This is not a sales pitch explaining why you should book with a travel agent (or with me). Instead, this article is designed to help you honestly answer the question: Are travel agents worth it?
Using a travel agent that's part of a consortium like Travel Leaders Network or Virtuoso can get you complementary perks at hotels at no cost to you.
Not all destinations are the same. Not all travel agents are the same. Travel agents all have their own relationships and specialities.
Whether a travel agent costs extra depends on the type of booking. Hotel-only bookings are usually free, while flights and complex itineraries typically carry a service/planning fee, since agents earn through commission and service fees rather than salary.
The right approach is to identify your trip type and support needs first, then talk to a few specialized agents to find the best fit, since relationships and expertise, not just price, determine the value an agent adds.
Good travel agents bring firsthand destination knowledge, supplier relationships, and on-trip problem-solving that AI simply can't replicate yet, from securing upgrades to recovering a trip when things go wrong.
Yes, I’m a travel agent, so let’s get that out of the way.
I know what you’re thinking.
An article written by a travel agent about why you should use me as your travel agent for your next trip.
Wrong!
Before you close this out and move on to the next sales pitch article written by another travel agent (or AI) on why you should definitely use a travel agent, let me just say that my primary intention isn’t to convince you to use a travel agent for your next trip.
My intention is to honestly answer the question: Are travel agents worth it in 2026? I am writing this article because of the many misconceptions, confusions, and hesitations travelers have when they think about if they should use a travel agent.
Chances are you are reading this because you have never used a travel agent before (or not for a long time) and you want to know if it will add any value to your trip in this day and age. Great! Please keep reading.
At the end of this article, if you decide that using travel agent is what you need, happy planning! And if you decide you’re better off without one, no hard feelings. Now you actually know why.
I have examples scattered throughout this post to illustrate concepts. This is to provide you with additional context and not just serve as shameless self-advertisement!
What are Virtuoso, Travel Leaders Network, Signature Travel Network, etc.?
You may have heard of travel agents who are part of these travelconsortiums or “networks.”
A travel consortium is a membership network that travel agencies can join to gain more buying power, supplier relationships, technology, marketing, and training. Nowadays, the biggest ones you might hear are Virtuoso, Travel Leaders Network, and Signature Travel Network.
Our travel agency, Carlisle Travel, is part of Travel Leaders Network, so I will speak to this. The offerings are similar (not exactly the same) throughout consortiums, so hopefully, this gives you a good idea about what to expect.
As part of Travel Leaders Network, we receive the following complementary amenities and services for our clients at many properties around the world:
Free daily breakfast credit
$100+ resort credit per stay
Upgrade at time of check-in if available
Early check-in / late check-out if available
Preferred rates at hotels, cruises, airlines, car rentals
Relationships with sales representatives and leadership for hotels, cruises, airlines (keep this in the back of your mind as you read)
Three of the biggest consortiums in the travel industry: Virtuoso, Travel Leaders Network, and Signature Travel Network.
Not all agents are the same
There are over 65,000 travel agents in the United States (but honestly, probably way more) and thousands of travel agencies. And they all work differently, whether it’s a different travel agency, part of a different consortia, how they’ve structured their business, to what types of services they offer and where they cater to.
If you are looking to go on a cruise, look for a travel agent who specializes in cruises. This should be an agent who has been on many cruises, understands the different brands and ships, the offerings of the cruise, the types of cabins, how the shore excursions work, what requires reservations onboard, meal plan add-ons, and more.
It wouldn’t make much sense to use a travel agent who is an African safari expert but has never been on a cruise. You want to make sure that for your first trip, you find the best possible agent for that specific trip.
Example
As someone who lives close to Zion National Park and specializes in trips to Utah and Arizona, I sometimes get requests for national parks that are outside my area of specialty. Recently, I received a request for the national parks in the Pacific Northwest (which as of today I am not familiar with), so I connected them to an agent who actually lives in Oregon and knows that side of the country like the back of her hands. Clients were grateful and I believe will have a fantastic trip.
