Should I Use a Travel Advisor?
Travel advisors: travel with confidence.
We are your trusted resource.
------- AURORA CRUISES AND TRAVEL -------
Travel Advisor Services
A travel advisor is not a dying profession.
The power of human connection is vital during pandemic travel.
Just opposite, pandemic demonstrated that human support and help are not replaceable.
Additionally, online travel agencies fall short during pandemics. Their clients had problems returning home when governments shut down borders.
Travel advisors are the real heroes! Look at Nadia Jastrjembskaia, the owner of Aurora Cruises and Travel. She was on hold with Royal Caribbean International for 5 hours and 31 minutes to solve a client’s problem.
Sign for a 20-minute consultation with Nadia Jastrjembskaia. She is an owner of Aurora Cruises and Travel and a well-known cruise expert worldwide.
Another agent from Aurora Cruises and Travel, Nadia Schtrafonenko, made history. She was on hold with Delta Air Lines for six hours and reached somebody at 3 am!
Travel advisors spend many hours on hold with airlines, cruise lines, and hotels. They fix issues, book, and re-book their clients’ reservations.
Additionally, travel advisors chase their clients’ refunds. They fight on their behalf for the right amount of Future Travel Certificates.
ON THIS PAGE
What Will We Do for You?
Why Aurora Cruises and Travel?
Travel Advisors After Covid-19
What Does a Travel Advisor Do?
Why Use a Travel Advisor?
What Does it Mean to Work with a Travel Advisor?
Are Travel Agencies Dying?
Is It Worth Use a Travel Agent /Advisor?
What Will We Do for You?
Firstly, we will liberate you from:
- The overwhelming number of choices.
- The immense pressure of choosing the ‘best deal’ online. – You see claims as “one room left at this price” or “booked four times in the last 24 hours.“ Those claims are not valid in most cases. You panic and book immediately.
- The noise of all conflicting options you see online. – Of course, due to Photoshop, all properties are the best.
- Misleading sales tactics and hidden charges from online agencies.
- A hobbyist who relies only on information from suppliers' webinars. – There are a lot of travel experts without any actual travel experiences.
- An offshore call center worker is reading from a script.
- Pressure to make a booking decision on the spot.
- A travel agent who sends you the company's 800-number when you need real help.
Finally, we:
- Understand your pain. You have to deal with overwhelming health-related restrictions.
- Promise lead you through the planning process without pressure to make a decision.
- Offer the best solutions for your trip.
- Are there for you when you run into trouble.
Travel Advisors After Covid-19
It sounds as travel advisors are in massive demand after pandemic travel.
Travel is not the same as before the COVID-19.
During the uncertainty, you need support to navigate through all changes in travel.
Your travel advisor recommendations become more valuable and essential. She will help you to make informed decisions.
Health-related regulations will be in effect for a while. Governments and local authorities will change them regularly:
- Health certificates or health passports.
- Capacity regulations for airplanes or cruise ships.
- Park capacity - how many people are allowed in the amusement park.
- Sits are available in the restaurant.
So, travelers will be overwhelmed with information. They have to know a lot of details before traveling.
Professional travel advisors can avoid confusion and plan hassle-free trips.
Additionally, people will avoid traveling with strangers.
People will prefer to travel with immediate family and friends. Or, they will drive through the region or country.
In this situation, travel advisors will create unique itineraries according to travelers’ needs.
Infographics: One Size Does Not Fit All in Travel
Why Aurora Cruises and Travel?
At Aurora Cruises and Travel, we use no one-size-fits-all approach.
We understand our clients’ needs and desires. This info helps us to provide consultation and support.
We make their travel more manageable, more accessible, and enjoyable.
Our professional travel advisors provide information on:
- What is safe.
- What is open.
- Which hotels, resorts, and cruise lines have implemented enhanced hygiene measures.
- Who will be their advocate if something happens before, during, or after a trip?
- We are most helpful when you have complicated travel plans.
We shine when we do:
- Multigenerational cruise vacations or events. This trip is an excellent idea for your extended family. – The different ages have different interests.
- Multifamily or group cruise. – We help organizes to take weight from their shoulders.
- An independent foreign tour (FIT) that combines several international stops. – We can plan logistics and makes as many segments as you wish.
