Weren’t Travel Agents Supposed to Disappear?
The internet was supposed to make the travel agent as obsolete as the fax machine. For a while, it looked as though it had. Flights, hotels, cruises - we could suddenly book everything ourselves from the comfort of our sofa.
Except the profession didn’t die. Travel advisors are back in fashion. Not because technology failed, but perhaps because it succeeded too well.
We no longer have an information shortage; we have information overload. Search for a week in Rome and you'll find hundreds of hotels, thousands of reviews, endless TikTok recommendations, and an AI-generated itinerary before your coffee gets cold. The problem is no longer finding information; it’s figuring out which of it makes sense for you.
That’s where the modern travel advisor comes in. A good advisor wants to know whether you crave nightlife or privacy, whether six days beside a pool sounds heavenly or terribly stifling, and whether you'd rather spend your money on the room or on the private boat trip you'll still be talking about twenty years later.
Then there’s the work nobody thinks about while dreaming of the holiday: comparing flights, connections, hotels, room categories, cancellation policies, and those mysterious "ocean views" - which could mean a sea-facing round hole in the wall or an actual balcony.
And travel, inconveniently, doesn't always behave. Flights get cancelled, connections are missed, and weather has absolutely no respect for itineraries. Having someone who understands your trip and can help untangle things suddenly becomes considerably more valuable than another browser tab.
AI doesn't make the travel advisor irrelevant either. Good advisors are using technology themselves - to research faster, compare options, and work more efficiently. What technology doesn't replace is judgement, listening, experience, and the human being who takes actual responsibility for helping you get the trip right.
Do you need an advisor for every weekend away? Probably not. But a honeymoon, milestone birthday, cruise, family celebration, or complicated international journey carries rather more weight. Sometimes you don't need more choices. You need someone to help you make the right ones.
Which brings me, rather conveniently, to a shameless plug.
Through my affiliation with Fora Travel, I have access to preferred partnerships with thousands of hotels and travel providers around the world. Depending on the property and rate booked, that can mean benefits such as complimentary breakfast, resort or hotel credits, room upgrades when available, early check-in, late checkout, and other VIP amenities - often without costing you a penny more than booking the hotel yourself.
Already booked something? Talk to me anyway. In some cases, an existing reservation made directly with a hotel or supplier can be transferred to an advisor - a “takeover booking.” If it qualifies, I may be able to bring the reservation under Fora and add those extra advisor perks. If it doesn't, you've lost nothing by asking.
So yes, you can book your own travel. I still do plenty of my own research, too. But if you're already planning something, send it my way before you press BOOK. Let me see what I can find, what benefits may be available, and whether I can make the trip a little better.
After all, being able to do everything ourselves doesn't mean we have to.
And if somebody else can get you breakfast, a room credit, and perhaps a nicer room in the process… well, I'm not entirely sure why you'd refuse. 😉
