We are thinking of going to Hawaii later in the year. Why is the quote from travel agents so much more than Expedia? What is the "catch"?
- Peter
With the amount of travel booking sites offering sweet deals, it can seem like travel agents are becoming obsolete — but that doesn't necessarily mean they have nothing to offer.
I spoke to Herald travel industry expert Grant Bradley for his thoughts: "With agents you may pay a bit more in some cases, but you get after-sales care if something goes wrong," he says.
"You're paying for the expertise. Agents don't necessarily have the same spread of suppliers either so you may miss out on some deals that certain airlines or hotels offer."
This expertise is important to remember. With so many options, it can be quite overwhelming — especially when you're in search of a good deal. I've spent a lot of time with several different airline bookings open on my web browser, hoping to find that perfect combination of timing and price. If you consider that pre-internet, the majority of us would have booked through a travel agent, it's all still new to be organising every detail of our trips — and there's plenty of scope for things to go wrong, especially if you don't read the fine print.