The point here is that we all have our specialties, so while I consider myself a wonderful agent for Utah and Arizona national parks, that does not mean that I would be the right fit for Mount Rainier or Olympic National Park.
Now the other thing that is worth knowing is that some agents are full service agents and others are just booking agents.
Full service travel agent vs booking agent
The two types of agents:
Full service travel agent – a travel agent who works with you from the time you start planning your trip to the time you get back home. They will work with you on the planning process based on your interests, book all the components of the trip, put together a day to day itinerary, and offer support during the trip.
Booking agents – a travel agent who will usually book hotels (and sometimes flights + car rental). These agents usually have self booking website portals where clients can book themselves and when they do, they receive complementary amenities with the hotel (see below on this).
If you are looking for someone to help you plan, offer recommendations, book everything, be able to reach out to change things, and have on-going support, then you should pick a full service travel agent. Sometimes these types of agents can have an additional service fee (will vary from agent to agent) since there is a lot of effort that goes into this type of service.
If you already know what you want to do (or need minimal support) and just want to utilize complimentary perks and amenities at your hotel, then you should pick a booking agent. These do not typically have a service fee since there is much less effort involved. Booking agents also have online booking portals where clients can book themselves at to receive these complementary amenities. The agents do this by either being part of consortiums or by being preferred partners with specific hotels (Four Seasons Preferred, Marriott STARS, Rosewood Elite, HERA Accor, etc.).
That being said, full service travel agents usually also have access to these preferred partner programs too, so it’s not exclusive to just booking agents.
If you end up having an awesome experience with that agent and want to do another type of trip that is out of their specialty, one or more of three things can happen.
Things that can happen if you want to keep using your travel agent on trips they may not specialize in:
The travel agent will have relationships and connections with quality suppliers/vendors that they can tap into to plan an equally awesome trip.
The travel agent will spend a lot of time learning as much as possible about the trype of trip you want to do so that they can put together a fantastic trip. This usually goes hand in hand with the first point above.
The travel agent will connect you with someone else within their company who might be a better fit for the trip. And since your travel agent knows both you and the new agent, the relationships take off much faster.
Does using a travel agent cost more?
There isn’t a single answer here. Every travel agent works differently, so you will have every possible combination out there. But I will give you the most common scenarios you will encounter.
Costs associated with using a travel agent:
If you are using a travel agent for just booking hotels to get an enhanced stay, then there is usually no service fee associated with it.
If you are using a travel agent for flights, there’s usually a service fee per person. This is because we work directly with the airline (no 3rd party) and we have access to their executive sales desk dedicated to travel agencies which allows us to solve issues much faster than a normal person.
If you are using a travel agent for a complicated day to day itinerary (like a 10 night trip through Italy), there is usually a service fee associated with this as this takes a lot of prep work and much more complicated than booking a hotel. Sometimes the service fee is obvious, and sometimes the service fee is baked in to the package. If the package is not itemized, the service fee is baked into the package.
While commission alone for the bigger trips might be worth the planning of the trip, keep in mind that clients cancel trips all the time, and when that happens, the agent would’ve spent all that effort for free, hence why service fees are common for complex trips.
And sometimes travel agents can even save you money through access to special rates (unadvertised promotions, wholesale prices), added perks (complimentary breakfast, hotel/shipboard credits, room upgrades), post booking price drops.
Travel agents’ income come from commission and service/planning fees. Most of us are not full time employees, which means that we rely on the commission from bookings we receive (industry standard hovers around 10%) and our service fees.
This is definitely something to take in to consideration when deciding if working with a travel agent will add the kind of value you hope for trip.
Example
The client had a budget of $2,500 for a week long road trip through Utah for her family. They wanted all the services that come with a full service agent, but figured whatever commission came from the booking was enough to make it worth it.
With a budget of $2,500 (with taxes), the average commission would be lower than $250. For a trip that would take many hours to plan, book, create a custom itinerary, and be on support for, that just wouldn’t be worthwhile to take on. Thus, the potential client had to decide whether paying the service fee to save themselves hours and hours of work to only come up with a trip that wouldn’t be nearly as good was worth the service fee.
