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Have you always dreamed of strolling through the historic streets of European cities? Do you want to go on an epic national park road trip? Maybe nothing sounds better than sunbathing on a Caribbean beach! Perhaps you want to practice your Spanish while devouring street food in South America. 

The only problem is, you’re dreading planning the trip! You don’t have the time to be researching the best resort. The thought of comparing flight prices fills you with dread. You’re overwhelmed with coordinating train schedules between European capitols. You have heard about the benefits of miles and points, but don’t know where to start. Honestly you wish you could fast forward to day one of the trip without all the time and work of planning the trip. 

If this sounds like you, you definitely need a travel agent! Or wait, do you need a travel planner? While the job titles are used interchangeably, travel agents and travel planners are not the same. Both are travel professionals that will help save you time and money. While they will plan your dream vacation, they provide different services. 

You know you need one, but do you need a travel planner or a travel agent? Keep reading to find out the distinctions between a travel planner vs travel agent and the pros and cons of each. 

Skip the reading and take the Travel Planner vs Travel Agent Quiz to find out right away which one is best for you! 

Travel Planner vs Travel Agent

Travel Agents

What is a Travel Agent and What Do They Do? 

Let’s start with a travel agent as they are usually the most familiar and what people think of whether the words travel agent, travel planner, or travel consultant are used. 

Travel agents help individuals or groups plan and book their travel. They will discuss with you where you want to go. Then they plan and book the major details of your trip including flights, hotels, resorts, train tickets, day trips, and/or cruises. 

Pros & Cons of Using a Travel Agent 

PRO: Free Service

One of the biggest advantages in the travel planner vs travel agent debate is that travel agents provide a free service. Travel agents receive a commission from what they book for you instead of you paying for their time. 

You only have to worry about the actual costs of the trip. Using a travel agent doesn’t cost you anything extra. Saving time and money is a big win! 

PRO: Books Travel

When choosing between a travel planner vs travel agent, another big perk of a travel agent is that they will book everything for you. Not only will they find your flights, but they will also book them for you too. 

PRO: Find Great Deals

Travel agents often have access to deals that the general public does not. They can book cruises, all-inclusives, tours, and vacation packages at a lower price than you can find on your own. It’s another way that using a travel agent will save you money. 

PRO: Real Time Support

Are you worried about what happens if your flight cancels or your room isn’t up to standard at your resort? A travel agent will be available to help you sort these issues out in real time. You can reach out to them during, before, or after your trip with questions. 

CON: Bookings without Points & Miles

There is no doubt that having someone else book your travel is a huge perk. The downside is that they won’t book with points and miles for you as then they don’t receive any commission from the booking. 

They also often can’t book the best rates for earning airline and hotel status and points/miles with a particular brand. For example a hotel might have a promotion to earn bonus points, but the rate is “non commissionable” which means if a travel agent booked that rate they wouldn’t earn a commission. Travel agents need to make income so they wouldn’t want to book it. That would be at your detriment. Not earning or redeeming points/miles costs you a lot of money in the long run. 

CON: Commission Bookings Only

Another aspect of only making bookings that receive a commission is that this limits and influences what travel agents book for you. Travel agents earn more on a more expensive resort or when booking additional activities. For example a travel agent might push for an airport service that includes a lounge visit. A travel planner would help you open a credit card or book a flight that includes free lounge access. 

CON: Limited Detail

Travel agents certainly will help you plan your activities during your trip, but they often focus on all-inclusive resorts and cruises where the day to day logistics are already included. If you’re looking to travel on your own and have detailed daily itineraries, travel agents typically will only give you an overview of suggested activities in a destination. Public transit routes, exact timings, order of activities, and restaurant suggestions may not be included. 

CON: Limited Customization

All travel professionals will want to plan the best trip for you. Travel agents typically have partnerships or experience with certain tour companies and resorts. Their suggestions may be geared towards those places instead of your personal preferences, interests, and requests. 

Travel Planners 

What is a Travel Planner and What Do They Do?

While they provide overlapping services, a travel planner is different then a travel agent. The big difference is that a travel planner is primarily focused on the planning versus the bookings. 

Travel planners help everyone from solo travelers to businesses planning group trips. They are geared towards travelers looking for destination research and customized travel plans. They research and put together detailed itineraries. The travelers then follow the plans and make the bookings on their own. 

