Here is a review of an article written by Nina Slawek:
Highlights:
1. Don't get "deal obsessed"
2. Don't assume the airlines are out to "getcha"
3. Don't get a travel agent to map out a full vacation itinerary...and then book it all yourself on the web
4. Don't believe everything you read
5. Don't try this at home (DIY travel planning)
It still amazes me when a potential client will contact me and ask me to plan his or her vacation, then "steal" what I have spent hours of work on in preparing a proposed trip and book the trip on their own. What does this accomplish? Do they think they will get a better deal by booking on their own? If they have found a better price I am usually able to match it. Who will they call when there is a problem, a concern, or a simple question? Would they call a lawyer, an accountant, a doctor and ask them to do work for free? I don't think they would get very far if they tried.
I have not charged for my travel planning in the past and there are other agents who keep telling me I should at least ask for a retainer, a "planning fee", which would be non-refundable if the trip is canceled or not booked at all. I am at the point that I believe I will have to do this.
I used to feel that I could trust a new client to work with me and book their trip with me. But that is not always the case. At least with a "planning fee" which would be applied to the final payment, the work that I have done will not be wasted should the client decide not to book the trip. I believe if the client is serious about booking the trip in the first place, they wouldn't mind paying the planning fee. If not, they probably were the ones who would have "stolen" the trip anyway.
Any thoughts?
