Why (and When to) Use a Travel Agent
Herein lies perhaps the biggest question — and for good reason. Even for me [Joy de Voyage, LLC’s founder], when I started traveling almost two decades ago I didn’t know Travel Agents (or Advisors*) still existed, nor did I really understand their potential value until much later. It wasn’t until I worked with my first Travel Specialist [Advisor] to plan a milestone trip plus safari that their highly additive value readily revealed itself. Which now having entered the Travel Advisor world myself, has helped determine in which cases working with a Travel Advisor (and more generally a Travel Agency) might be beneficial. This article thus seeks to identify the primary booking options and the top pros and cons for each: (1) Self-procured travel, (2) booking through an Online Travel Agency (OTA), and (3) working with a Travel Advisor. It also concludes with jo•vage’s perspective on why (and in which cases) using a Travel Advisor might be the ideal alternative.
Overview
In jo•vage’s view, this determination always depends on the specific trip and travel goals, but in general (1) self-procured travel might be ideal for uncomplicated trips and, for example, to use credit card travel rewards and benefits (i.e. hotel, airfare, and others), while (2) an Online Travel Agency might offer deals and loyalty points when booking with the same supplier. (However, our primary caution regarding this option concerns any itinerary or reservation changes — since booking through an OTA requires involving them to make or adjust to any such changes. Whereas if you or your Travel Advisor book directly with a specific supplier you don’t need to involve a third party OTA to make desired or required changes.) Finally, using (3) a Travel Advisor can be especially helpful for complicated and highly customized itineraries, especially where the traveler may seek specific immersive and authentic cultural experiences. Since Travel Advisors could have access to local business-to-business connections to provide such tailored interactions that are not available to the everyday traveler. This option can also prove beneficial as an Advisor can alert you to any new or upcoming travel requirements (i.e. visas, pre-travel authorizations, etc) or changes based on the geopolitical and economic climate — from foreign air or railway strikes to governmental actions that could impact travelers — and could also have access to deals and upgrades with certain travel suppliers.
Travel Planning Options
Joy de Voyage’s Founder at Cap Maison in St. Lucia. Photo © 2025 Joy de Voyage, LLC.
Currently three primary travel planning and booking options exist: (1) self-procured, (2) Online Travel Agents (OTAs), and (3) Travel Advisors (formerly Travel Agents). All of which might be generally self-explanatory whereby self-procured travel is arranged by the traveler themselves (and although the traveler can use an OTA and/or Travel Advisor to various degree, here we refer to self-procured as the traveler booking exclusively on their own). Online Travel Agents (OTAs) are third party platforms such as Booking, Expedia, Hotels.com, etc that offer an aggregate of bookable services and properties, with Travel Advisors being accredited and professional travel industry experts who can plan and arrange clients’ travel.
Pros & Cons
(1) Self-procured travel is what I predominantly booked for my personal, as well as family and friends’, travels prior to entering the travel industry and launching a Travel Agency. For the most part it worked well given my requirements and travel expectations, and especially as my planning experience grew with each trip taken. However, invariably there were some issues I encountered, which could cause last minute rushing to try and ensure all travel documents were in order, or cases which required rebooking a disrupted service in case of a cancellation from suppliers, etc. Thus, accordingly there are some Pros and Cons to this option.
Pros: It can definitely be a good option especially in cases where your (a) travel is straightforward and not terribly complicated (for example in terms of visa and logistical requirements and not spanning multiple cities or countries through a variety of transportation means). Though it is also possible for travelers to book complicated itineraries themselves, this could trigger a more significant time investment and potentially extra stress to ensure every aspect is properly addressed. Additionally, this could also require monitoring a variety of factors to ensure travel can continue uninterrupted. For example, it would prove prudent to watch for airport updates on any check-in delays,especially in case of potential government shutdown(s), any possible strikes which could impact future air or rail travel [especially in Europe which has impacted my past travel on multiple occasions], any weather impacts which could affect bookings [which I ran into right before travel to Rio de Janeiro when my hotel flooded, and I had to quickly splice together new accommodations from a far more sparse selection during the week of Carnival] — all of which would require the traveler to address any and all impacts personally. Another Pro though might be (b) the ability to use Credit Card points and benefits for upgrades, offers, and reimbursements for hotel rooms, transportation, and more. Especially in the current economy this could prove advantageous to you; though a good Travel Advisor would also integrate this into your respective travel plans, in our opinion, letting the traveler book any desired portions of travel should they desire.
