Should I Use a Travel Agent?



 I know a fair amount about travel, but one of the most important things in travel, or anything else in life, is knowing your limits! For most trips I am happy to do the research and book things myself, but every once in a while, it's time to call for help. There are a variety of reasons to do this.
 This year, as I mentioned last week, our family is taking a trip to Disney World. This is both one of those trips that has lots of details as well as a trip that is very important to me. Some members of my family have affectionately referred to it as my "Death Trip" because when I was asked what travel was really important to me during this season while I'm able (recognizing a season is coming, and potentially soon, when I won't be able), I knew I wanted to take my family to Disney World. My husband and I got to go for our 25th anniversary, just before I was diagnosed with my brain tumor. Disney, and in particular Disneyland, has held a special place in our family's hearts. We've done two family trips to Disneyland and each of the kids went on a one-on-one trip with a parent when they were about 7. My husband and I honeymooned in Disneyland, and we enjoyed a second-honeymoon for our 10th anniversary. When I experience Disney World with my husband two years ago, I knew I wanted to come back with my kids!

 I know a lot about travel, and a lot about Disney travel (I've planned more than 10 Disney vacations for our family), but my mind isn't what it once was. I find myself more and more forgetful these days, sometimes frighteningly so. This trip is important enough to me that I didn't want to let any details fall through the cracks, so it was ideal to have a Travel Agent watching over it.



 In addition to not wanting details to fall through the cracks, I don't have a lot of bandwidth for watching for prices and sales. Disney puts out lots of great promotions, but they are not on a schedule (at least not one they've shared with me). I don't have the energy or time to be checking for promotions every day! Also, if one came up, I'd have to wait on hold, potentially for hours, to attempt to have it applied to our reservation. Again, don't have the energy for that!

 When it came time to pick a travel agent for this trip, I went on the recommendation of another site that I have used extensively, Disney Food Blog. They rely on Small World Vacations, so I decided to give them a shot. I'm so glad I did! My travel agent, Kelly, was pleasant to deal with on the phone and very prompt and helpful through email as well. She talked me through our options and helped me to figure out the best arrangement for rooms for our party. 

 As I mentioned, one of my primary reasons for engaging a travel agent for this trip was to watch out for Disney promotions, and Kelly has not disappointed! When the first round of promotions came out, she was quick to let me know that our reservation didn't match but offered to switch things around to make it apply if we wanted. We chose to keep our lodgings the way they were, and with January's new promotions, one applied to us! 

Here's the Thing: It cost us nothing to use the services of Small World Vacations and they have saved us $2,660. Would I do it again? Definitely! I won't use a travel agent on all my travel as I'm typically able to stay on top of things with less detail, but with a trip of this breadth and importance, it was an incredibly valuable choice.



 One more thing. If anyone tells you that Disney is just for little kids, they're missing out!


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