At 11:23 AM 3/26/2002 +0800, Scotty wrote: >To who ever wrote this You need a new mail client, Scotty, if you can't figure out who wrote the following: > > I'm not saying I never use travel agents. But when I do, air transportation > > is never the driving factor; I'm looking at things like resort trips where > > once I've picked a resort and a time, the air travel will fall into place. > >But why do you have the need to go to a travel agent to book a resort holiday? >ALL hotels, ALL resorts, ALL motels, etc have their own reservations >facilities >available, to which the consumer can access simply by contacting them direct. Because the travel agent adds value to the commercial exchange by being somewhat familiar with the subject matter. If I know where I want to go and don't have questions, I book it myself. (See also: "Laflamme goes to Disneyworld," annual chapters.) But if someone says, "What about a cruise in the southern Caribbean," I'm smart enough to know and brave enough to admit that I don't know much about that. So, I find someone who knows more about that than I do, who knows which cruise lines (or resorts) have good reputations and which they wouldn't send even their worst enemies to, which are great for families and which are great for curmudgeons who don't want their vacations marred by the screeches of excited kids. And if the agent doesn't seem to know these things, or if they steer me badly once, I move on to another agent, just like I switch preferred airlines if one lets me down too often. When I book an airline ticket to a place I know, there's little or no value for a travel agent to add. When I'm going someplace I don't know to do something unfamiliar, I learn from others. And am happy to pay for their expertise. Nick