Cons: You won’t be alerted to any updates impacting your itinerary unless you set those up yourself or continuously monitor that (including geopolitical developments which could cause an impact). Conversely, a good Travel Advisor will keep your travel top of mind, keep apprised of any potential impacts, and alert you to those immediately. (The Travel Specialist [Advisor] I mentioned earlier did just this during the trip I booked through their company, which prevented potential impacts and delays during check-in since the airline [and company used to book flights] had not yet alerted us of those changes to the code-share flights that were booked.) And in today’s world of increased volatility and increasing digitalization (especially regarding pre-travel authorization or registration requirements), both indelibly impact the travel industry and could lend more favorably toward using a Travel Advisor to navigate and monitor these latest developments and impacts.
(2) Perhaps the biggest Pro of OTAs is the ability to offer specific deals and booking directly through their [third party] service. On the opposite side though, the Con is in case of any changes or cancellations, you will be unable to work directly with the supplier (hotel, airline, etc) to address any disruption or change to your reservation(s). Which can prove challenging, especially when you’re at a hotel check-in desk, and there is an issue with your reservation — where you are unable to rectify that directly on-site. Instead you have to go back to the Customer Service branch of whatever OTA you used.
Somewhat entering into this space as well are packages compiled by companies such as Delta Vacations and Costo Travel, for example. Which can prove of great interest especially to travelers with membership in such companies who seek additional perks or benefits through membership-related bookings. This could provide a good option, especially in case of seamless travel. However, and similarly, in case of delays or unforeseen circumstances that require changes to your travel, that can prove more complicated by having to use such a third party travel provider. (It is also important, especially if booking insurance through a third party supplier, to ensure what conditions are covered in case of any changes to travel as not everything might be covered. Which is also important to verify in general when it comes to insurance.)
(3) Finally, especially for (a) highly customized itineraries and travel plans and/or (b) not wanting to plan and worry about all the specific details yourself, this is likely the biggest Pro by using a Travel Advisor. Additionally, (c) planning a major milestone trip can be another exceptionally good reason to help try and ensure that your trip meets all of your unique requirements and wishes — from honeymoons to anniversaries, and multi-generational journeys to incredible solo adventures. Additionally the fact that you are (d) working with a person whose primarily goal is to know you in order to fully understand your desired travels really does translate into very tangible results.
Additionally, given the overwhelming information space and endless recommendations today regarding travel virtually everywhere, a good Travel Advisor can help effectively sift through this landscape to create a trip tailored to you and your vision. Some Travel Advisors and Travel Agencies might also have access to deals and upgrades which could benefit their clients, as well as very importantly business-to-business local expert connections and suppliers unavailable to the general public — both of which offer highly additive value especially for important milestone travels. Thus at least for us at jo•vage®, these reasons really distill why and when using a Travel Advisor could prove most beneficial.
Though some potential Cons might include (a) the cost associated with using a Travel Advisor. This is all of course highly variable, but it’s important to consider the entirety of your budget to ensure any service fees/etc are taken into account as well. Additionally, (b) if you are planning travel in a much different time zone, it might prove beneficial to ask if your Advisor will be available during those daytime hours as well. If this is very important to you and that isn’t available, that could be another Con to consider (although this could also be resolved by if your Advisor can provide a solution to address that concern or if not, by finding an Advisor that can accommodate that).
How to Choose the Right Option & Best Travel Advisor — for You!
In generally choosing to book yourself, via an OTA or Travel Advisor really all comes down to your priorities, preferences, budget, and how comfortable you are with each option. Although in our view there can be cases where each presents a better reason for selection, it really depends on your personal trip priorities and travel goals for each particular trip.
Though in case you decide that using a Travel Advisor might prove more beneficial for a particular trip (or trips), the next question is how to you choose the right one for you. This too recalls the question of budget, desired travel experience, your preferences, etc. But upon going through those questions (and reaching out to various Travel Advisors that might interest you), this should help narrow down your selection — as there truly are a wide variety of Travel Advisors with various areas of expertise and specialization.
