Hiring a travel concierge to plan your vacations is all the rage, and with good reason. Here are 10 reasons why you’ll want to jump on this trend now.
What’s your dream vacation? Picture this:
You’re listening to this week’s top hits, dancing with the handsome man you met by the pool earlier. A pod of dolphins seems to take your lead, performing their own song and dance over the waves. You’re on cloud 9 as your Caribbean cruise ship fades into the sunset sky.
Or maybe you’re relaxing in your hotel room, watching your wife drift peacefully to sleep. The kids knocked out a couple of hours ago, their energy was left on the last ride at Disney. You’ve worked hard all year, and you finally got to take the family on their dream vacation. As the saying goes, Disney is where dreams come true.
Your vacation couldn’t be more perfect.
Rewind and Reality Check
Now imagine you’ve just gotten off of a 3 hour delayed flight, the cab you scheduled took your deposit and left you stranded. The rain is coming down in buckets. You finally make it to the loading dock, come to find out your cruise ship departed about 5 minutes ago.
Or you’ve just driven 16 hours to your Disney resort. You brought along the whole family, even your pal Max, the family poodle. The hotel immediately informs you of their strict no-pet policy, and the rude desk clerk keeps your non-refundable deposit.
A quick online search and you realize that the entire town is sold out. Who do you call for help when you’re stranded in a foreign state with your family and pal Max?
These are real problems that happen to real people, and these problems tend to happen at the worst of times.
All of this can be avoided with a travel concierge. The concierge is your ticket to a perfect vacation.
Read on to find out 10 reasons why you should always use a travel concierge for all of your travel needs.
What is a Travel Concierge?
First and foremost, a travel concierge assembles and arranges your itinerary. You could be planning a vacation or stuck on a work trip. Either way, a travel concierge is the way to go.
You might be thinking, I don’t need to spend any money for a service I can do myself, I can book my own ticket.
An experienced travel concierge does much more than just book your plane tickets. They take the time to get to know you and your interests. They will make sure that your vacation is seamless.
Here are 10 reasons to keep your concierge close.
Personalized Travel Plans
It’s easy to go online and book a vacation package yourself. Plane tickets, cruise line, meal plans, but that’s about all you can get.
When you book with a travel concierge they can do as much or as little planning for you as you’d like. You might want your days and activities planned for every minute of your vacation, or you maybe you just want some different options and the spontaneous route.
They know the ins and outs of the best hotels, local restaurants, and events. You won’t find yourself at a roach infested hotel because the online reviews were inaccurate. You’ll have your own expert to guide you.
Whatever works for you, works for the concierge. They are there to make your vacation everything you’ve ever dreamed.
You’ll Save Time
There are a lot of things to do before you go on vacation. You have to put your cable and internet on vacation hold, find someone to watch the pets or house sit. Don’t forget all of the extra stuff you’ll need to get done at work so you don’t come back to piles of paperwork.
Pile on the packing and you’ve got your hands full.
Who has time to research all the hotels, restaurants, activities? Once you finally find all of the activities you want to do, now you have to find a way to schedule them all without missing anything.
How many events you want to attend in one city dictates how many hotel nights you’ll need to book. Oops, you already booked your hotel but you just found out about a concert in that town for the next day.
This is why you want a travel concierge. They do all the hard work so you can focus on relaxing and packing.
More Bang for Your Buck
A common misconception with a travel concierge is that it costs more. Why spend the extra money when you can book it yourself and get to do more things?
Here’s what you’re missing:
While concierges do have fees, they know how to book everything at its cheapest price.
It’s literally their job to know the best deals.
You might spend a few extra dollars on your concierge, but you’ll save a boatload on that skiing package. By the time you add up what you’ve spent on the travel concierge and what you would have spent on all of the hotels and recreation, it really tends to even itself out.
Get Exclusive Access
How often have you dreamed of being the VIP?
Don’t spend your whole vacation waiting in lines. Get the VIP treatment at all the best spots.
Many travel concierge companies partner with local businesses. Not only does it help out the travel guide, but it also supports the locals by driving in business.
You’ll be treated with upgrades at the top luxury hotels and spas, complimentary drinks and desserts. Remember to take all of these things into consideration when you’re price comparing.
Check with your travel concierge to see what type of companies they partner with.
No Travel Headaches
This is probably my favorite part of a travel concierge. So many things go wrong on vacation, it’s like a requirement for travel. Anything can happen.
You might have plans to go skydiving one day. You wake up that morning and open up your hotel window so you can take in all of the sunshine. Oops! You forgot to check the weather report.
It’s raining cats and dogs outside, there’s no way a plane is going to take off in this weather. Now you have nothing to do with your day.
Ta-Dah. Travel concierge at your service. They will quickly research other events and local hot spots for you. You’ll have new plans for the day in no time.
Some travel concierges will even call your bill companies before you leave and take care of putting them on vacation holds for you.
No headaches for you, just relaxation and meditation for you.
Stay Up to Date on Local Events
Chances are, your vacation is going to be someplace you’ve never been, or haven’t been to in a long time. It’s impossible for you to keep up with all the local events going on.
A travel concierge is already signed up for all the local newsletters and event pages.
Did you find something interesting to do on your trip to Australia? Get all the details and booking information from your concierge.
They Are Real People
You won’t find any 1800 numbers here. Your personal concierge is just a phone call away.
Let’s say you decided to book your hotel stay through Expedia. You get to the hotel and somehow they don’t have your prepaid reservation.
What’s next?
You guessed it. Roundabout automated messages, and two hours on hold before you finally get to speak with a real person. Have you ever noticed that these companies have a way of making it sound like it was your fault the hotel didn’t get your reservation?
With a travel concierge, they are always easy to reach. You might prefer to email them with small issues or call them if it’s urgent.
Miss your flight? No problem!
Your concierge will have you on the next available flight.
They Stick Around Start to Finish
Find yourself looking for a good restaurant?
Give your personal concierge a quick call. They will have lists of local restaurants that you’ll love to try. Just let them know what kind of food you’re looking for and they’re on it.
Did you read about this awesome cuisine that the locals serve? Your concierge will know where to find it.
From the time you start packing to the time you finish unpacking, a good travel concierge is always there. They never leave you stranded or hanging.
You’ll Avoid Scams and Fraud
If you see a deal online that looks too good to be true, it probably is. There are millions of scams and fraud pages floating around the internet. The can be very difficult to spot, as the people who create the pages are expert scammers.
Your travel concierge is trained to spot scammers on site, so you’ll never have to worry about losing your credit card information to the wrong people.
They Actually Care
Finding someone that actually cares about your vacation can be the toughest part.
Fortunately, a travel concierge is paid to care.
Most travel concierges get a lot of their business solely from word of mouth. If their customers are constantly having poor experiences, they would never get any more business.
Their success is based on your happiness.
Let’s Get Booking!
Are you ready for that trip to London?
Find out more about using an experienced travel concierge. You’ll find already prepared itineraries for some starting inspiration on your trip. No matter where you go, a travel concierge is the way to go.
Do you have a personal experience with a travel concierge already? Let me know!