Is it worth it to shop around for travel agents?
 

Hello,

I am in the middle of planning my honeymoon (Namibia and Mozambique) and have emailed 1 travel agent about it (from a Fodor's recommendation). She is very responsive and within budget, but I'm wondering if I should shop around my itinerary to see if we can get a better price, to save a bit of cash. We would book with one of them (just in case if anything goes wrong, we would rather not deal with it on our honeymoon!), but do you think I should just stick with the one I have? We will be doing a self drive in Namibia (Etosha and sand dunes) and just stay at a resort in Mozambique.

Thanks!
M

Sounds like a great honeymoon, would be interested in your itinerary! ;)

I usually tend to ask several agents, just to see how the prices compare. Then I go with the one that helped me the best, and if there is a big price difference I just honestly tell them. Most of the times they are able to match that price or come close. Since the difference can really be over a $1000 easily in my experience I definitely advice to get at least 1 comparison.

What's more important to you - saving a bit of cash or having an unforgettable honeymoon?

You need to build up a trust with the agent as they have the ability to ruin the trip if they are no good.

Also be aware that if 2 agents book flights for you, it is easily possible that the airline will cancel the bookings as "Duplicates". (They may not tell you that they are holding seats for you, so I would mention that you are talking to other agents if you go down this route.)

I don;t follow Nikao's logic. So, if Agent Orange charges $10,000, but more helpful Agent Green charges $11,000, you tell Agent Green he is too expensive and he cuts the price to $10,000?

Have I understood correctly? In other words, Agent Green is trying to severely overcharge you, but you still give him your business? Each to their own.

Prive is just one element of the total picture. If agent À quotes you à more expensive quota than agent B, this kant necessarily overpricing. I've Deen it many times in other business as well; one is pricing on the high Side, expexting/anticipating some negotiations and another just figuur you à low price that most often turns out to become more because of all THE stuff not included,
So yes, i just tell the agent i trust the most if someone else is cheaper so hè has the chance to explain the difference or match the price. Isnt that only fair?

Ugh sorry for my spelling, my iPad is correcting my texts as i type lol

Get more quotes as it sounds like you both have a recomemdation for this aganet and they are doing a good job, so you will likely stick with them unless there is a substantial difference in price or someone else has a stunningly good idea. Since any agent may be using other agents if covering two countries, maybe you will get something markedly different.

Actually, I wonder what possible harm there is in asking?

If you want to test an agent fairly though, send them the same information you sent the first one, unless you have had changes of mind since then, and see what they come up with.

I seek other agents if I am still left wanting, for instance if they don't seem to understand the type of experience I am seeking, or if the prices are out of line (too high or too low) with what I consider to be reasonable.

If I find someone who meets my needs from the start, I'm happy to stop there.

I think you hit the nail on the head there Femi, cause thats basically what I meant. The only thing is, how do you know if the prices our out of line if you just ask 1 agent? Thats why I ask multiple ;)

First of all:

IF you shop at a TA and request decent inside information based on her/his experiences don't you find it UNFAIR to shop around with the info provided by her/him and search for cheaper prices?

Now - the fashion of providing a "future client" with 30 mins of consultancy and charge for anything above that when not booked must be considered FAIR!

I entirely condemn this kind of practise!

Either do your own research, swallow the risk of getting stuck anywhere along the way and not being able to request help from any TO/TA or be prepared to pay for service.

You don't like to work FOC! Do you?

((@))

I do a lot of research for my trips online. I've found it's the best way to ensure that I am doing activities that are of interest to me. If you are not specific, you end up getting a very generic experience. Thanks, but no thanks to any future university campus tours! Good travel agents have surprised me with activities I loved and would never have discovered on my own, so it goes both ways.

I am also rather particular about accommodations, so I look at the options to see what I consider to be reasonable BEFORE I contact a travel agent. If we both come up with the same choices, that's a great sign that the agent understands my needs.

