My experience in booking travel began at the young age of 18, working in a call center, redeeming people's credit card rewards for travel experiences. The call center part of it wasn't my thing, but I really took an interest in planning and booking vacations.
Fast forward 17 years and I still have a love of researching new places, trying to find great deals, and planning vacations, I may or may not ever get to go on. Although I market myself as a family vacation planner, I don’t consider myself in a niche like most travel agents. Families have my heart because I’m a family person myself, and I truly love planning magical trips for my own kids. But I also love planning couples, singles, and girls trips too!
I don’t specialize in just Disney or Universal or Cruises, rather I’ve invested in myself to be able to offer travel expertise across all avenues. Yes, I post a lot about Disney because that’s what’s popular. However, give me a location you want to visit, and I will completely customize it to you… and have a blast while doing it!
Not going to lie, I didn’t know how much scamming went on in the travel agent industry until I became a travel agent myself. Maybe because I always planned my own trips and was just oblivious to it. Now that I’m in it, I see it, and it makes it SO hard for us good ones!
That’s why it’s important to do your research when picking the right agent for you.
- Ask for proof of licensing. Those of us who are in it for real have spent the hours upon hours on the certifications.
- Ask what happens if your agent makes a mistake, do they have insurance to cover that?
- Ask who their parent agency is. Most travel agents are contractors through a parent agency who has contracts with companies like Disney, Universal, Cruise lines, Expedia, etc.
- Who exactly are you paying? You should never be paying someone personally. All payments with me are to the vendors directly. Disney goes through Disney, Universal through Universal, etc.