While this client ended up paying the service fee and having a fantastic trip, not all leads go this way. Some client leads will value saving as much money as possible. And for those types of clients, they feel that they are better off without a travel agent, and that’s completely okay.
When you use a specialized travel agent, you pay for their knowledge and expertise. One of the things that I am transparent about from the start for trips that require complex itineraries is that while you will get the most valuefrom using a specialized travel agent on the trip, it does not mean that it will be the most cost effective.
And that’s why if you are going to try and get the most value, there is absolutely no shame in reaching out to several different agents and getting a feel for their process and what they are like. Every agent has a different personality and process, and it’s important that you find the one that works best with what you are looking for.
A quick understanding of fees when using a travel agent.
What can (good) travel agents do?
Depending on the type of travel agent you work with, they can handle every part of your trip. This includes everything from the initial stages of planning your trip through your safe return home, all while serving as a personal concierge throughout your trip.
Your travel agent can book flights, hotels, tours, car rentals, put together a detailed day to day itinerary, and provide support by resolving any issues that arise before or during your travels.
All the things an amazing travel agent can do for your trip:
A well traveled agent is like a matchmaker for travel. They can pair you with the destinations, experiences and accommodations that best fit your interests, travel style and budget while taking the guesswork (and analysis paralysis) out of planning a perfectly curated trip.
Finding the best flight routes. Just because an option exists that will get you to your destination the fastest, it doesn’t mean that it’s the best by any means. Travel agents know that not all airports are equal and some require much longer layovers than others. We also know which airlines are the most reliable and which should be avoided at all costs.
Make your hotel stays more memorable. Travel agents work directly with hotels or preferred suppliers who have buying power with hotels. That means that your booking is not just a regular booking. It’s a booking that has the full force of an agency or even an consortia behind it.
Benefits at select hotels. We already covered this above, but when you’re getting a 2-bedroom suite upgrade at a 5 star property because you booked with a preferred agent, you may come to realize how much more of a priority travel agent bookings receive compared to guests booking themselves without an agent.
On trip support. When you need to move a tour and you have bad cell phone reception or you want to extend your hotel stay and change transfers or flights, we know all the right contacts to call and get it done as efficiently as possible.
Hotel recovery. Life isn’t perfect and sometimes things do go wrong. When hotels mess up, travel agents can help fix the issue and do their best to try and make sure their clients are satisfied. We have buying power with properties which helps us rectify issues more effectively.
Detailed itineraries that are mobile accessible. This is the beautiful and detailed itinerary that will take you from day to day, telling you where to drive to, when to leave your hotel by to make your tour, who to look for, what hole-in-the-wall restaurants to eat at, which hidden hike is going to give you the best view for sunset, what to pack for your day trip, what to wear, etc.
What can’t travel agents do?
Travel agents can’t make the unreasonable requests a reality. Let me explain.
If someone comes and wants us to take off $400 the nightly room rate at a hotel they are interested in just so that they can fit it into their budget, that won’t happen. While we do get deals from our vendors, these are almost always shared with the client before they even ask. But if you come across a promotion on your own, always share it with the agent so they can see if it applies to your booking.
And sometimes, travel agents get discounted rates that aren’t even available to the general public through our preferred partner programs.
Example
If there is a 1 night free stay for every 5 nights at a hotel, travel agents will automatically apply that and let you know. We want you to get the best deal possible because we want you to have the best time for the value.
Recently, I booked a Hyatt Privérate (that’s the preferred program for travel agencies for Hyatt) at a 5 star hotel that was 20% off for a client. This wasn’t available on the Hyatt website for the public to book. So not only did my client save 20%, but they also received complimentary amenities that come with Hyatt Privé like daily breakfast, $100 resort credit, upgrade upon arrival (if available), and early check-in / late check-out (if available).
