The travel industry is changing dramatically. Customers are no longer content with traditional packages. They want to choose dates, accommodation and activities that exactly suit their needs. Whereas in the past you were usually tied to travelling on a particular date at a particular time and staying for 7 or 14 nights, customers can now say when they want to go, where they want to visit and how much they want to pay and a good agent should be able to sort it out for them.
The travel industry buzzword for being able to pick and choose the different elements of a holiday is ‘dynamic packaging’ - what we used to call tailor-made holidays.
Booking a simple ticket yourself on the web can work well. But can you trust the web when, say, you need a hotel and you want to know what it’s really like? A family holiday can cost £3000 – £4000. Do you really want to spend that on the strength of a few photographs on a website?
It’s easy to make a mistake booking direct on the web. I recently wanted to visit Venice. I know Venice and I knew the hotel I wanted. So I tried to book direct. But a confusing website meant I nearly booked the wrong hotel in the wrong part of Venice. Thankfully a Travel Counsellor found the right hotel for me.
Customers choose to book through us to save time. You can also save money because we’re big enough to negotiate discounted rates. We also offer services and trips you won’t find on the web.
Our Counsellors have an average 20 years experience. They offer a level of expertise and attention to detail that the web cannot match. They are at the other end of the phone if you have a query, need advice or want to change your booking. When things out of our control go wrong – maybe an airline stops operating or there’s a natural disaster - we are there to help.
Independent holidaymakers who organise their own trip don’t have that protection. But however complicated your travel arrangements, if we have ‘dynamically packaged’ your holiday for you, we will be there to sort out any problems for you.
Some of the content of the magazine refers to flights or prices from the UK. At Travel Counsellors Ireland we can source flights from Ireland and provide full quotes in Euros. Please call me for latest availability and prices.