I have to research costs BEFORE I talk to an agent so that I have somewhat realistic expectations about what I can get for my budget (although I always think I should be getting more for my money!).

This is generally how I approach planning my trips, I am sure there are lots of other methods that also work well for others.

Spass, what if the inside info I receive does not match my expectations? Shopping for a travel agent is kinda like dating. Just be upfront about the fact that you are 'seeing' other agents ;) Just because you went out for dinner (so to speak) does not mean you are now committed.

Hello all, thanks for your comments. To be fair, I have done quite a bit of research already (love planning trips!) and gave her an idea of what we wanted to do. She came up with lodges and things. I think I will email another with the itinerary I came up with and see what one other travel agent suggests. I had a good idea of a budget already, so we're just hoping to see if we can get something similar for something that is a little more affordable...

Nikao, here is the itinerary I put together:
Thursday November 10: Leave Chicago, evening
Friday November 11: All day London, leave for SA at night
Saturday November 12: Arrive in JNB in morning, arrive in Namibia in afternoon. Evening in Windhoek
Sunday November 13: Drive to dunes. See stuff along the way
Monday November 14: Dunes
Tuesday November 15: Dunes / other stuff in area
Wednesday November 16: Drive to Swakopmund and overnight (6 hour drive)
Thursday November 17: Drive up to Etosha (7 hour drive)
Friday November 18: Safari (Etosha)
Saturday November 19: Safari (Etosha)
Sunday November 20: Safari (Etosha) in morning, drive to Windhoek and fly to JNB that night
Monday November 21: Fly to Mozambique from JNB. Arrive in late morning / afternoon
Tuesday November 22: Stay at resort, diving
Wednesday November 23: Stay at resort, diving
Thursday November 24: Stay at resort, diving
Friday November 25: Stay at resort, diving in morning only, other activity
Saturday November 26: Other activity (maybe leave for CPT / JNB this afternoon / evening?)
November 27: Leave morning of Sunday 11/27 for Cape Town / JNB.
Flight to London in evening (~8pm)
Monday November 28: Arrive in London (~7am), fly to Chicago

M

That looks like a lovely trip, do you know where you are staying in namibia?

Yes, yes and yes! Even in the same class of service, the quotes can vary by a lot. It is always worth it to look at two to three. I generally will do that for my trips once I know my budget. Each agent may have different contracts and contacts for the same class of service, so you can really see all your options before confirming your trip. Check out trip advisor for some other options, or even another travel guide. Lonely Planet, Fodors and Frommers all vary widely in their recomendations. I would also look at sites like responsible travel dot com for their recomendations as well.

Have fun!

Just experienced the confirmation you HAVE TO shop around; one agent dropped 700 euro's in price (15%) just like that when I mentioned the competitor price.... omg....

Some agents get a 20% discount from lodges, so dropping the price by 15% means the agent is cutting his margin to the bare minimum.

Any lower and they could lose money.

Very few agents or operators will take any sort of offence with people shopping around. It is all part of the job.
I wouldn't go out and buy a fridge without checking prices in all the stores so why is buying a holiday any different.
You want to get the best deal you can. Some agents/operators get different STO rates than others and most unless they are greedy will have a good balance of value for the client whilst still making it worthwhile for them.
I am an operator but if I am holidaying outside Africa I always shop about to get the best value I can with the best service.
Swakopmund where I live is a pretty close knit community and most of my friends are in the same business. Very often we have all put out quotes for the same client. It is how it works.
Please never feel bad about shopping around!

Thats interesting to mention gemma,just out of curiosity; do you also discuss those quotes? I know thats very normal to do in the construction business for instance...

No not discuss as such, but we usually meet up for sundowners (it is Namibia after all) and you can always tell when everyone is in a good mood and has sent out some nice itineraries that day...and you soon realise we have all sent to the same people.
It's just the way this business is. No hard feelings and may the best man win :o)