There are many question’s that run through a person’s mind when they are thinking about travel. These differ, depending upon anyone’s motivation and purpose for travelling. They could vary from the standard “When to, and Where to go?”. Or they could extend to “Who you are going to meet with, What presentation you are going to use, or How margin is your ROI going to be to justify the expenditure?”. My question to you however is “Do you ask yourself if you should give yourself a Haircut?”
It’s a simple question really. Afterall, I’m confident you can all use a pair of scissors. In fact, I would even go so far as to place a bet on the fact that 99% of the households in New Zealand own at least one pair. Therefore, it only stands to reason that you use them for the purpose in which they were designed to be used, and that is to cut. In this case, your own hair – right?
Wrong!!!
Hmmm, so that raises a very good point. You see most of you wouldn’t cut your own hair even though you own a pair of scissors and you know how to use them. You trust a professional to do that for you. So do you apply that same principal when all those questions are running through your mind when you are planning your travel. Let me ask you directly “How are you going to book your trip?”
It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who believe that because they can use a computer, they are an expert in booking travel. After all, they have a computer and know-how to use it. They have internet access and can find their way around thanks mainly to Mr Google – and OMG, they even have a credit card (who knew??), so of course they are capable of doing it themselves. It pains me to admit that I’ve even had people reach out to be with genuine enquiries about their pending trips. They see nothing wrong with using my own expertise and experience that I have built up over the years, and still opt to “Book it online”. I’m not going to judge if this is “Right or Wrong”. Maybe it could be seen as rude or disrespectful? All I know is it show’s a lack of understanding for what I do.
You see, I don’t just book travel. I take a dream, or a mission and I help you turn that into a reality. I decipher all the rules and regulations that are becoming more and more complex and changeable in this current COVID environment. I ensure that you are actually prepared and ready to get on the plan (without sacrificing your hair). I also provide you with that reassurance during your trip that should the un-expected happen, you are not on your own. You see when you book with me or any reputable agent, we ensure that you not only depart on your trip – but we like to see you make it home as well.
I was talking to another Travel Broker earlier in the week and he shared with me a story about a client who did exactly what I was talking about. He contacted my friend, got all the information – then decided he was an expert and proceeded to book online. Apparently, he was rather pleased with the $200.00 savings that he made in doing so.
So… off the client went on his happy little way, feeling rather proud of himself. Until you guessed it …. halfway through the trip, circumstances in New Zealand changed requiring him to return to New Zealand immediately. To do so, he was required to contact the airline directly. Unfortunately, there was not a toll-free number he could use in the country he was in, so in order to contact the airline he was forced to call directly from his hotel room. It was during this time he reached out to my colleague for assistance, with a message that reads as follows:
“It costs me $10 per minute to call. Plus, I’ve already spent 2hrs calling them, so it’s cost me $1200 so far…. “
I think that is plenty self-explanatory, don’t you?
So, the next time you are thinking about travelling, take a moment to ponder before you answer the question “How am I going to book my trip”’. You might even want to take a quick glance at those scissors and decide what kind of hairdresser you are? One thing I can assure you is no one is going to stop you from cutting your own hair if you decide to. And the good news is – if you do make a hash-job of it, with time it will grow out.
Likewise, no one is going to stop you from booking your own travel online. I personally prefer to get my haircut by a professional – and I choose to use other professionals such as Plumbers, and Builders, and Lawyers and Doctors. But should you choose to book your own travel, that is completely fine. I just ask you to remember that you never know what is around the corner and 99% of the time we need to make changes to our plans because of situations completely outside of our control. If you are happy to take the chance, it could be you that ends up liable for that $1200 + phone bill (not to mention the time). What I can guarantee you however is you can’t replace time & memories. Sometimes you have to ask yourself “What is the true cost of not using a professional?” …..
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