When planning your dream vacation you are facing an important choice – are you going on holiday on your own or with a travel agency? Depending on the chosen direction, sometimes such an independent organization pays off, but sometimes it is worth to trust the proven organizer of summer rest.
Here comes the first and basic question – how to choose the best travel agency?
Firstly, make sure that the selected travel agency is operating legally. Every country has its own register of travel agencies, so you will have to search by yourself the one applicable to your country.
Secondly, the level of insurance guarantee – the higher the financial security, the better. The information is usually to be found in the proper register.
Thirdly, the financial condition of a travel agency can also be checked in the National Debt Register of your country. Of course, the situation will be reflected from the previous year, but it can already show us if the company has any major problems.
The entry of a travel agency into national or international tourism-related organizations such as the World Federation of Travel Agencies (UFTAA) also works in its favor and makes it more credible.
What will travel agency ratings and rankings tell us?
Probably the least popular form of checking travel agencies are ratings. They speak more in industry, but it’s worth looking at. These ratings are based on data from the financial statements submitted to the National Court Register, taking into account the adjusted size of the insurance guarantee and other risk factors for a given enterprise. Thanks to them you can see how the situation, and above all the credibility of a given travel agency is changing. What are the prognosis for a given year for the selected company. From the rating you can often read which travel agencies are currently in an uncertain situation and better to avoid them.
Ranking of travel agencies
Our subjective ranking of travel agencies is based on our own experiences and the experiences of our loved ones. We asked them for their opinions on the best travel agencies with which they had the opportunity to go on their vacation and so this ranking was created. In the comments you can add your suggestions, ratings, reviews and opinions.
Two companies have long ruled in our travel agency ranking. These are Travelplanet and Tui, respectively.
Finally, one of the most important issues when choosing the best travel agency …
Opinions about travel agencies
Finally, gather opinions about a given travel agency both among friends and family and everything you find on the internet, on forums and tourist blogs.
Certainly encouraging are friends who have travelled with the office for several years and are always satisfied.
There were no major mishaps, and on-site care is satisfactory. Locations resemble those of colorful folders and no one got a room with a view of the dustbin.
In turn, reviews of travel agencies from the Internet need to be taken with a grain of salt.
The rule is that if someone returns from a happy holiday, they will tell one person, if not, at least ten others will learn about it.
It is so that usually people share opinions sooner after negative experiences than when everything was ok. Of course one should not underestimate bad opinions, but keep in mind the fact that the competition is not sleeping, and apparent anonymity on the web and growing marketing services whisper allow a lot.
What should bother you when choosing a travel agency?
You should worry about things like the lack of a resident’s care in case of real trouble (it’s not about the lack of pork chop in the canteen in Egypt but about real problems), failure to comply with the terms of the contract, common delays or rooms in the worst part of the hotel, where only the service lives.
Our small suggestion:
Of course, the worst thing we can do is be guided by choosing a travel agency by only the low price of the offer!
It is so in life that there is nothing for free.
So if the offer is very attractive, then you need to look at the company three times more closely. If the company after checking does not raise suspicions, it is best to ask for details in the office, because of something such a price must result, and aircraft, accommodation, meals and transfers cost theirs.
There are no miracles, so just use common sense and be alert.
If you already choose the best travel agency for you, then we recommend our article on how to prepare for a vacation with a travel agency step by step.
What should good service look like in the best travel agency?
At the beginning, a good travel agent should ask you for all the details:
– deadline,
– number of people,
– their age,
– your budget,
– a possible direction that interests you.
Then there should be a few offers of holiday destinations and after looking through them, the operator should indicate the basic differences between them.
It is mainly about the location of the hotel, its standard and what is associated with it as well as the type of food or even the length of stay – all this translates into the final price and it is worth familiarizing with it.
Sometimes all you need is to pay a 100 euro more and instead of for a week, you can stay in the place for twice as long.
The biggest cost is usually the flight itself (that’s why you should use the flight search engine). The offer should be in the form of a printout or together with the entire catalog. So that you can think it over calmly, for example at home.
If there are any hazards associated with the chosen destination (for example, we have prepared a list of tourist destinations to avoid!), a travel agent should also inform you. Finally, the issue of insurance is usually raised – what is included in the basic package (it is mandatory) and those additionally paid.
Now that you know which travel agency to choose, we also encourage you to provide information about your opinions on individual travel agencies. This will allow us to choose the best of the best. In addition, this will avoid problems in the event that some offices present an appalling level of service.