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Top-10-benefits-of-booking-a-vacation-with-a-travel-agency
By Lisa Parker
If you're still wondering whether or not you'd like to book your dream vacation through a agency; stop wondering. Yes, you do want to book your vacation through an agency!
A agency provides convenience, and great deals on airfare and reservations. There really isn't any reason not to use a agency. However, if you still need a little convincing, below we'll list ten of the top benefits of booking a vacation through a agency…
#1 - One Stop Shopping
Simply put, being able to grab your airline tickets, your hotel reservation, your rental car, and anything else you'd need all in one place, you save yourself the tedium of having to make dozens of phone calls and book every single component of your vacation one piece at a time. In addition to the above, one vacation may require transportation to and from the airport, more than one hotel if you will be visiting different cities or countries, ground transportation such as trains, buses, and taxis, and multiple reservations for dinner, entertainment, and sightseeing.
#2 - Insider Experience
More than just "somebody who buys tickets for you", a good agent is also something of a expert. This is because, if a traveler sends a negative review of a hotel in to a magazine, that magazine might not print it if that hotel advertises in the magazine. But if a agent meets a new client who complains of a bad trip they had, the agent doesn't have any reason not share that with you. A agent can warn you of sites that aren't all they're cracked up to be, or recommend lesser known getaways.
#3 - Customized Service
Going through a agent who listens to your needs, you can expect to rely on their advice and know how to get you exactly what you need. You might not know exactly what that is right off the bat, and a agent can recommend specific vacation spots, hotels, and airlines to suit your specific vacation goals. You can describe to the agent all the requirements you are looking for (within one block from the beach, ocean view, on-site babysitting, etc.) and they can often suggest a better alternative than perhaps the first destination you had in mind.
#4 - Consumer Advocacy
When you hear that agents make their money by commission, you might think "Oh then they're probably going to try to sell me the most expensive thing available!" But that practice is actually frowned upon in the industry, and, think about it, are they going to get a lot of return business if they keep ripping people off? A good agent is going to work on your behalf to try and get you the best possible vacation you're willing to buy, simply because it's your business that keeps them in business.
#5
100 cool places in Arizona
Grand vistas? Check. Funky restaurants? On the list. Wild and woolly history? You got it. Arizona marks the centennial of its statehood, so we scoured the state and found five score places for your "must" list.<br/><br/>Western Arizona
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Arizona: First-rate journeys in the 48th state
When Arizona sought to become a state, an Indiana senator stood in its way, and President Taft vetoed the first try.<br/><br/>To get a modern-day perspective on the euphoria Arizonans felt on Feb. 14, 1912, when they were granted statehood, try to imagine the Cardinals winning the Super Bowl. Or the Diamondbacks winning the World Series. Or the Suns at long last nailing the NBA Championship. The territory had lusted after the equal status that came with statehood much like a teenager waiting for his driver's license.
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Latest news at Grand Canyon National Park
Visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park this year will find new water-bottle refilling stations, a South Rim bicycle rental and bike-tour operation is expected to open, a multiuse trail is expected to be finished, and more.<br/><br/>Grand Canyon National Park, the 5-million or 6-million-year-old granddaddy of Arizona tourism, logged 4.3 million visitors last year.
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Dining out in Phoenix with Dodger Andre Ethier
The Arizona native is a devoted foodie and loves chasing down hole-in-the-wall joints and trendy new places. Here are a few Phoenix-area favorites.<br/><br/>For Phoenix food tips, we turned to Andre Ethier, who summers in the right corner of Dodger Stadium and winters at his ranch in Chandler, 30 minutes south of Phoenix. The Arizona native is a devoted foodie — chasing down hole-in-the-wall joints and new, trendy places whenever he gets the chance.
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Travel experts share bargain-hunting tips
Los Angeles Times Travel Show: Experts from Travelzoo, LivingSocial and JohnnyJet.com share strategies for stretching vacation dollars.<br/><br/>If you don't know where you're going on vacation this year, you may not be indecisive. You might just be a bargain hunter.