We give you access to the latest travel requirements to your destination. This info includes but is not limited to health and insurance rules.
We give you up-to-date resources and help you navigate choices.
We are open to answering questions from our clients to make a decision.
Frequently Asked Questions About Travel Advisors
What Does a Travel Advisor Do?
A travel or trip advisor is a professional who provides expertise for clients' decisions about travel.
Sometimes travel advisor is spelled as an adviser.
She or he provides travel advice or guidance to customers for compensation.
Travel advisors may be independent travel advisors. Or, they may work for a more prominent travel agency.
Why Use a Travel Advisor?
Technically, everyone can book airfares or next trip online.
There are no limits: from simple to the most complex. Just search and receive millions of websites to book.
It is evident that you experience the following:
- Information overload.
- COVID-19 and health restrictions.
- Thousands of hotels and private accommodations.
- All sorts of cruises, from small ships to giant liners.
- Passport and visa issues.
- Issues with transit strikes, political unrest, natural disasters, and weather.
- Travel providers go out of business in mass after COVID-19.
- Travel insurance limits coverage and refuse to reimburse your expenses.
It is never-ending.
It is not a surprise that some people refuse to travel due to the difficulty and complexity of planning.
Do you know that more unhappy people planned their trips than those who used knowledgeable travel advisors? Extreme cases psychiatrists call the Paris syndrome. Travelers may experience it when a person’s expectations are extremely far from reality.
How Does One Navigate All of This?
To avoid the travel landmines that lay in front of you, you need to get a great travel advisor!
She or he will create a better experience for you.
During pandemic uncertainty and travel restrictions, personalized vacation planning helps.
What Does It Mean to Work With a Travel Advisor?
Every travel agency, aka travel advisory, has its business model.
At Aurora Cruises and Travel, we utilize the approach that financial advisors use.
Firstly, we build relationships.
We believe that we can build productive relationships only on honesty. We expect our clients to be honest about:
- Goals for their cruise vacation or event.
- Travel dreams and expectations for an upcoming trip and expectations of their family or group members.
- Budget and limitations. – Do not worry, we will play between limits.
- Discoveries on the Internet.
Secondly, we work as a team with the client and his family and group. Together, we can create great travel plans.
Finally, we discuss the client's travel ideas and right-fit itineraries openly. We analyze the pros and cons of all options for each segment of an upcoming trip.
Those components create incredible travel experiences.
We find the best solution available for each segment.
As a result, we will create a perfect travel planner for you with photos of places.
Is It Worth Use a Travel Agent /Advisor?
Travel advisors add value to your travel by:
- Offering the first-hand experience.
- Knowledge of travel products.
- Connections to suppliers.
As a result, travel advisors can handle complex travel requests. They can create unique travel experiences for their clients.
Travel advisors can provide many services, such as:
- Trip or cruise planning.
- Travel budgeting.
- Transportation and lodging reservations.
- Excursions and activities reservations.
- Dining reservations.
- Travel management.
- Event organizing.
- Consumer advocating.
Increasingly, travel advisors are acting as a "one-stop-shop." They provide everything from travel planning to chasing clients’ refunds from suppliers. Travel suppliers are tour operators, cruise lines, hotels, and airlines.
Are Travel Agencies Dying?
There is a lot of common myths on the Internet that travel advisors are a vanishing breed.
Yes, the numbers of travel advisors are down due to the online agencies. – You are surprised to learn that online aggregators operate as travel agencies. From a legal point of view, OTAs are travel agencies that operate online instead of offline.
As you can see, online and offline agencies co-exist.
Every business has its niche.
Evidently, online agencies (OTA) are primarily for travelers on a budget. Their clients prefer simplicity and affordability with standard itineraries. That is why OTAs sell mass-market travel products.
Comparatively, travel advisors specialize in custom and off-path itineraries. Most of them are in the upper scale of budget.
Their clients look for unique travel experiences.
Some people believe in myths about travel advisors that we try to debunk.
How to Find a Competent Advisor and Spot Incompetent Ones?
Just ask specific questions during the interview!
Indeed, your travel advisor must be officially certified and have enough resources to plan your trip.
What Is the Difference Between a Travel Advisor and a Travel Agent?
Travel professionals call themselves travel advisors. This happened after the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) officially became the American Society of Travel Advisors a few years ago.
