Confused With All the Travel Advice on the Internet?
regarding travel. There are online travel sites for cruises, hotels,
air, trains and any other type of travel. But what is the correct
product for you? Is the location of the hotel where you want to be? Is
the type of room or cabin the right fit for you? Is that cruise line
the one you should be booking? Not all products are created equal nor
are the products right for everyone. How do you tell? Contact a travel
professional.Do travel agents exist?There have been multiple articles,
and even the President of the United States, has said travel agents
don't exist or are going away. In a way they are right. Travel agents
in the past were just someone who booked a trip for someone who called
or came in to the storefront office of a travel agency. Storefront
travel agencies are few and far between now a days as most of the
"travel agents" have gone home to work. Even the term "travel agent"
is going away because what they do now is different than what they did
before.Travel Professionals/Travel CounselorsTravel Agents are now
more a counselor and an adviser so they are now called Travel
Professionals or Travel Counselor. Even the travel industry is trying
to get away from using the term "travel agent". They no longer just
book a trip for someone, they know more than what is available to the
traveling client. The travel professionals now are constantly
learning, constantly traveling, receiving input from other travel
professionals about where they have traveled and are a resource for
what is required to travel now a days.When you use an online travel
agency like Expedia, Travelocity, etc. you aren't able to have someone
protect your back. They book the travel for you and then you are
pretty much on your own. Say your flight gets cancelled, who is going
to book a replacement flight? You are, not them. If you use a travel
professional that travel professional will do it. If something goes
wrong on your trip, if the room you booked is not like what you
thought it would be, who is going to make it right? A travel
professional will also check constantly for price drops before final
payment and whether a new promotion offered would be more beneficial
than what was booked with a deposit. All these things can be addressed
before final payment.
A travel professional works with you from the time you first talk to them
until you are home safe and sound and any and all problems have been
solved or addressed.It Costs More to Use a Travel ProfessionalThis is not
always true. True, some travel professionals charge fees but not all of
them do. This is because some vendors, like airlines and some hotels,
don't pay commission or some of the vendors have decreased the amount of
commissions paid to the travel professional. In order to make ends meet,
some travel professionals charge fees. I charge $50 per person for airline
reservations domestically and $100 for airline reservations
internationally. I will also charge a fee sometimes for hotels for the
same reason or if I am putting the various sections of the trip together
myself. If I book a cruise or a tour, I don't charge a fee as the vendor
pays me a commission. Remember, whether you use a travel professional or
not the commission is still being paid as it is automatically included in
the price from the vendor. So, why not use a travel professional and avoid
the hassle and save your time?The rules for traveling are constantly
changing and it is the travel professional who is able to keep their
clients on track with them.Examples: PassportsFor instance, did you know
that come January, 2016 you may need a passport to travel by air
domestically? This is due to a law called the REAL ID Act. This requires
all travelers to have a REAL ID compliant identification that includes all
of these fields: full legal name, signature, date of birth, gender, unique
identifying number, a principal residence address and a front-facing
photograph of the applicant. Unfortunately there are still a handful of
states that are non-compliant. Do you know which states are compliant and
which aren't? Your travel professional does. By the way, outright
non-compliant states/territories are American Samoa, Louisiana and New
Hampshire. The states of Minnesota and New York offer an optional Enhanced
ID at a cost, so because it is optional, a large percentage of residents
don't have one. Some states have applied for additional extensions, but it
is unclear if those will be granted. Currently, only four states
(Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York) and American Samoa are
technically non-compliant.Also, we still don't know if January 1, 2016
will be the date of the requirement or will it be later? Because of this
law, the passport processing time for all will be affected. All the
passports issued in 2006 to meet the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
that went into effect in 2007 are now expiring, causing a slew of
renewals. So, because of those renewals coupled with the possible REAL ID
enforcement, passport waits are expected to further increase. As of
October 11, the current wait has already increased a week to four to six
weeks for standard passports and three weeks for expedited. Expedited in
person could be up to eight days based on travel need.Ultimately the REAL
ID Act will require all state-issued drivers' licenses to include
"machine-readable technology" or chips to help keep us safe and secure
while traveling. For more information on the REAL ID Act go to web:
dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs.Also, passports are recommended for cruises
just like they are required to fly outside of the United States. The
reason being is if you do need to fly back to the United States from a
foreign port you have a passport to do so. Just because you are on a
cruise leaving a United States port, technically you are traveling
internationally just as soon as you step on the ship as most ships are
registered outside of the United States!
Example: VisasA travel professional would be able to help you determine if
visas are required to travel to where you want to go. If they don't know
for sure, they know where to send you for that information and get
confirmation that you do or don't need one for the type of travel you are
taking. For instance, for most cruises if you leave an U.S. port and
return to the same U.S. port you probably don't need a visa to visit the
ports. This is called a "closed loop" trip. But, again, most of the
cruises. Always double check to see if one is needed.Example: Travel
InsuranceAgain, not all travel insurance is created equal. Should you
purchase travel insurance? Absolutely!!! I recommend to my clients not to
purchase travel insurance, for the most part, from the supplier of the
cruise or product. The reason being the coverage is not as comprehensive
as third party policies. Travel insurance is not only purchased for travel
delays, luggage lost/damage or cancellation protection. Some health
insurance companies do not cover you when traveling outside of the United
States. Medicare does not. Travel insurance will act as your primary
health insurance during your travel, from the time you leave to the time
you return to your home. Also, it provides emergency evacuation for health
reasons and protects you for other items. Always read the policy and
information provided by the issuer of the travel insurance to see what is
covered. Your travel professional will know which is a good travel
insurance issuer.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me
at:elaine@cruiserstravel .net or 941-979-9798.Contact us to help you
have that great vacation.Happy traveling!Elaine SklomCruiser's Travel
LLC
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