Is a Travel Agent Worth It? We Think So!

It's hard for a lot of us to imagine these days, but once upon a time, booking through a travel agent was really one of the only ways to plan a vacation. Today, we've got the whole world quite literally at our fingertips. We can book airline tickets on a whim from our couch while watching a travel documentary or make hotel reservations from the road with a few simple clicks.

So, is a travel agent worth it in 2025? What are the pros and cons of booking your next trip with a travel agent, travel advisor, travel consultant or, as we like them at Flight Centre, Travel Expert? Keep reading to find out! Spoiler alert: the pros definitely outweigh the cons!

• Undeniable pros of booking with a travel agent
• Possible barriers to booking with a travel agent
• Common misconceptions about booking with a travel agent

Sure, we might be a little biased… but there are some things technology just can’t do that our Travel Experts can.

Okay, so we really hate to be the ones to tell you this, but you can't trust everything you read on the internet. Shocking, we know! Unfortunately, sometimes the best little hotel gets reviewed by a troll and Google Maps says your hotel is an easy walk from the train station when in actual fact there are 100 stairs between you, your heavy suitcase and hotel check-in (I'm looking at you, Edinburgh!).

This is where it really pays to use a travel agent. Our Travel Experts have been everywhere and seen everything. If yours hasn't personally visited a destination before, you can bet your bottom dollar they know someone who has.

On top of this, as your travel advisor gets to know you, they'll be able to offer you personalized advice specifically catered to your interests, preferences and budget. No more wasting time researching hotels way out of your price range or tours that don't suit your travel style. 

You know what they say, it's not what you know but who you know... and our Travel Experts know everyone! As a global travel company with over 30 years of experience, we like to think we've got a bit of an edge over your smaller, independent travel agents. Our Travel Experts have access to an extensive network of travel industry connections and strong relationships with airlines, tour operators, cruise lines, hotels, car rental companies, and other travel businesses, both big and small.

This is great news, because it often means that travel agents can help their clients save money on their trip with exclusive discounts, better deals, early access to sales and other behind-the-scenes perks not available to travellers booking trips themselves online.

Unfortunately, even with the most careful planning and diligent research, sometimes things still go wrong on the road. That's just life!

When you get that flight cancellation notification, miss your connection or something happens in your destination that interferes with your plans and reservations, you'll be glad to have your travel agent on the phone, expertly navigating the situation on your behalf.

Here at Flight Centre, we provide emergency support to all of our travellers for peace of mind and expert assistance when you need it most!

And while we're on the topic of expecting the unexpected, travel advisors will also help make sure you're as prepared as you can be with the right level of travel insurance or travel protections recommended for your trip.

It's all well and good to book flights or a simple vacation package yourself online, but what about when things get complicated? Think coordinating group travel bookings for your destination wedding in Mexico or organizing an epic multi-stop flight itinerary that ticks off two to three different destinations in one go.

These more intricate travel bookings can be a logistical headache to organize on your own, but it's where a travel agent really gets to shine!

Our Travel Experts take care of all the details and simplify the booking process for you, ensuring a stress-free experience from planning to take off to landing. Need to quickly tack on travel insurance, airport transfers or a rental car to your trip? It's all in a day's work for us.

Have you heard about the new European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) scheduled to come into effect for 2026? What about the travel documents required by your cruise line or trekking permits needed for your upcoming hiking trip? The world of travel changes quickly and it's important to keep up. Luckily, staying up to date on topics like visas, entry requirements and local regulations is literally your travel agent's job.

As frequent travellers themselves, you can make the most of your consultant's first-hand experience to ensure you have all of the most accurate information available for your next vacation. These are the details that you really do need to get 100% right when planning trips, and being able to lean on someone else’s expertise is a huge tick in the pro column!

If you're someone who usually researches, plans and books all of your own trips, you'll know that the entire process usually involves hours upon hours (upon hours) of Google searches, enough open tabs to slow a supercomputer and countless contradicting online opinions from people you've never met.

To put it simply, planning the perfect vacation is often overwhelming and always time consuming.

You're probably also organizing your vacation around your full-time job, which certainly doesn't make things any easier. Travel agents save you time because organizing your perfect trip is their full-time job!

Full disclosure: there are a couple of things that might deter you from contacting a travel agent. In our opinion, though, these barriers are easy to overcome considering all the benefits.

Just as you would always expect to pay a math tutor for their algebra knowledge or a piano teacher for their musical expertise, you'll often pay a planning or service fee of some kind when you use a travel agent. Here at Flight Centre, we call this a Travel Expert Service Fee.

Other travel agents may charge higher rates or for different services but generally speaking, this is a small fee in exchange for the many perks (see above!) that travel agents offer their clients.

Remember, you're paying for years of first-hand travel expertise, emergency support while you're away, itinerary planning, access to better deals and so much more.

Okay, so don't misquote us on this one! Even though we are 100% all for booking your vacation with a travel agent, there are a couple of occasions where it might actually be quicker for you to organize your own travel plans.

These include:

• If you're visiting friends or family and just need to book a quick airline ticket (no accommodation required!)
• If you've found a vacation package that already includes everything you need
• If you're already super familiar with the destination

For any other travel plans, we'd recommend chatting with one of our Travel Experts to see how we can help you save time, stress and money on your next vacation!

Now that we've tackled the pros and cons, it's time to bust a few common myths about using a travel agent.

A lot of people seem to think that booking with a travel agent costs you more than booking by yourself. But here's the thing, by the time you factor in all the benefits like exclusive deals, personalized advice and tailored itineraries, you'll often find that the total cost of your vacation is actually less than it would have been if you booked it yourself.

It's easy to forget that online booking services also charge various service and admin fees, so even though booking yourself feels like a big win because you're cutting out the middleman, you're probably still paying some kind of fee for the privilege of this DIY experience. 

We know you probably don't want to think about it, but unfortunately not every trip is a leisurely vacation. From family emergencies to surprise work trips — there's no better time to lean on the expertise, efficiency and support of a travel agent than when trying to sort out a last-minute booking.

Our Travel Experts thrive under pressure and let's face it, you've probably got a million other things to sort out before take off.

We understand that it can be hard to delegate or hand over the reins sometimes, especially if you've gotten used to doing all the trip planning yourself in the past. This is your hard-earned vacation time on the line, after all!

But your travel agent isn't here to take over. Rather they want to enhance and streamline the entire experience for you — you're always in the driver's seat and your hands never come off the steering wheel. Using a travel advisor simply allows you to kick the car into cruise control, making the experience altogether less stressful.

Ready to experience these benefits first-hand? From locking in that cruise or tour booking to help saving money and general advice on which destinations will best deliver the travel experiences you're chasing, booking with a travel agent is worth it every single time. Come and see us in store or get in touch with a Travel Expert today.