5 Important Considerations Before You "DIY" Your Vacation

Just got back from a quick trip to Cancun and WOWZAS, did I see a mess unfold while we were there!

So that brings me to another edition of Why You Should Use A Travel Agent...

Let’s just be frank and talk about the 5 things to consider before you DIY your vacation!

I know everyone loves a good DIY and wow the accomplishment we feel afterwards.  DIY’ing is great for crafts and even some home/automobile improving.  But let’s face it, all the photos on the site are AMAZING and what can go wrong???

So here we go!

1st thing to consider

You are a priority.

When we are planning your vacation, you are our priority. You need someone on your side that represents your best interests.

We answer to one person and that is YOU!

The resorts can and will “walk” you to a different resort if THEY or an Online Travel Company has oversold you. Either in a oversold room category or into a room category that doesn’t exists. We are here to ensure you are getting what you paid for and our relationships with the resort management will get you further then any website ever could! See my story #2 at the bottom for an example.

2nd thing to consider

What do you do when the unexpected happens?

Especially if you are traveling to international countries. These things happen. How much of your precious data plan will you use up trying to fix a mess that you had nothing to do with? That is where a quick reach out to your friendly travel agent will save your vacation time and your data plan!

Who will take care of me if something happens while we are on vacation?

When you travel as a client of the All Inclusive Travel Hut we are here for you 24 hours a day.  If something happens, we are a short message or phone call away. While you are traveling you take precedence if you are in need. 

3rd thing to consider

What? The Internet isn’t always right?

 There is a MILLION photos of beautiful beaches and resorts on line. Ok let’s have another honest moment here. Have you heard of photoshop? It’s a real thing and the resorts pay a lot to be able to “doctor” photos. When you get there and see the real beach imagine your disappointment?

Now as a travel agent, we are steadily snapping photos to show our clients real “un-doctored” photos. Sometimes it is not a big deal to our clients but we want you to be fully aware of what is going on.

4th thing to consider

Customized Service!

I want to plan something special for our anniversary or a birthday. That’s great! When we speak with you in the first few conversations we will ask if you are celebrating anything on this vacation. We will then contact our people, who know us and already love our clients, and tell them exactly what you are wanting to do. Sometimes we have the ability to do this with no charge other times we will gladly explain to you what it would cost if you end up wanting to do something really over the top!

FYI- did you know there is such things as engagement vacations? It’s a real thing and we can’t wait to get it all set up for you. We are experts at keeping secrets and planning wonderful surprises. We had this happen and the parents of the girl were at a distance and watched the whole proposal take place. Then after the couple celebrated the parents came down to the beach. What a wonderful surprise!

5th thing to consider

We are you’re here for you for the long haul.

We look forward to working with you on a lifetime of vacations. Watching your vacation memories every year is so thrilling to us. I had the pleasure of doing a families vacations almost yearly, then the daughter’s destination wedding and then did the babymoon vacation last month! That is what I am talking about. You are not a transaction, you are part of our Travel Hut Family!

We want to make each vacation memorable and perfect. When it’s time to plan, the only thing they need to do is have a quick conversation with me for their vacation goals. I already have all the names, birthdays, passport info and travel preferences.

 As promised, here is my first story that I eluded to in the beginning

As we were walking out to our transfer company there were 3 girls and they were dressed up in heels and large sunglasses on. They were standing there with their big purses in the crease of the elbow and having a meltdown. I being a continual helper approached them and asked what was wrong. Sit down and listen to this story!

They had checked pricing with a travel agent and compared it to the pricing they found online. The online pricing was about $37 less then what the agent quoted.

Ok here is comes the cringing

They had booked a hotel in Cozumel, but we are standing at the Cancun airport. Opps! So, as they are on hold the second time they are looking more and more desperate. I told them to take a cab to the ferry at Playa Del Carmen and it would get them to Cozumel. Then they would need to take another cab ride to the hotel they originally booked.

Let’s break down their extra charges:

$75 x2 Taxi from Cancun Airport to ferry

$24 x2 (8 pp) for Ferry to Cozumel

$29 x2 Taxi to get to the resort in Cozumel

The x2 is because they get to do all this on the way back to the Cancun Airport to catch their returning flight.  The whole process took them an extra three hours each way, away from their precious vacation time!

Was that worth any savings?

There is a reason the online companies are cheaper. They don’t have your best interests at heart. You are a reservation number to them and a dollar sign at the end of the day.

Real Story #2

It is a beautiful day in Jamaica. As I am standing there waiting on General Manager for a site inspection of this resort that my family and I had arrived at earlier in the day. All the late evening arriving guests are getting off the hour and a half long ride shuttle.

A cute couple with young exhausted kids steps up to the desk. There was a lot of talking behind the counter and finally the gentleman asks if there is a problem.  The nice lady says that the resort is “at capacity” and they have made an excellent selection for them at their other property.

MY MOUTH FALLS OPEN!

Never did I think this was something that would happen at this resort.

The wife immediately screams at the kids and calls the online travel company they booked with and proceeds to sit on hold for almost 45 mins before they answer and then put her right back on hold.

At that moment I felt sick to know the details these guests hadn’t been told yet. The other resort is a 4 hour ride away and it is getting late and they are already cranky, tired and starving.  It will most likely be after 9 pm when they arrive the other resort. Their flight left at 6:00am. Travel days are rough on an adult much less 2 kids under 5.

 Both stories are not the way you want to begin your vacation.

Don’t be a DIY’er on your vacation!

Your vacation time is short,

and we want to add as much value as possible!

 Wrapping this up, most part travel agents are a small business with a large heart. We want to hear about all the amazing memories you come home with. We want to see your photos and hear your stories.

Don’t DIY yourself into a mess. Let the professionals plan a vacation for you to remember and talk about.