Since we’ve opened our own travel agency, we’ve noticed a fair amount of the boiling frog syndrome regarding travel planning and the luxury traveler.

You know the boiling frog anecdote, right?

If you place a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will immediately jump out.  However, if you place a frog in room temperature water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.

Now, I’m not suggesting that travel planning will result in your death, but I am suggesting that certain widespread beliefs about travel planning have become outdated and that folks need to be aware that the waters around them are getting warmer.

Travel Planning Myth: the Internet is always the best place to book my travel

In the early days of the Internet, booking luxury travel on the Internet seemed like a win/win for travel providers and consumers alike.  Without the travel advisor in the middle, cost savings could be passed on to the consumer.  It seemed like a good plan, but folks have learned that travel is complicated with many moving parts, and folks are also feeling completely overwhelmed with the amount of information available, which ultimately lends its way to issues of trust.  

5 Reasons People Don’t Work With a Travel Advisor

1. Travelers feel that doing their own planning is empowering and that giving it up will diminish their experience. Fact: Whether you’re the do-it-yourself type or are looking for someone to completely take the reins, collaboration with a Virtuoso travel advisor eliminates stress so you can focus on the excitement of travel. 
2. Travelers can find everything they need on the Internet. Fact: A Virtuoso advisor saves time, cuts through the clutter, and can personalize trips tailored to your needs, interests, and budget. Their expertise and connections around the world help you travel better.
3. They believe an advisor adds to the cost of the trip. Fact: A Virtuoso travel advisor has access to the same (and often better) pricing that you can find online, and can secure VIP perks such as free room upgrades, daily breakfast, and other benefits you can’t get on your own. 
4. Travelers don’t understand the value an advisor brings. Fact: In addition to saving you time and money, a Virtuoso advisor helps make the most of your free time. Plus, your advisor is available 24/7 before, during, and after your trip, ensuring peace of mind so you can relax and have fun.
5. They don’t know how to find one. Fact: Problem solved—you’ve come to the right place!

Listen, here’s the deal.  We’ve teamed up with Virtuoso, the travel industry’s leading luxury network. Our organization includes more than 340 agencies with 8,900 elite advisors in 20 countries throughout North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia, and New Zealand. Travelers who use Virtuoso’s advisors get access to more than 1,300 of the world’s premier travel providers, as well as exclusive services, experiences, and products.  

Because Virtuoso is the $12 billion/year gorilla in the luxury travel world, we have clout to bring you the best available offers, save you copious amounts of time, and the peace of mind to know that we’re always there with you.

So here’s the $64,000 question: if we’re bringing you the same or better pricing, we do all of the exhausting travel planning work, and are available to you while traveling should problems arise, why would you even consider planning travel on your own?

If you’re a luxury traveler, and would love some help planning a river cruise, an ocean cruise; planning that special occasion get-a-way, or perhaps that once in a lifetime trip to Italy, Australia, or anywhere in the world, it would be our great honor to help you, and have you as one of our clients.

To learn more about the value we can bring to your exciting travel plans, call us at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request by clicking the red button below.

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