You have an idea where you want to go. You also have an idea of what you want to do there. However, you have absolutely no idea if it’s a travel planner or a travel agent that you should hire.
And quite frankly, you probably have no idea if it’s necessary for you to hire any. Well, keep on reading this article. Below you will come across some of the most important things you need to know about a travel planner and a travel agent, and which one of them you should hire.
What’s the difference between a travel planner and a travel agent? A travel planner is someone you pay to make your trip go according to your own preference. A travel agent, on the other hand, is someone you approach to arrange everything that you need for your trip. Needless to say, a travel planner and a travel agent have two completely different jobs.
At first glance, it may seem like the work of a travel planner, and the work of a travel agent is the same.
However, this is not the case. Later on in this article, you will learn that the task carried out by a travel planner is completely different from the task performed by a travel agent.
What’s more, you will also discover a few other differences between a travel planner and a travel agent, such as how they earn money and reasons for hiring them.
Make sure that you share this article on your various social media sites once you get to its very end. This is especially true if you have family members and friends who are thinking about traveling sooner or later.
They will surely thank you for letting them know the differences between a travel planner and a travel agent!
Both of Them Help to Reduce Your Stress
Everyone knows that traveling is a fun and exciting endeavor. Especially if you are living a very stressful life and you just want to get away from it all for a while to de-stress, traveling is definitely a wonderful idea.
However, everyone also knows that traveling can be very stressful, most especially during the planning phase of it.
Well, this is when the benefit of hiring a travel planner or a travel agent becomes clear. Put simply, a travel planner and a travel agent help to make the preparation for your trip a less stressful one.
That’s because practically everything that you need to carry out before you begin your trip is performed by a travel planner and travel agent for you.
Thanks to these people, you only need to deal with a couple of things: packing your bags and paying for the trip itself.
Thanks to a travel planner or travel agent, you don’t have to spend a great deal of your time on the web trying to find the most memorable place to visit or the most affordable accommodation.
All you need to do is simply get in touch with a trusted and experienced travel planner or travel agent, and then wait for updates.
A Travel Planner Completes Your Plan
Just like what the name of the person’s job suggests, a travel planner is someone who makes the planning of your trip. He or she is the one who arranges just about everything you need or want to do during your trip.
It’s just like having your very own assistant or secretary who is tasked with making sure that your upcoming trip is planned very well.
Hiring a travel planner is highly recommended, especially if you would like for your trip to be as memorable as possible because it perfectly suits your personality and preferences.
Needless to say, a travel planner will ask you about the places you would like to visit, activities that you would like to experience, food that you would like to taste, and many others. With a travel planner, you can rest assured that your trip is going to be extraordinary.
The rough draft of your plan for your trip has to come from you. The job of a travel planner is to turn that rough draft into a more detailed plan.
In order to be able to do that, a travel planner will research about the city or country that you are about to visit, thus saving you from having to carry out that tedious task before you have your vacation.
A Travel Agent Books Your Various Needs
Having a detailed plan of your trip is pretty much useless if you don’t have all the things that you need to make that trip possible. When traveling, it’s not just visiting landmarks, tasting local delicacies, and shopping for souvenirs that are involved. There are also matters such as plane tickets, accommodation, land transportation, and others.
This is when a travel agent steps into the scene. Basically, he or she is someone who books your basic needs to make your trip happen.
Some of the tasks that a travel agent does include booking your flight, reserving your hotel room, arranging your car rental, putting your name on the list of a paid tour — you get the idea.
It is also a travel agent that you can count on if you are planning on going on a cruise or spending your time at a resort.
Just like a travel planner, a travel agent can customize your necessities according to your needs or preferences.
For instance, if you are traveling on a shoestring budget, then your chosen travel agent will look for pocket-friendly deals to make sure that you are not going to come back from your grand vacation with a drained bank account!
They Rake in Profit in Different Approaches
Right now, you already have a better idea about the differences between a travel planner and a travel agent based on the tasks that they carry out.
There is one more difference between the two that you should also know about, and that’s how they make money. One of them obtains money directly from you, and the other obtains money indirectly.
When hiring a travel planner, you need to pay the person. This is something to expect because he or she is providing service to you.
The amount of money you hand to a travel planner is called travel fee, and the rate varies from one travel planner to the other. It all depends on the person’s experience and expertise.
On the other hand, a travel agent makes money by getting commissions from airline companies, hotels, car rental services, resorts, and others where he or she makes a booking for the customers. Sometimes a travel agent may also ask for a fee from a customer.
Usually, travel agents do not carry out tasks that won’t allow them to get commissions, such as telling you when to fly to a city, which tourist spot to pay a visit, and where to eat.
Those are the tasks that travel planners perform as there’s no need for them to get commissions — they make money by asking for planning fees.
Before You Hire a Travel Planner or Travel Agent
As you can see, a travel planner and a travel agent are two different people that perform two different tasks for you. They also make money in different ways.
However, one thing remains true: both a travel planner and a travel agent can make your vacation happen and go as smooth-sailing as possible, too.
Which between a travel planner and a travel agent you should hire depends on your needs or preferences.
Do you want your trip to be personalized? Then you should definitely seek the help of a travel planner.
Do you want your trip to be as stress-free as possible? Then you should definitely approach a travel planner.
Can you hire both of them simultaneously? Of course, you can!
Just make sure that you provide both of them the important details to ensure that a travel planner can make the right plan, and a travel agent can make the necessary bookings.
