One of Warren Buffett’s most famous quotes is, “Price is what you pay; value is what you get.” This is true with everything in life, there is no secret deal when it comes to travel. If an experience is on a deal, buyer beware; there is probably a reason. Leave the guided choices to the experts to help you decide what option is best for your family. Almost every time I am checking into a hotel I hear people next to me complaining at the front desk that they thought their room would have a different view, or have two beds. Again, you get what you pay for.
The key difference is the price is random and value is the foundation of what you will experience when you are on vacation. Hmmm, this is not the turn you thought this article would take, is it? The key thing you need to know is that it is important you can find the difference between cost (price) and value (experience) when you are going to travel. What is important to you? What do you need to have? What will make your family more comfortable when you travel?
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” (Milton Friedman) We are approached to quite a bit to fixed poorly planned vacations. This makes us feel bad because we cannot pull people out of issues we did not create. We often find this is just a lack of education in terms of understanding what a real Professional Travel Advisor offers.
A Professional Travel Advisor does exactly what is in the name, we advise. Our job is to listen to what you are looking for and make recommendations based on your needs. While we are not in the practice of advising you to spend more than you wish, we are here to educate you on what you are getting and possibly add enhancements to make your stay more magical.
For example, one of my first clients who booked with me was looking for a Walt Disney World Vacation, easy, that is my specialty. She was telling me this is a redo trip from one they took a couple of years ago. She said they booked with a big box store to save a couple of bucks by receiving a gift card to shop in the store for booking travel with them.
That was mistake number 1, if they are giving away what they are paid, then you will not be getting any service.
She proceeded to tell me that her husband hated their trip because it was too much work, and he could not even get a good night’s sleep. I asked her, “why?” She then told me the beds at Disney are way too small. I thought that was a bit strange, so I asked her where they stayed. They stayed at a value resort.
Mistake number 2. There’s nothing wrong with value resorts at Disney, I stay at them as well. But her husband was 6 ft 6 and at the time, these resorts only offered two double beds or one king but with a family they could only get a room with two double beds. What she told me is that she was on a budget but had she been told about the beds she would have made it work to stay in a moderate resort.
I am not here to place blame on anyone involved here. What I am here to ask you is, “How much do you value your vacation?” Had my client originally booked with an expert who could listen and guide her through what will make her trip perfect, she would not have had the experience she did. For the extra savings of an in-store gift card, her trip was ruined, and her husband was not happy.
For the record, trip number two was fantastic, and they have been long time clients ever since.
The bottom line is a deal is not a deal. Work with a Professional Travel Advisor to help guide you through your vacation choices. There are a ton, there is a fit for you, and we want to keep you within your range. If we do, this is good for us and good for you. We are not a call center; we do not give rebates. What we do is listen to you, craft your trip, and love every minute of planning with you.