However, asking us to reduce the price of an airline ticket or hotel just so that it fits the budget is not possible. While travel agents can optimize a budget, we can’t rewrite the prices our vendors set.
Travel agents also cannot use points to book your hotels and flights. There are two reasons for this.
Point bookings are solely between the client and the vendor. Travel agents would not be able to offer any support when it comes to changing/fixing anything related to those bookings since the travel agency/travel agent isn’t connected to the booking.
Travel agents do no make any commission off these bookings, which then ends up being a loss of income since we are working for free at that point.
If you are looking to book via points, communicate that with your agent early on during the planning phases so that you can work together to figure out the best outcome.
I personally have a lot of clients who will use points to book their airfare, and that is completely fine. They do so with an understanding that they are responsible for that component of the trip. Even if I wanted to assist with issues with the air travel, I wouldn’t be able to. Our airline support desks only recognize flights that are on record with our agency, and a points booking isn’t one of them.
Let’s talk about AI and what it can and can’t do
I personally receive trip inquiries/leads from people every now and then who want to know if the itinerary that they came up with using ChatGPT or Gemini needs any changes.
The answer is always yes.
Now, while these itineraries used to alwaysbecompletely misleading and set the person up for a very sad time (I’m sure you’ve read those articles), let me be honest and say that AI is getting more accurate over time (and that’s because we keep feeding it all the correct information to make our lives more efficient and it just keeps learning from us, but that’s a whole different topic). Having said this, AI still has a ways to go until it can put together a complicated multi-day itinerary at the same level of detail and service as a specialized agent.
But let’s say that with time, AI is able to put together the perfect day to day itinerary for you. What can’t it still do?
Things AI won’t be able to do:
Get you an upgrade at a 5 star hotel along with welcome amenities and special treatment because AI hasn’t personally met with the staff or stayed at the property and made the connections with the General Managers and Sales Managers.
On demand trip support. If you have to change or cancel a part of your trip, AI doesn’t know the personal connections that will be the path of least resistance to help with rebooking. AI doesn’t have a relationship with the hot air balloon operator with strict cancellation policies that you’ve booked for a decade. AI can’t call the airport hotel and make sure the front desk knows about your late arrival and to put in a meal request.
Recovery. Mistakes happen and when they do, accountability needs to be had. If something happens due to an oversight in planning, AI isn’t going to step in and save the day and make sure you are taken care of. Instead, you will be spending more time and money trying to fix it on your own.
Suggest hidden gems and insider info. AI knows what has been fed to it. If there are things that are not publicly shared online, AI has no way of knowing about it. And if it doesn’t know about something, the information may no longer be relevant.
Check in on clients. AI won’t send you texts asking how your tour went and to see what could be better in order to anticipate future needs.
Relationships matter
Travel agents spend a good portion of our time traveling to all different destinations, experiencing different properties/tours/activities, meeting with the folks in charge (general managers, sales directors, hotel staff, tour guides, etc.), and trying out the local cuisine.
We do this so that when a client reaches out to us about a specific destination we specialize in, we can offer firsthand valuable information based on what they are looking for. We know know the butler at the hotel who we can request to oversee the reservation and make sure the client has distilled water for their CPAP machine in their room upon check-in. We know the specific tour guide who will go the extra mile and take them to the off the beaten path overlook for sunset.
While also receiving complementary amenities, it’s our relationships that we build and nature over the years that allow us to add significant value and the fine touch for our clients.
Example
One of my clients was significantly delayed on their first flight to San Juan, on their way to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, which caused them to miss their connecting flight to Virgin Gorda. While I was able to book them on a new flight, their baggage wasn’t transferred and all of my clients clothes and medication remained in San Juan with no remaining flights to Virgin Gorda that evening.
I found another flight from SJU to Tortola that the airline allowed the luggage to go on, and then got in touch with my personal contact at the ferry to bring the luggage on the last ferry from Tortola to Virgin Gorda. Then I had another contact (an island guide) of mine waiting at the dock in Virgin Gorda to drive it to the Rosewood Little Dix to deliver the bags to the clients.
