“Travel agents are so 1990s.”
“We don’t need travel agents anymore.”
“You can book everything online.”
And do you know what?
Yes. You can.
We have come a long way from picking up a holiday brochure, flicking through pages of hotels and destinations, and then sitting across a desk from a travel agent while they book your holiday on a computer that looks like it might still accept a floppy disc for external storage.
Technology has changed. The way we book holidays has changed. And honestly, I think that’s a good thing.
But does that mean travel agents are obsolete?
Absolutely not.
Because the role of a modern travel agent isn’t necessarily about doing something you can’t do yourself.
It’s about doing something you don’t necessarily want to do yourself.
And there is a difference.
1. You’re a busy mum
You’re juggling a career, children, school runs, clubs, homework, dinner, laundry, appointments and approximately 47 other things that somehow need doing every day.
When exactly are you supposed to find the time to research a family holiday?
And I don’t mean five minutes of scrolling through Instagram and thinking, “Ooh, that looks nice.”
I mean comparing destinations, hotels, room types, board options, flights, transfer times, reviews, locations, facilities, cancellation policies and prices.
Then doing it all again because the children have suddenly decided they don’t want to go where you originally planned.
You don’t have the time.
And even if you somehow find the time, do you really want to spend your precious evening sitting on the sofa with 14 tabs open trying to work out which hotel is actually the best option?
Let me take that job off your hands.
2. You’re Gen Z
Maybe you’re building a career, working long hours, running your own business, studying, travelling, socialising or simply enjoying your life.
And while you could spend your evening comparing 27 hotels to find the perfect one, perhaps you’d rather be doing literally anything else.
And that’s okay.
Using a travel agent isn’t an admission that you don’t know how to use Google.
It’s knowing that your time has value too.
You can tell me what you want, what matters to you, what you don’t want and what your budget is.
I’ll do the searching.
You can get on with your life.
3. You’re organising a group booking.
This is where things can get complicated very quickly.
Family get-togethers.
Big birthdays.
School groups.
Hen and stag trips.
Weddings.
Multi-generational holidays.
Groups of friends.
Suddenly you’re not just booking a holiday for yourself.
You’re trying to coordinate multiple people, different budgets, different room requirements, different opinions and potentially multiple families.
And somehow you’re expected to keep track of everyone’s booking details too. Even if you’re normally brilliant at booking your own holidays, group bookings are a whole different level of organisation.
Having one person take that stress away can make a huge difference.
4. You’re booking your honeymoon.
You’ve just planned a wedding.
You’ve made approximately a million decisions. You’ve chosen a venue, a dress or suit, flowers, food, music, invitations, decorations, guest lists and probably things you didn’t even know existed until you started planning a wedding.
Do you really want your next job to be spending hours researching your honeymoon?
I didn’t think so.
Your honeymoon should be something you look forward to, not another project on your to-do list.
Tell me what you’re dreaming of and let me find the options.
You can concentrate on getting married. I’ll concentrate on finding somewhere amazing for you to escape to afterwards.
5. You simply don’t want the stress.
And actually, this might be the biggest reason of all.
You don’t need to be a busy mum.
You don’t need to be Gen Z.
You don’t need to be organising a group.
You don’t need to be getting married.
You don’t even need to dislike booking holidays online.
You can simply not want to do it.
Maybe you don’t want to spend hours researching.
Maybe you don’t want to second-guess whether you’ve found the right hotel.
Maybe you don’t want to worry that you’ve missed a better option.
Maybe you just want someone else to take care of it.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
So, are travel agents really so 1990s?
The way we work certainly isn’t the same as it was in the 1990s.
I don’t need to hand you a pile of brochures and ask you to come back next week. I don’t need to sit beside you while you point at a picture in a catalogue. And thankfully, I’m not relying on a floppy disc to save your holiday booking!
Being a modern travel agent is about convenience, knowledge, personal service and taking the stress away.
Yes, you can book your holiday online.
But sometimes you don’t want to.
Sometimes you want someone to listen to what you’re looking for, do the research, narrow down the options, answer your questions and make sure everything is taken care of.
And sometimes, after everything else life throws at you, having one less thing to worry about is worth more than saving yourself a few clicks.
So no, you don’t need a travel agent. But you might just want one.
And I’m here when you do.
Happy to help whenever you need me. ✈️
Whether you’re looking for your next big adventure, a family getaway, a honeymoon or just want someone else to take care of all the details, I’m always here to help.
Rachael x
Leave a Reply