The Real Benefits of Working with a Travel Advisor
One of the things I love about planning travel is hearing how easy working with a travel advisor makes things for my clients, especially for those who have never worked with a travel advisor before.
The feedback I receive from my clients during the planning process, as well as after the trip reminds me of why I love doing this! If you are thinking about working with a travel advisor, read on to hear more of the benefits...directly from my clients! And I've added some FAQs too - I hear a lot of similar questions for clients new to working with an advisor so thought I'd share for all of you who might be wondering the same things...
Research & Recommendations
"We knew we wanted to go to the Caribbean, but had no other ideas about location, activities, whether we should do all-inclusive or not, how we would get this done with two toddlers in tow… Erin spent time thinking through the brief we gave her, came back with a wide range of options with a lot of thought behind each selection, and ultimately provided all the context and all the necessary details to help us make informed decisions."
Seamless Experience (and amazing partners)
"I couldn’t overstate how easy and fun and necessary it was to work with Erin on our recent trip. Erin made proactive decisions on our behalf that were ultimately lifesavers. Couldn’t have done this trip without her, recommend her to anyone and everyone seeking to have amazing experiences without needing to put in all the work that it takes to create one."
“A big thanks for planning and facilitating one of our most seamless and satisfying trips ever. That says a lot because we have taken many trips. All reservations, hotels and transportation was just as expected and right on time. A comment on our guides: we could not decide on which on which we liked best! Our hotels were all in terrific locations for seeing the towns. Your selections on where to go and what to see in southern Italy and Sicily were perfect. Thank you again for making our trip so easy and memorable. You are the best.”
My partners are also to thank for these incredible trips! For a recent trip with Travelive, my clients provided detailed (and glowing) review of all of their guides! This is what makes booking with an advisor so helpful - our partners help us create a seamless travel experience and secure wonderful guides & drivers to make your trip memorable.
Brilliant Touches
“Erin at Brilliant Escapes Travel worked some kind of magic to make our trip as spectacular as it was -- not a detail was missed. Her recommendations, planning, and attention to our asks/needs, was beyond. All we had to do was show up! I will be (and already am) sending all of my friends to Erin for their travel needs. Erin is BRILLIANT at travel planning.”
With all of these new clients recently, I’ve also gotten a few questions about how I work and other benefits of working with an advisor.
Are you able to secure special deals for our trip?
The value of working with Brilliant Escapes is not for special deals or discounts; rather, it is in the additional amenities, excellent guides, and insider-access that I can provide when you book with me. Many of my preferred partners only work with travel advisors - meaning that you wouldn’t have access to the partner’s rates, guides, or experiences if you were booking on your own. While I keep my clients’ budgets in mind during the planning process, I’m not trying to find you a deal but rather provide the best value and experience. If you’re focused on getting the lowest cost for your trip, then working with Brilliant Escapes may not be for you.
Can you provide itemized cost breakdowns for the itinerary?
Unfortunately, this is not something I am able to provide. My travel partners provide packaged costs - they have confidential, contracted rates with their local hotels and suppliers that allow them to provide a package that, in addition to being a thoughtful, tailored itinerary provides an excellent value. I am not even privy to the details of the itinerary, but can request changes to be made for this to be closer to your budget. Additionally, demand for travel is high right now so costs are going up. The sooner you book, the better! As some of my clients know, in a few days the costs for hotels can jump up and there’s little that I or my partners can do when that happens.
Why do you have trip minimums?
For certain kinds of trips - particularly 7 day or longer trips, I am now instituting trip minimums. The reason is to ensure that I am able to provide my clients with the best possible proposal and experience. As budgets drop below my minimums, so does the experience I am able to provide. Some of my partners also have their own minimums or guidelines - when I am not able to work with a partner to put a trip together, this results in a less than ideal situation for myself as well as the client.
Will you book my flights for me?
Recently I have been helping clients book flights within their itinerary - such as flights between countries in Europe. Many of my partners will handle flight bookings such as these which is ideal. When partners don’t offer this, I can assist in booking the flights. However, I generally try to limit the flight bookings that are not business or first-class. Most travelers are comfortable booking their own flights and some want to use miles/points that I am not able to use when booking your flights. I am always willing to provide guidance for flight options for my clients, even when I don't book the flights for them.
If you have questions about working with a travel advisor or are curious to learn more, please reach out! I would love to talk more with you about planning your next trip with Brilliant Escapes!