The past month has been bittersweet for Northcutt Travel Agency. We are not going anywhere!
How have travelers been affected by Covid-19?
There have been Family Vacations postponed, Weddings and Honeymoons postponed, so many business and personal trips rescheduled, but the one thing that has been a constant is the communication with our clients to get the best service possible.
Why are travelers who used a travel agent coming out ahead?
While we are sad that so many people’s travel has been rescheduled, we are glad to see the positive light being shown on the travel agent and especially Northcutt Travel Agency.
So many people, especially younger people have joked about travel agencies existing, but now as the world of travel is taking a hiatus, they are seeing the value. We have people daily calling and asking us for advice on how to get ahold of the airlines or a hotel and we unfortunately cannot help them because they chose to book online or with an online travel operator that is just there to get the sale and move on.
Why should you book with a Travel Agent?
We are in the people business and love to see people travel a d make their memories. We are not here to redo your vacation plans we are here to give you any advice you seek or just to be a support system while booking. . If you want to plan out your entire travel plans and then come to us to book it we will be here If you want our help from the very first stages we will be here.
We have seen online booking engines go out of business, take people’s money and not care about them like bookit. Online agencies like Expedia and booking.com are asking their customers not to call them or leaving them stranded by just disconnecting their phones or asking them to handle it with the properties direct. They don’t care or have the capacity of workers to care, instead they are putting out policies that unless you are in the industry and understand what they are saying will not be able to decipher all of the policies that you need to do in order to salvage your trip. We have also seen this in VRBO’s and AirBnb’s where people are not willing to give refunds. This is why we avoid these suppliers at all cost.
If you don’t’ charge a fee, how do you get paid?
You book a cruise online - that cruise company keeps that commission to pay a call center to help if you have to call in.
You book that same cruise at the same price and perks with Northcutt Travel Agency, you have a personal concierge that is there to help you with the entire process. Even if you have done 5 cruises and come to us, you will see a different level of service. You can call, email or text your agent for answers without having to sit on hold to and explain to someone who you are and when and where you are traveling. We know where you are going and we care about you! We get paid a commission from that cruise line to take care of you, but it is on a more personal level.
This is the case not only with cruises, but all types of vacations, destination weddings, Disney or international travel or tours.
It is all about educating the people and letting them know we are here. I use to say there is no difference between booking online and booking with an agent, but that is not true. You get your vacation at the same price or better and get a person that cares about you and your vacation.
So we are here and Northcutt Travel Agency is not going anywhere. We will ride this through and come out stronger on the other side.