18/05/2026
👏👏 There are many things a travel agent can do that ChatGPT or a single supplier simply can’t. Thank you to Traveller for highlighting the value of expert travel advice and support.
Just a few recent wins for my clients:
✨ Saved over $3,000 on a New Zealand rail package, including hotel room upgrades
✨ Presented multiple alternative airline options after a schedule change caused a missed connection risk in Los Angeles
✨ Reworked and rebooked an entire European holiday within three days of the Middle East conflict commencing, with minimal out-of-pocket costs
✨ Requoted and rebooked USA accommodation to reduce the final payment amount, while also securing added inclusions like daily breakfast
Travel is more than just booking flights and hotels. It’s strategy, relationships, contingency planning, industry knowledge and having someone in your corner when plans change. 🌍
For the first time in decades, I used a travel agent.
Until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t used a travel agent in years … But then the Iran situation blew up and my trip to Spain this month edged closer and closer... So I canned the flights, and needed some other way to get to Europe. There are a lot of options. Too many to navigate in a short space of time. So, I had a travel agent do it.
Despite tech advances like the internet and AI, travel agents endure. And there are plenty of reasons for those who drifted away from them to now come back to the fold. Perhaps the most obvious is the safety net of having someone on the end of the phone to help you when things go wrong.
You can’t call up ChatGPT to get it to ensure you can still join your tour in three days’ time. You can’t call Qatar Airways and get the airline to make alternative arrangements for you with another airline. Travel agents can do that.
- Ben Groundwater
