Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?

 This is kind of a weird phrase, I know.  And to be blunt, it was something my mother said to me related to guys. (get it?)  But the concept comes up in conversations among travel professionals a lot.  

Travel professionals spend a lot of time, effort, and money to learn their trade.  Time researching, taking classes, reading blogs and marketing information, industry updates and following news.  Money to visit and learn about different destinations (not vacations, but think 3 days of visiting 10-13 hotels to understand their offerings, properties, clientele, etc.).  Effort to put together customized itineraries for clients, to market themselves and their offerings, etc. 

Most travel professionals work on commission paid directly from the locations the book - hotels, resorts, cruise lines, etc.  Many places, like small mom & pop properties, boutique hotels, etc. don't pay any commission at all, but people like them, so agents will them.  Since 2022, more and more agencies charge a  planning fee to help offset the amount of time they spend planning custom trips.  Most agents won't start any work for a client until the fee is paid -- see, that's giving away the milk for free.  

Some people don't understand this, and think nothing of asking someone they know in the travel industry questions like "what's the best place to stay in Costa Rica" or "which cruise line is better for Alaska?" or even "how much is it for a 5 night stay at Disney for my family of 4?".  The true first answer to all of those questions "it depends". None of those questions at face value provide enough information to be accurately answered. Which is why travel agents dislike travel questions "from a friend" as much as a lawyer hates when someone asks "is this legal...?" at a cocktail party, or a plumber hates when his neighbor asks for a 'favor' that involves replacing their faucet.  

I confess that sometimes I do give away a taste of the milk so that people know how good it is.  I don't answer all of their questions, but I might answer one or two in a generalized fashion, or I'll show them an itinerary I've built for someone else, or I'll send them a rough draft.  I charge a planning fee before I do any solid research (and it's a rare trip that I don't spend time researching, even if its something I've booked dozens of times), and I do charge a cancellation fee if I've put together an entire itinerary that is cancelled after it's all booked. I have to - if you knew how much money I lost in cancelled bookings during the COVID pandemic, and how many hours I worked for nothing, you'd never question the fee.  I love what I do, but I have bills to pay just like everyone else.  

If the bottom line is all that matters to you, and your time costs you nothing, then maybe you won't work with a travel agent. But if you want to enjoy a vacation that has been thoughtfully curated for you based on your travel preferences, group interests and your budget, make the call, pay the fee, work with a travel agent. You'll be glad you did!