Are travel agents needed anymore?
Yes, most of us today may not need travel agents due to the convenience offered by the Internet. And, the number of travel agents around the United States is falling at a rapid pace. The fortunes of travel agents elsewhere on the Globe too are unlikely to be vastly different either.
Role of Travel Agents in the physical world
In the physical world, before the Internet became such a powerful tool, the Travel Agents had a huge role in making our trips (at times marring it too). Sourcing cheap airline tickets was one such responsibility of the travel agents. In addition to this, they also had to identify and arrange hotel accommodation, car rental, provide vacation ideas and similar services. Your Travel Agent therefore had a large role in organizing your trip and ensuring that you complete the journey, the way you had envisaged.
Role of Internet in Travel
With the explosive growth of Internet, today most people are able to organize their trips from within the comforts of their homes. Every bit of information is available to them just at the click of a few buttons cheap airline tickets, Family vacation packages, Christmas vacation, Hotel reservations and even the goodies needed for your trip can be comfortably sourced through the net. You can even evolve your own payment options and design your trip to suit a variety of locations or price factors. Airline fares or discount airfares can be gleaned from the computer and your can even tabulate the variety of information gathered, to analyze and decide on those which bring you the maximum advantage or benefit.
Internet facility is not without its banes.
Possibly, every convenience in this world comes at a price. There are web sites, web sites and web sites galore proclaiming how best they are in providing you a host of travel solutions. You may be able to procure a cheap airline ticket and go on your trip. But, does it happen every time and what about factors other than cheap airline tickets. What is the level of customer service you get from these web sites? Have you ever checked to confirm that what you have been charged at the time of booking, and what you have actually been billed are the same?
