While finding out how much a flight costs to your dream island vacation or hotel rates from different booking sites is as easy as typing a Google search, what you save may be more than what might lose. When the global pandemic brought the tourism industry to its knees, losing more than a third of the sector’s workforce, it exposed some online travel companies’ inability to advocate for their clients’ needs (including getting refunds for cancelled flights).

Among the many things the pandemic exposed when countries imposed lockdowns and travel came to a standstill was that not all travel agencies were created equal. It was one of the hardest sectors hit. In 2020, Australians’ cancelled holiday bookings were estimated at $10 billion. With travel plans upended, getting a refund of the said plans from some travel agencies proved to be difficult. Others were lucky enough to have travel agencies who went above and beyond helping their clients get their refund for hotels and flights.

Best to work with local travel agents accredited by ATAS (AFTA Travel Accreditation Scheme). The accreditation means they were able to pass stringent criteria on business compliance, safeguards, customer service, etc. Also, if the agency has been around since before the pandemic happened and has remained in business until now, it’s a good sign that it’s been able to pivot and survive through the worst. At Star Flights, we pride ourselves on being one of these travel organisers. 

Whether you’re planning to go on a European vacation or maybe to different cities across Asia, here are reasons why booking with a professional and reputable travel organiser will make the entire journey truly fuss-free:

1. Relax even before you go on holiday. You want to relax and get away when you’re going panning to go on a holiday. So start while you’re planning it! Relying on a travel agent to make arrangements for your flight, accommodations, and booking tours and tickets to places you want to visit means less stress for you spent sifting through all the info available online. Even if you like to plan, the online information can get overwhelming especially if the country or city you’re visiting is unfamiliar. A reputable travel organiser can help when you need someone who can provide insider recommendations, minus hours watching YouTube vlogs.

2. Get exclusive deals that save you money. While there are many travel bargains across the web, travel agents or organisers have access to deals directly from hotels, resorts, and tour operators that are not usually made available to consumers. The extensive network of a travel organiser can enable them to bargain and get special pricing or bonuses (eg. room upgrades or discounts to some tours).

3. You have someone watching out for you. Because you booked a travel organiser who helped you with your flights, accommodations, and made other reservations on your behalf, should any of them get cancelled, you can rely on them to help sort things out. Need to find another flight because of a delay? You can just call your travel agent to do the work instead of being on long hold with the airline. Travel agents worth their salt can help rebook, get a refund, or in worst-case scenarios, help you evacuate your destination should anything untoward happen.

Ultimately, you want to be working with a business that is big enough to take care of its customers. You want to be booking your holiday through a credible travel agent who you trust, who you know, and who has been around for years with high recommendations from its customers.

If you need more reasons to book a travel organiser, read it here. If you already want to get in touch with one, a Star Flights travel organiser can already help you plan and book your holiday, so you can save on time, money, and make sure somebody is just a phone call away for a stress-free trip.