✈ NEW VLOG ✈ 

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#stmaarten #mahobeach #stmaartenairport #sintmaarten #airplanebeach #caribbean #saintmartin #sxmairport #travelmatters #vloggers #travelvloggers #youtubers
Guess who’s celebrating another year around the Guess who’s celebrating another year around the sun today? 🥳 Please join me in wishing Andie a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 🎂🎉🎈

To the most wonderful woman in the world - here’s to another 365 days of exploring the world and sharing all of life’s adventures. 😍 .

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#happybirthday #birthday #birthdaygirl #gemini #travel #vlogger #explore #lustforlife 
#family
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