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Romantic getaways
A vibrant street life, stunning visuals, food and drink that sweeten your lips. The world's most romantic places seem to share these traits. But there is something more: a sense of style and spirit, a pace that's almost musical. Here's a list of ethereal places -- some expected, some not -- that can easily capture your heart.<br/><br/>Berlin: Put Berlin next to Paris and you have both sides of the coin: romance, which occasionally appeals, and eros, which never fails. "Berlin is sexy," said the German capital's openly gay Mayor Klaus Wowereit, and it's been that way since the iniquitous Weimar Republic of Marlene Dietrich and cabaret, when only verboten was a naughty word. Recent influxes of German hipsters and clued-in foreigners are (as the song says) "Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)" with Berlin's outré art scene, drinking in all-night bars where mind-numbing absinthe is the poison of choice, and dressing in provocative Weimar styles for Bohème Sauvage, an on-going series of nightclub parties with dancing to hot jazz, backroom poker and floor shows featuring scantily clad performers of undetermined sex.
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Hollywood finds romance in travel
On a train 'North by Northwest' and others, on a bus in 'It Happened One Night,' in Italy in 'Roman Holiday,' in Bali in 'Eat, Pray, Love' — love is all around.<br/><br/>Love is always lovelier some place other than home. Well, at least in the celluloid universe.
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Indy tips for Super Bowl visitors
OK, you somehow scored Super Bowl tix. Congrats. Shouldn’t everyone’s uncle be a regional fleet manager for Ford?<br/><br/>OK, you somehow scored Super Bowl tix. Congrats. Shouldn’t everyone’s uncle be a regional fleet manager for Ford?
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Cooking up gourmet adventures across the West
A guide to the hotels, resorts and other locales in the West that offer travelers hand's-on cooking lessons.<br/><br/>Cooking classes are sprouting like shiitake mushrooms across the West, often in gorgeous locations. For travelers who want to plan their gourmet adventures, we've found restaurants, hotels, lodges, resorts and culinary academies where they can improve their home-chef skills with hands-on lessons, demonstrations or tutoring by noted chefs.
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12 places to visit in 2012
From historical celebrations to Oregon wines to a diamond jubilee in Britain to Warhol in Arkansas, here are a dozen places to explore and enjoy.<br/><br/>New Mexico: This year, New Mexicans mark 100 years of statehood. But much of the state's appeal stems from its human history that goes back much further. (In 2010, Santa Fe celebrated 400 years of cityhood.) Explore here: the adobe architecture and art galleries of Santa Fe; the vintage signage along old Route 66; the lingering hippie vibe of Truth or Consequences. Don't forget the Lightning Field, an art installation outside Quemado where (for $150 to $250 a person) you spend a summer night in a wood cabin and wait to see if lightning will strike one of the 400 tall steel poles outside your door. Even if there's no strike, the sky puts on shows at sunset and sunrise that will leave you in awe.
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- Best Value
Because agencies receive tickets at whopping discounts, and because they collect commission rather than a fee, you can expect the absolute lowest prices around through agents.
#6 - New Discoveries
If you're planning a tropical getaway, you've no doubt heard of the Bahamas and Bermuda, but you know what that means… so has everyone else. A agent should be able to help you find lesser known, truly private and special vacation spots.
#7 - Safety and Security
Travel agents can inform you of the necessary visa, passport and health requirements for international and provide application forms or assistance as needed. They can also keep you up to date on any warnings or advisories such as natural catastrophe or political unrest. Even if it's just a little thing like "always shake with your left hand when visiting the Middle East", the expert knowledge a agent can provide can make it a lot easier to get along with the locals, wherever you're headed.
#8 - Reliability
If you're just flying off to Mexico on a half-cocked whim, there's no guarantee you're going to be able to find a rental car and a hotel. Using a agency's all inclusive vacation packages; you can expect your rental car to be sitting there at the airport waiting for you.
#9 - Personal Contact
Basically, using a agency, even online, you get real live people you can talk to. You won't get this with simple ticket comparison sites. And if something happens on your trip -- unexpected illness or document theft -- your agent can get you the help you need when you need it.
#10 - Convenience
This one is simple, do you or don't you want to spend all day making long distance calls to hotels thousands of miles away and trying to find out if they have a twin bed room open on August twenty first? Even 800 lines can have you holding all day or navigating endless automated menus. Using a agent is kind of like having a shock absorber for hassles and headaches. Article Source: http://www.upublish.info About the Author:
Lisa Parker
About Author:
Lisa Parker is a freelance writer who covers the industry, often writing about specific topics such as vacation destinations and deals offered by a travel agency. Ready to copy Article in either text or html format:
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