Top Reasons To Book your Travel through an ‘Offline’ Travel Consultant
Quoting Oscar Wilde that ….
“Live with no excuses and travel with no regrets” is true for this moment, tomorrow and will always remain the same.
We all love travel, to explore the unknown. Hence for a perfectly planned travel itinerary & an incredible experience, one surely needs a good travel advisor on the go. But why pick/choose an offline travel consultant over the giant OTA’s ~ the online travel agents ?
Here are top reasons to book through an ‘offline’ travel agent :-
PERSONALISED SERVICE & CUSTOM PLANS
Advocating travelers to unleash the full potential of every holiday is always a priority. Personal interaction helps you to be specific about your needs and customize vacation with utmost perfection. Customers are not forced to comply with an established service model and have the liberty to take things at their own pace.
EXPERIENTIAL TRAVEL IDEAS
An OTA dealing with thousands visiting their portals can never curate an EXPERIENCE-BASED travel itinerary for you wherein they are keen to make the numbers. However, a travel expert would take pride in suggesting such unique experiences which enhance & satiate your travel fetish.
GAMUT OF KNOWLEDGE
Imagine your itinerary being curated by a freshly recruited call-center staff versus an experienced traveler himself who knows the destination inside-out and gives you insights on the minutest facets of your travel plan.
SAVES TIME
TIME IS MONEY could not be more relevant than when planning your own travel. You must have been through the tedious task of surfing for hours on the internet without concluding anything substantial. From extensive travel research, ready plans, multiple comparisons, tedious booking process to final payment & reservation, a travel expert offers you seamless options that save you the invaluable time & effort on your well-earned weekends and/or after long working hours.
SAVES UNWANTED EXPENSES
You must have experienced spending endless hours on OTA’s, reaching the payment page during checkout only to find out the stepped-up prices due to additional taxes & convenience charges, payment processing fees etc. An Offline agent would save you such unwanted expenses.
BEST DEALS
An offline consultant is constantly connected with Hotels, Airlines etc. on a personal level and has best deals to offer unlike the OTA’s who sell on pre-fixed rates which may be outdated. Offline travel consultants are transparent with prices & are more likely to open their cupboards to offer the best deal available for you including perks such as complimentary room upgrades etc.
REAL TIME INDUSTRY UPDATES
As per research, approximately 62% of people have no clue about the destination when they begin to plan a vacation. An in-depth & thorough knowledge of the industry, global destinations, cultures, best time to visit along with other regular updates are some of the many perks that an offline travel advisor ensures for their clients while making their travel plans.
CUSTOMER CENTRIC
A focus on customer preference keeps you in control of your travel plans, and you are not forced to avail what you do not desire. A conscious effort to create a fulfilling customer experience keeps you on the forefront.
COST EFFICIENT
A traveler must spend only as much to make it worth. Offline consultants maintain the price stability without creating a false sense of urgency such as “1 room left” or “73 others are looking at this hotel”, holds up prices for you for at least a day & ultimately offers an overall stress-free experience. What more can a traveler ask for?
QUICK RESPONSE WITH 24/7 ASSISTANCE & FRIENDLY APPROACH
Travel agents come to your rescue much sooner than the online personnel. If your booking or flight gets cancelled or if you want to reschedule your plans, it would be much easier to reach your travel agent whom you simply need to message or directly call for a friendly conversation. In contrast, you would definitely remember that time when you waited for hours on call-center of an OTA without getting any assistance. Most OTA’s have now even stopped talking directly to their customers and expect them to communicate only via online applications & emails.
RESPONSIBLE & RELIABLE
When you know a person directly, you can hold him responsible and rely upon if anything goes awry, however in case of online agents you have no clue who’s on the other side and you cannot hold anyone responsible.
CONVENIENT PAYMENT TERMS
With the possibility of availing input credit for GST, would you want to miss an opportunity for the same? Online OTA’s allow you only one opportunity to fill in your GST details else you cannot make amends later. However, an offline agent would always accommodate your subsequent requests and also offer convenient payment options such as collecting a cheque from your office or even cash payment.
So give it a real thought & make your own choice as to what you stand to gain or lose by opting for an OTA or an ‘offline’ travel advisor or consultant.
You can ping Suitcase Diaries on +91 8949 333 455.
