At a time when everyone dreams of going on a trip, it is important if not capital to choose your travel agency carefully so that your stay, cruise or diving safari goes as you imagine it: at best! ÉQUILIBRE offers you an analysis of the different travel providers available to you, the advantages and disadvantages of each so that you can choose your travel agency in a serene and risk-free way.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TRAVEL AGENCY?
Even if a famous quote from Jean d’Ormesson tells us that “All the happiness in the world is in the unexpected”, surprises, when traveling, can sometimes have serious consequences and have an impact on the whole course of your journey. journey . Preparing your trip yourself thanks to the Internet is quite possible in the digital age , but calling on a travel professional will guarantee you advice, security and the proper organization of your stay. Take your time , chat with someone who knows the destination like the back of your hand, talk about the budget, length of stay, what matters to you in terms of comfort and attention…
Only a professional will be able to listen to you and offer you what really suits you!
WHAT ARE THE FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRAVEL AGENCY?
When you are looking for a generalist or specialist diving travel agency, you will usually find:
tour operators ” (or tour operators ) buying wholesale services (flights, hotels, activities, etc.) , at negotiated prices , in order to resell them to travel agencies. This is rather “B to B” (from professional to professional) ,
– traditional travel agencies , physically having an office in your city or a neighboring city as well as a website ,
– online travel agencies , having no shop but only a website ,
– specialized service providers, creators of à la carte stays , sometimes called “receptive” who will be even more able to create, with you, the stay that suits you perfectly. The latter generally do not have the approval to market international flights. They will therefore offer you to book your flight on your own and will take care of you from your arrival in the country of destination, until your departure for more information visit our travel blog .
The prices charged are generally the same whether you use a travel agency , a receptive or design your own stay. Indeed, professionals are remunerated on the commissions they receive from service providers and not by increasing the prices of the various services. On the other hand, the guarantees will be much more assured when you call on a travel professional.
CHOOSE YOUR TRAVEL AGENCY
One of our loyal customers told us recently: “When I enter the terms travel agency on my search engine, it shows me hundreds of answers: blablatour.com, jerevevoyages.com, onvousprometlalune.fr , without count the comparator sites and all the sites having paid their ranking in the first pages of answers. I have absolutely no idea how to find it! »
Whether we are talking about general travel or diving travel, the big travel agencies are generally the ones that will have the most visibility on the Internet: seniority, number of visits, advertisements on search engines and other criteria will be predominant. You will then often find the same ones at the top of the list, which will not necessarily be the one(s) who will have THE trip that suits you to offer you, but rather travel catalogs from which you can “draw” what seems to suit you.
What are the disadvantages ? Y ou will often find the same hotels, the same service providers and few tailo-made options.
By searching through specialized sites and forums on the theme of your trip (diving, animal safari, cruises, etc. ) , you will better understand which travel agencies are dedicated to this theme and you will be able to consult reviews of travelers who have made call this agency or service provider.
If you want a tailor-made trip, specify it. Take the time to find the best speaker among all the proposals from the various search engines, to multiply contacts by indicating the details of your search.
Choosing your travel agency… Not an easy task!
TRAVEL CREATORS OR LOCAL SERVICE PROVIDERS KNOWN AS “RESPONSIVE”
By these terms, we mean a small structure which, located either on site in the country of your destination , or in your country, will be specialized in one or a few destinations and/or on one or a few specific themes . They will then be perfectly adapted if you are looking for something precise and truly tailor-made.
You want to take part in a diving cruise on the theme of photography in Indonesia: you will be able to find THE ideal provider for this specific request.
You want to travel in an eco-responsible way, you dream of sleeping in an ecolodge on a specific destination : service providers specializing in this theme will also be able to meet your expectations perfectly.
These service providers generally provide only part of the service, namely the stay on site (hotels, transfers, activities) only. They usually don’t offer the flights.
In this case, your service provider, whether it is a small agency established locally, or a travel designer, will offer you either to book the flight yourself (generally by directing you to the best formulas) or to entrust the flight to a approved partner who will be the one who, in the end, will send you a global invoice, also including multi-risk travel insurance.
MAKE SURE OF THE GUARANTEES OFFERED
You have finally chosen your service provider and the trip promises to live up to your dreams? What happiness!