While this is a pretty extreme scenario that I do not wish to take place again, the only way that this was made possible was by having these strong relationships with suppliers.
A simple graph that helps illustrate the decision of whether to use a travel agent for your trip.
Conclusion
So is using a travel agent worth it? Honestly, it depends, and I mean that.
It depends on the type of trip want to plan, how much support you actually want along the way, and whether the value an agent brings (the relationships, the recovery when things go sideways, the hours saved) is worth it to you.
Here’s how I’d think about it. First, figure out what kind of trip you want. Then figure out the kind of agent that trip actually needs: booking or full service. Once you know that, reach out to a few agents who specialize in it. Do your homework and see how experienced they are about the destination, how they work, and whether their process feels right for you.
If something clicks, you’ve possibly gained something bigger than one good trip. You’ve found someone you can trust with many trips after. And if you realize this isn’t the right option for you, that’s okay. You’ve lost a few minutes, and you’ll know exactly why you’re better off planning it yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on your trip type and what kind of support you need. If you want intricate planning from prior experience, relationships with hotels and tour guides, and on-trip support, a specialized agent will always add real value. If you already know exactly what you want, a booking agent to book you hotels at no extra cost might be the best option for you.
A full-service agent plans your trip from start to finish, books every component, builds a day-to-day itinerary, and offers ongoing support. A booking agent typically just books hotels (and sometimes flights or car rentals), often through a self-service portal so that you receive complementary amenities/benefits at hotels.
These are travel consortiums, membership networks that travel agencies join to gain buying power, supplier relationships, and access to complimentary client perks like resort credits, upgrades, and early check-in or late check-out. Travel agents work for travel agencies, who are part of travel consortiums.
It depends on what you’re booking. Hotel-only bookings usually carry no service fee, flights often come with a per-person service fee, and complex multi-day itineraries typically involve a planning fee, either itemized or built into the package.
Not yet. While AI has gotten better at building itineraries (and some might even be able to book things), it can’t secure hotel upgrades through personal relationships, provide real-time support during a trip, recover from mistakes, or share insider info that isn’t publicly available online.
Travel agents can’t override prices set by hotels, airlines, or cruise lines just to fit a budget. They can apply existing deals and promotions, but they can’t manufacture discounts that don’t exist.
Look for an agent who specializes in the type of trip you’re planning, whether that’s cruises, safaris, or a specific region. It’s worth reaching out to a few different agents to compare their process and see who’s the best fit.
Most travel agents earn through commissions (averages to around 10%) from bookings, plus service fees for more complex planning. They aren’t usually salaried employees, which is part of why fees vary by trip complexity.
Absolutely not. A full service travel agent can provide an immense amount of value for all types of trips. The goal of using a travel agent should be about optimizing the value of your trip.
While a travel agent can flex their personal contacts at an expensive 5 star resort to upgrade a client’s room and get them special VIP treatment, the right travel agent can also put together a modest road trip through national parks and offer the best hikes, connect you with the best tour guides, and suggest stops at the tastiest restaurants along the way.
No, travel agents can’t book hotels or flights using points for two reasons. First, point bookings exist solely between you and the vendor, so if anything needs to be changed or fixed, a travel agent has no way to step in and do anything since the travel agency isn’t connected to the booking.
Second, travel agents don’t earn commission on point bookings, so they are essentially working for free at that point.
That said, you might be able to work with your travel agent to book certain things with points (most common is flights) while they handle everything else.
Pasindu Wewegama is a luxury travel agent part of Travel Leaders Luxury Leaders Alliance specializing in island escapes, Europe, honeymoons and anniversaries, African safaris, and more.
He designs customized journeys that reflect each client’s travel style, whether that means a romantic overwater villa, a milestone celebration in Europe, or a once-in-a-lifetime safari. From the Maldives, Bora Bora, Hawaii, and the Caribbean to Italy, Croatia, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, and South Africa, Pasindu is known for creating thoughtful itineraries with exceptional hotels, personalized service, and memorable experiences from start to finish.
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