Everywhere you turn now, big box stores are offering travel services. And the prices look great – why not book your vacation where you buy your toilet paper? After all, you're right there -- why hire a travel agent?
Here are a few reasons why NOT to buy your vacation where you buy tissues and dog biscuits (based on real complaints from people who did it only once!):
The flights purchased through Big Box Stores (BBS) are bottom dollar tickets: you’ll find yourself spending about $100 or more per person for things like checked bags, carry on bags, and choosing seats together on the plane (if its even an option). But hey, if you can go to Disney World for a week with nothing but what you fit into a back pack, more power to you!- Like making payments on your trip? The BBS talks you into a credit card, which comes with interest. Your VacationKids travel agent will work with you to make monthly payments with no interest.
- BBS trips often don't give you everything you need. Yes, you will find a great deal on that Cancun all-inclusive resort. But the kid's club for you 4 and 6 year old might be a converted closet, and the person selling it has never been to Cancun so they don’t know that the resort is lovely but the beach is crap and the surf is very rough, and all the college kids go there to drink & party. Building a relationship with your travel agent will make sure that they are recommending places that are right for your specific needs – and they’ve probably been there, or their co worker has, and they know the ins and outs.
- Have questions about what to pack, how to schedule excursions, how to navigate customs? The BBS is not going to answer all of your questions for you. You’ll call a customer service number and wait 45 minutes on hold to get generic information from someone reading off of a script.
- Discount Disney? Yikes! We have blog post after blog posted dedicated to planning a Disney Vacation. A VacationKids travel agent will help you with deciding where to eat, what attractions are best for your family, what parks to go to on what day, and explain how that whole Magic Band thing works. They’ll also work hard to save you money (even though it means less earnings for them). The BBS is going to give you your confirmation number and let you figure it out. Good luck with that.
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