Why Trash Travel Agents?
 

Why are people so vehement about travel agents here on this board? I can understand why one cannot do a solicitation, but for goodness sake, travel agents have lives also and they are entitled to participate as much as anyone. As for me, I appreciate insider information from anybody. I am a leisure traveler and have used travel agents in the past, and have put together trips by myself as well. I've had good and bad experiences with both but I'm not ready to condemn a whole industry that is actually struggling right now. <BR> <BR>

I've explained this before, and here goes again: <BR> <BR>One of the greatest assets of this forum is that since it is assumed that posters are NOT agents/professionals, any posted info is UNBIASED, HONEST, TRUTHFUL info, to be taken at face value. <BR>Virtually anything you read in a travel book or on a proprietary site may or may not be unbiased. Many travel writers receive benefits from the hotels/restaurants, etc they write about. Seldom do you read blatantly negative commentary, usually just different degrees of positive info. <BR> <BR>So if someone has something to gain from posting here, their info may not be unbiased and completely truthful. If that's the case, I have no use for this site.

Dear Gary, <BR> <BR>How refreshing. A candid, articulate answer without vulgar language. Thank you.

"So if someone has something to gain from posting here, their info may not be unbiased and completely truthful". <BR> <BR>So all travel professonials are guilty until proven innocent,whenever that is,so sayeth the Gary of Fodors.

IMHO, it is worthwhile to gather and review information from just about any source. There is always the need to check facts against multiple sources and evaluate the potential for biases anyway. A lot of us have learned a lot of what we know from travel agents. In addition, I know plenty of people who would be better off doing all their travel arrangements through travel agents. So I therefore have no issue with travel agents posting what they have to say here, for whatever their motivations may happen to be. Many of them are travel junkies just like some of the rest of and that is very likely how they came to be involved in some aspect of the industry to begin with. It's MY job to filter and screen -- not the duty of the sponsors or other participants in the message board.

What p****s people off is the constant barrage of phoney Hawaii posts that all sound THE SAME or trash other possible destinations in an effort to procure business for the person responsible. They all 'push down' legitimate postings.