Since most people still think of travel agents' travel industry, you can see both names.
A competent travel adviser can be your greatest asset when you are planning a fantastic trip. The keyword here is "competent."
Legally, everyone who sells travel represents suppliers – companies as cruise lines, hotels, airlines. Suppliers own the products they sell. So, travel agents act as their representatives.
After the name is changed from travel agent to travel advisor, we can see the differences in business models.
Some travel professionals work only as agents. They sell the products that you requested.
If you asked about a particular ship and stateroom, they would sell you exactly those staterooms.
This model is popular among part-timers who sell travel as a side hustle.
In contrast, an experienced and connected advisor has taken on a much more complex role. He or she acts as a concierge, fixer, dream maker, life coach, and executive producer. Of course, a travel advisor may be a genie, which makes impossible a reality.
In conclusion, travel advisors can provide multiple services. She may start with your bucket list analysis and finish with money chasing for your Future Cruise Certificate (FCC.) - And everything in between.
When to Use a Travel Advisor?
You do not need a travel professional to coordinate your simple trips. This trip may be a domestic flight, hotel, or rental car.
Travelers need help from travel advisors in the following situations:
- Big-budget trip.
- Complex trip with many components.
- Traveling to a part of the world you have never been.
- Special-event kind of trip.
So, the complexity and price are the main reasons to hire a travel advisor.
Why People Still Use a Travel Advisor?
There are several overriding reasons people still use travel advisors.
The main reason is saving you the time and trouble of searching through the many options.
The second reason is creating a personalized itinerary that suits your travel preferences.
The third reason is being on top of special promotions and fine print about things like cancellation fees.
Travel advisors become a one-stop shop for advice.
Professional service is a valuable perk if you plan a multi-family or multi-generational cruise vacation or event.
Finally, in case that something goes wrong during your trip, your travel advisor can help you fix an issue.
Do Travel Advisors Offer Perks?
Yes, most travel professionals offer perks to their clients through different programs.
Aurora Cruises and Travel offers a few programs:
- Distinctive Voyages. This program is for 3,500 sailings in different parts of the world. It includes Distinctive Voyages Host services, an invitation to a Private Welcome Reception, and an Exclusive Amenity.
- Amenity Departure Dates. Each sailing on this program offers our clients additional onboard credit.
- Culinary Collection. Each sailing under this program celebrates a world of epicurean delights. Examples may be demonstrations from well-known chefs, cooking classes onboard and onshore, wine and spirit tastings. Or delightful meals focused on regional cuisine.
- Select Experiences. This amenity program offers VIP-worthy privileges to craft experiences.
Do Travel Advisors Offer Attractions and Activity Bookings?
Yes, we do. Most travel advisors include attractions in an itinerary.
Aurora Cruises and Travel has Viator as a preferable partner. This company is a leader in excursions and activities all over the world.
We will help you decide which activity or experience is best to suit your needs.
Viator offers the world’s most extensive collection of tours, attractions, and experiences.
Do Travel Advisors Make Restaurant Reservations?
Yes, we do. Here, at Aurora Cruises and Travel, we reserve tables in specialty restaurants on cruise ships and land.
Remember that some great restaurants are required reservations far in advance.
Please let us know about your culinary preferences. Great food is a part of a fantastic experience.
Can I Adjust Price After I Made a Reservation?
It depends on the type of reservations. If reservations are made with a non-refundable deposit or paid in full, we must obey the supplier's rules.
We can make changes if a reservation is made with a refundable deposit and allows adjustment. As a result, you will enjoy the lowest price possible.
Can You Adjust Cruises to the Lowest Prices?
You know that cruise prices fluctuate regularly, and in many cases, low prices are available.
Sometimes they slide notably. If the supplier allows price adjustment to the prevailing rate, we are happy to do this for our clients.
Do You Offer Vacation Rentals?
Yes, we do. We have a great supplier who offers vacation rentals, including villas.
What Suggestions Do You Give to Your Guests?
At Aurora Cruises and Travel, we recommend everything related to the travel experience. It starts from top places to visit and eat and other nearby vacation hidden gems.
We use the travel planner app for this. You will receive suggestions at each stop.
Also, we use the service by trusted third-party partners to provide you with a better experience.