Booking Holidays Online v Travel Agent

With the internet becoming a mass medium we sometimes struggle to find the best deals for holidays because there are so many options for holidays. What’s better, book online or with a travel agent? That is the question! Let’s take booking a cruise holiday as example.

Pros & Cons for Booking with a Travel Agent

Pros

• Less work for you. Simply tell them where you’d like to go and how long you want to go for and let them do the work, saving you time and effort.
• 
  
• ATOL protection. If you need to fly somewhere to begin your cruise doing it through a travel agent will give you ATOL protection, meaning your money is protected and you won’t be stranded abroad.
• 
  
• Less expensive. Contrary to popular belief, you may actually be able to get a cruise for cheaper from a travel agent since they are able to negotiate directly with companies.

Cons

• Less choice. Travel agents may only work with certain cruise providers, meaning you may still have to look around for your perfect cruise.
• 
  
• May require human interaction. If you like to use the automatic checkouts at supermarkets and prefer self check-in at the airport, you may hate the idea of visiting a travel agent in person.
• 
  
• More expensive. Travel agents can sometimes be more expensive than finding and booking a cruise for yourself.

Pros & Cons for Booking Online

Pros:

• Comfort. Browsing cruises online from your sofa while relaxing in front of the television is a great way to search for a cruise.
• 
  
• Completely tailored. You can find exactly what you’re looking for, allowing you to construct your dream cruise.
• 
  
• User reviews. If you book your cruise online you can take advantage of user reviews, giving you a more objective view of what you can expect from your holiday.

Cons:

• Time consuming. Finding the perfect cruise is a nice idea, but it can take a very long time and end up being frustrating.
• 
  
• Where to begin? With so many cruise operators it can be difficult knowing where to begin - a travel agent on the other hand has experience in finding people the perfect cruise.

• 
  
• Potential for disaster. Booking the component parts of your holiday through different companies can be risky. If a delayed flight means you miss your cruise you may not be covered and lose out financially.

So clearly, both options have a lot of pros and cons, both with risks. But sometimes for cruise holidays cruise you get what you get, regardless of where you book, so you might as well book online!