How to tell when it pays to abandon online travel planning
May 20, 2004 |
For the Internet savvy, the thought of going to a traditional travel agent instead of booking online is akin to handwriting a letter: You just don't do that anymore.
For the Internet savvy, the thought of going to a traditional travel agent instead of booking online is akin to handwriting a letter: You just don’t do that anymore.
But despite the proliferation of online booking sites and the generally luxurious ease of using them, travelers are sometimes better served by the age-old process of contacting an expert.
“Travel agents have proved their usefulness,” said Ed Perkins, a consumer advocate and author of “Business Travel When It’s Your Money” (St. Menas 2004).
“Even though they’re doing a smaller share of the market than 20 years ago, there are an awful lot of people who still think what they get is worth the money,” Perkins said.
The number of travel-agent locations nationwide has dropped 30 percent over the past 10 years, but sales by store have risen almost 11 percent, according to ARC, an airline-owned company that processes travel-agent transactions.
Get the full story at CBS MarketWatch
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