Where Travel Advisors Can Assist & What to Look For
jo•vage® and Joy de Voyage, LLC Founder (Joy Nguyen) at the 2026 Georgia Bridal Show
Along these lines here are a few concrete examples of what to look for and points that Travel Advisors can alert you to and possibly assist with (as noted from one of our Caribbean trips) throughout the travel planning process. As briefly mentioned, iit can prove difficult and even overwhelming — whether it’s to decide on a destination or develop a highly tailored multi-country itinerary — especially in this present age of over-information, new travel requirements, geopolitical developments, AI, and endless recommendations from every type of source. Couple that with ensuring your experience will meet your personal preferences and desired expectations, and it becomes all the more challenging. That is where Travel Advisors and Travel Agencies, like us at jo•vage, can help.
Where Travel Advisors Can Assist
When searching for a Travel Agent/Advisor, look for a local expert who specializes in the type of travel you seek. Also be sure to check for credentials and reputable affiliations. (For example, given our focus on highly customized French-inspired luxury travel, we would not be well suited to book a Caribbean Disney cruise and holiday. However, there are amazing exclusive Disney Advisors who can book exceptionally great getaways, and we look forward to working with them for a future adventure! So it just depends what you are looking for.) Travel reviews can also help, although not all Travel Agencies (such as jo•vage) have opted in to Google Reviews or some other technology platforms.
What to Look For, When Planning Travel Yourself (or What Your Advisor Can Do For You!)
Additionally, although this list is not all-inclusive, here are a few things to look for when planning travel yourself — or what your Travel Advisor can do for you! For example a good Travel Advisor can help identify any visa or pre-travel authorization requirements and the corresponding government websites to register your travel properly. This helps ensure you don’t arrive somewhere without the appropriate clearance to enter a country. Advisors can also ensure properties you want to visit will have all services available, such as ensuring on-site restaurants that might have seasonal closures are open, something that could impact a decision to lodge there.
Check for any pre-travel authorization and/or visa requirements. (Digitalization and pre-travel requirements have become increasingly common globally.)
Only use official government websites to complete travel requirements.
If renting a car, check which side of the road they drive on and for any local or international driving permit requirements. (In St. Lucia, for example, you will have to purchase a local driving certificate if you don’t arrive with an international license. It cost $22 as of Fall 2025. They also drive on the left-side of the road — verified in person and current as of October 2026.)
Confirm the local currency and preferred local payment methods as well as different charger requirements (i.e. 220 Volts [European Union] vs. 110 Volts [North America] for electrically charged devices).
Check weather and pricing during high, off, and shoulder season if looking for a specific climate and within specific timeframes also based on any travel budget parameters.
Research local tipping culture as well as local customs, courtesy, and etiquette.
Understand any security considerations as well as cultural factors (such as which side of the escalator to use, if shops close on Sunday or during lunchtime hours, as well as any seasonal closures and pre-booking sight seeing requirements) to effectively plan your trip.
We hope this helped outline some reasons on why (and when) using a Travel Advisor might prove helpful as opposed to other options (plus Pros and Cons for each). And in case of any inquiries about our Travel Agency services, you can learn more here. Bon voyage et bisous !
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*Of note, the adapted shift from Travel Agent to Travel Advisor signifies the incredible value and expertise veritable Travel Advisors can offer as opposed to a more traditional Travel Agent who might focus more on exclusively providing and booking specific services and deals. Both can prove beneficial despite their different focus, which also should factor into the calculus of choosing the right option for you. (And of course we highly recommend verifying a purported Travel Advisor or Travel Agent’s credentials and any cited [reputable] affiliations beforehand.)
(Please note: This perspective and overarching commentary come from personal travel experience, general travel industry research, and upon recently establishing jo•vage® as an independent Travel Agency. It does not necessarily address every case, variable, or combination possible when booking travel nor represent an expert insider view of OTAs in particular. Finally “traveler(s)” mentioned here refer to someone who is not already an expert in the destination they intend to visit.)
