Pros and Cons of Using a Travel Agent to Find a Vacation Rental

It used to be that whenever people wanted to travel or go anywhere, they used a travel agent to help them put together a travel package, find the best deals, or book a vacation rental. With the advent of technology, information is literally available at the click of a button. However, there are still travel agents around who can help you find vacation deals - especially to book a vacation rental. I'll share with you my experiences with using a travel agent and hopefully it will help you decide whether or not to use an agent or stick with the internet to help you find a vacation rental.

Planning a vacation should be a fun process and having a travel agent to help guide you through the planning process is part of the fun. There's that "human" element and specialized attention that you don't get with the internet. Also, a travel agent who specializes in vacation rentals is very knowledgeable in this area and knows what to look for when booking a property.

Although planning with a travel agent can be fun, sometimes booking a vacation home rental with a travel agent can be frustrating. This can happen with travel agents who are inexperienced or are not trained properly in customer service.

Before I ever thought about using the internet to look for a vacation home rental, I used a travel agent to help me book my accommodations. There were a couple of incidences, however, which have caused me to be more careful when hiring an agent.

In one incident I was booked for the wrong dates. Imagine arriving at a property and finding out that there are still people staying in the home you thought you rented for that day! Fortunately, they were leaving the next day, but in the meantime I had to stay in a nearby hotel which was ok because the travel agent paid for it.

Another time I booked a vacation rental with a travel agent, there was some kind of miscommunication and I ended up not getting the accommodations that I had specifically requested. I had asked the travel agent for a two-bedroom condo because I was traveling with friends, but ended up with a one bedroom condo.

Perhaps all of this could have been avoided if I had reconfirmed everything with my travel agent before I left for vacation. So take a lesson from me and make sure to double or even triple check with your travel agent before leaving home - especially if this is the first time working with this particular agent.

My experiences with using a travel agent to find a vacation rental are isolated incidences, however, it never hurts to pay attention to details and to be cautious about any travel agencies that you work with.