Travel Agent or Travel Advisor, is there a difference? Yes!
Gone are the days of people having to go to a travel agent as their only way of booking that trip to Vegas or even that airline ticket. Today there are many ways to book a vacation. However, when your trip includes advanced planning, multiple travelers, passports, or foreign languages, it’s best to get professional advice to save you time, money and make your experience enjoyable.
The best-designed vacations are the ones curated with time, attention to detail and above all keeping your wish list in mind. There’s a lot more to planning a trip than booking your ticket. Travel advisors do just that, advise. Advise you on the ins and outs, dos and don’ts and even offer insiders tips to ensure your vacation goes as stress-free as possible!
Benefits of working with a travel agent/advisor
Travel agents/advisors get to know you, not just data
When you chose to hire Divine Destinations to design your next escape, you can be sure we will take the time to fully understand what you are looking to accomplish and what needs to happen. We ensure that you come home and say, “THAT was a Divine Destination”! Our advisors don’t take orders, they make dreams come true! For that to happen, we ask a lot of discovery questions up front to ensure we deliver options that speak to you as well as your wanderlust heart!
“We had the time of our lives in Punta Cana. After we got married, we didn’t take a honeymoon right away and then life took over. We knew we needed to get away and I knew the right gal….We were over the moon about our vacation and can’t wait to book our next one – of course with Jen!”
Anna Nelson, A Happy Traveler
Save time and money searching online
If time is money, then you can think of us as your new found vacation fund since we save you TONS of time (therefore money) versus researching on your own!
Did you know the average time spent searching for a vacation is 22 hours?
Assuming a wage of $25/hr, that’s a savings of $500! Think of what you could do with an extra $500 – especially for vacation! It sounds like it’s time to upgrade your suitcase! USA Today published an article stating you can save on average $452 when you work with a travel advisor versus booking online. Not only will working with a travel advisor you save time and money, but the overall quality of your vacation will also be better since the attention to detail will be second to none.
As a busy, working mom who has no time yet wants a great vacation, I refuse to spend hours online or on the phone only to “hope” I get everything I dreamed of. I’ve been there, and I have also encountered disappointment after booking an online “travel deal” package. The hope and disappointment described, led me straight to Jen!
I simply call Jen and within hours, I have a fun-loving (human) professional calling me to discuss her findings. Everything I want, expect and dream of in a vacation without planning stress and, contrary to popular belief, without an inflated price.Lorie Engen, A Happy Traveler
Exclusive information and access
You’ve heard the saying, it’s not what you know but who you know, right? A good travel advisor is one of the most well-connected people you’ll ever meet. They have the know-how and experience to advise you that yes, there are two airports on the tiny island of St Lucia, however, only one can be accessed from the USA. And they also have the experience to know there is only one way to enter (and leave if you must) Jamaica – and it’s not by following the crowd in Customs & Immigrations. They can also advise if you should be on the Starboard or Port side of your Southbound Alaskan cruise and why is the balcony cabin online so much cheaper than the one we’re advising on!
Exclusive perks on your trip
Did you know that when you book online, you are just data to the cruise line, resort or even hotel? However, when you book with Divine Destinations, we ensure you are treated like the VIP you are! We have access to exclusive amenities and upgrades that you wouldn’t be able to get on your own. Furthermore, if something should not go as planned, we have connections to the people who can fix it faster. As they say, when you book on your own, you’re on your own!
When we realized our bags didn’t arrive with us to St Lucia, one call to Jen was all it took to get things in motion. Little did we know what we were about to find for us at the resort! Jen can’t control luggage but she does have amazing connections and pull at the resort, and she enhanced our stay with one call. She advised the management of our misfortune, so when we arrived with our little backpacks and nothing more, the resort not only had a table for two waiting for us to eat something, check in leisurely, and they even were kind enough to give us some complimentary toiletries and fresh tshirts while we waited for our luggage. As it turned out, our luggage never did arrive until almost a week after we returned home! Jen was there through the insurance claim process, helping with questions, documentation, etc. Our refund came as promised and a valuable lesson was learned; always use a travel agent and always insure your trip with travel insurance!
Kyle and Diane Gustafson, Happy Travelers
Stress-free travel
Have you ever searched for your next vacation first by using Google, then Trip Advisor, pouring over pictures online only to wind up overwhelmed and second-guessing your decision?
Can you imagine booking your holiday and later arriving only to be told they’re overbooked so you can’t stay there? Industry standards vary, but up to 20% of room nights are overbooked daily! You can have peace of mind knowing that when you work with Divine Destinations, we only book with trusted suppliers who promise never to walk our clients to a substandard property! It’s in our contract! That should make you sleep better (no pun intended)!
How much does it cost to go through a travel agent?
Every advisor runs their own business a little different. Our all-inclusive typical trips can cost from $4,000 for a beach getaway to over $10,000 for more elaborate vacations. We plan according to your goals and budget. We get told all the time we need to charge more for our services because it only costs you about $7/day to work with us!
When you’re planning your dream vacation it’s not just what it costs, but instead, what do you get? From the discovery call to designing a custom itinerary, requesting the amenities, upgrades and passing on our exclusive discounts, it’s a no brainer to work with an expert!
At Divine Destinations, we are a part of a much larger travel group that has the buying power to keep fares lower. We have access to exclusive discounts on cruises, upgrades and even amenities you wouldn’t have access to if you booked online. At the end of the day, how cheap does a vacation have to be to be just ok?
Trips we specialize in
Work with our travel agency for an international vacation
“Oh the places you will go” ~ much more than a Dr Suess book or a quote printed in your High School yearbook. Although we can sell the world, for intenrational trips, we specialize in sun and sand destinations like Jamaica vacations, Turks & Caicos trips, Mexico vacations and even Caribbean cruises that are perfect getaways for your quick shot of Vitamin D, a family vacation or even spring break or corporate incentive trips.
Looking for that romantic getaway? Look no further than St Lucia, the Honeymoon Capital of the World! Honeymoons in Barbados, Bahamas, and Belize don’t disappoint either!
BFFs traveling together appreciate the safety of trips to places like Grenada, Antigua and even the US Virgin Islands! Sail the Medditeranean and visit Rome, Italy, Barcelona, Spain, and even the Greek Isles in one cruise.
Prefer the European rivers? Sail along and watch storybook landscapes come to life with the castles, hillsides and cobblestone walkways.
Looking for a guided trip to the far ends of the earth? We have tours to Indonesia, Dubai, Galapagos, Australia and we can even design your very own trip around the world!
Working with our travel agency for your Disney vacation
Is there anything more magical than watching your children’s eyes light up like the fireworks at Disney? Depending on your stage of life, yes, however, if you have little in your life you’ll know a trip to Disney is almost a rite of passage! So for this magical trip, should you book directly or with a local travel advisor?
A local advisor can do all the same things as a Disney reservation agent, however, isn’t it just easier to stop by a local office to chat or even send a quick message to your advisor? Besides, if the prices are the same it just feels good to have your money working in the local economy supporting a woman-owned small business! We are located next to Cold Stone Creamery up by the Miller Mall, so grab a cup of deliciousness and come in to talk about your family vacation; we’ll do the rest and make your Disney dreams come true!
Why use Divine Destinations as your travel advisor?
We have won awards for planning epic vacations. Just a few of our accolades include: Wedding Wire’s Couple Choice, Best of the Best, Travel Weekly Magellan and Delta Vacations preferred agency year over year! Intrigued? Schedule a time to have a complimentary discovery call with one of our travel experts (aka advisors).