Pros & Cons of Using a Travel Planner 

PRO: Destination Research

If you have no idea where you want to travel, when you want to travel, and/or the type of trip you want to take, a travel planner will help you decide. 

They will spend a great deal of time researching and discussing options with you before starting to plan. If for some reason you only want destination research and not a planned trip, they will do that for you too. Travel planners are also travel consultants that offer support with any part of the travel planning process. 

PRO: Customized Travel

Many travelers aren’t interested in all-inclusives, cruises, or group tours. They want the freedom to do what they want, when they want. This is where a travel planner vs a travel agent really shines. You can still have a fully customized itinerary without having to plan it yourself. 

As travel planners are paid for their time, they take the time to create an itinerary from scratch. It is personalized to your needs and preferences instead of pulled from a bank of ideas that have been previously used with other clients. 

PRO: Day to Day Itineraries

Along with the customized itineraries, travel planners put together detailed day by day itineraries. They do a lot of planning that doesn’t require booking or any commissions. This can include anything from finding restaurants of a particular type to giving step by step directions of how to use the public transit in a particular destination. 

It also includes putting all the pieces of a trip together with day by day or even hour by hour itineraries. This means you get to visit the art museum, join the walking tour, dine at the cute cafe, explore the castle, see the show, and have drinks on the rooftop all in one day without having to figure out how to fit everything in yourself. 

PRO: Using Miles & Points

If requested, travel planners will help you earn and redeem miles and points. Travel planners can help you with all three steps of earning and redeeming free travel. 

First, they can provide travel consultations to help you plan how to earn points and miles for a specific future trip. They will help you strategize the best travel credit cards to earn welcome offers and ways to earn miles or points.  

Next, they can help plan a trip to help you earn status and/or miles and points that will set you up well for redemptions and perks on future trips. 

Finally, if you are ready to make a redemption and don’t know the best way, they will research and make sure you get the most bang for your “point”! 

CON: Paid Service

The biggest downside when choosing between a travel planner vs travel agent is that travel planners require an upfront fee for their time. While there is certainly value to the fee, it isn’t for everyone. 

CON: Upfront Payment

The services of a travel planner are usually charged upfront. Similar to how you would book any other virtual service or buy a product online, you will need to purchase it before receiving the service. 

CON: Doesn’t Book

Another big disadvantage of using a travel planner is that they are not a licensed agent. They do not book the travel. If you are looking for a hotel in Paris with an Eiffel Tour view, you will get the top suggestions with hotel details, location, room availability, exact pricing, and where to book. You will need to take the final step to click on the provided link, enter your info, and book yourself. 

CON: No Real-Time Support

Travel agents book your travel and are available if things go wrong. Unless previously agreed, travel planners plan your trip and are not responsible for any changes. Travelers will need to navigate any hiccups that arise on their own. 

Booking With a Travel Agent vs Travel Planner

Don’t waste any time. Get started working with a travel agent or travel planner. Who is the best travel agent and who is the top travel planner? I’m so glad you asked! 

Postcards from Someplace

If you decide to choose a travel agent, you won’t regret working with Postcards from Someplace. 

My name is Jessica. I’m a high school educator, but in my free time I’m a cat lover, a food enthusiast and a travel researcher and agent. I love researching and exploring unique travel destinations and planning amazing trips for clients through Outside Agents.  Please let me know how I can help you with your vacation.  

Learn more about my travel agent services. Send an inquiry today to begin working with me. 

The Fearless Foreigner 

If you’re looking for a travel planner, you won’t go wrong with The Fearless Foreigner. As a full-time traveler of eight years and counting, I am not sitting in an office planning trips. I am on my way to hiking at all the national parks, improving my Spanish skills in Latin America, devouring the best food everywhere, and getting my cultural fix at museums. You’ll hear me saying “I don’t have favorites, I love everywhere” and “I want to go everywhere!”   

I use my extensive personal travel experiences alongside my love of planning to put together customized trips. Whether it is a familiar or new destination to me, I love diving into the research and planning the perfect trip for someone else. I’m passionate about all the savings I receive from earning and redeeming points. Ask me how I can help you save too! 

Learn more about my travel planning services. Get started today by filling out the travel planning questionnaire to receive a quote. 

Are you still unsure regarding the travel planner vs travel agent debate? Take this Travel Planner vs Travel Agent Quiz to find out which one would benefit you the most!  

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