As a former travel consultant and IATA ticketing agent, it may come as a surprise to many that, personally, I do not recommend using a travel agent to book your trips (especially if you travel to or within Europe).

I have worked in three travel agencies! I’ve done everything from data entry, marketing, creating itineraries, offering advice on destinations, selling and issuing airline tickets, and providing after sale support (i.e. missed flights, canceled flights). The work I’ve always enjoyed was the “offering advice” part, which I still do on the side (travel consultant). I never liked sales and came to hate after sale support.

Personally, I have traveled through agencies two times. Once when I booked accommodation in London. It was 2011 and I didn’t have much experience in booking for myself, so I asked a friend to give me a quote, which was cheaper than what I was able to find then. Second time, I won a stay in Straja (Romania) and was the worst experience ever.

Enough of an introduction. Here are the reasons why you should NOT use a travel agent.

You know exactly what you want

Exactly how does an agent you exchanged emails with or talked on the phone once or twice know what YOU want? Sure, they have notes and they search using some parameters. But, YOU know what you need. So you can tweak those parameters. Maybe you decide you can, after all, be more flexible and adjust your flight date and bam! You found something super cheap. Maybe an early deal from the airline, which the agent hasn’t even heard of yet! Or you decide that alternative airport may be worth the distance from your destination, too.

They will seek to sell you the airlines they make most money out of

You found a good price on Skyscanner or Kiwi and then you decide to match that price via an agent. Suddenly, they give you a much better price. But, wait for it: the airlines are not the same! Yup, in most cases that’s how it goes. Because , of course, they make money off what they sell to you and they are not going to go in red, right? Ask them to match the same airlines and…crickey! They cannot give you the same price.

All low cost carriers’ prices are higher when you go through an agent

Low cost carriers don’t particularly like to work with agents so they don’t give them perks. Nor are they listed in Amadeus (or other Global Distribution Systems). That’s because being listed costs money. And low cost carriers do the exact opposite: take your money for everything! When you book such a fare from an agent you lose as much as their added commission is (from 20 EUR to 100 USD or even more, depends on the agent). So, do yourself a favor and make that booking on your own. And you will have complete control over it, too.

More so, there’s a lot of pressure from low-cost carriers to “convince” travelers to only book direct, avoiding any third party option, including travel agents. Even back when I was working in agencies (n.a. until 2016), low-cost carriers made it super hard for agencies to do changes or cancellations for their clients, always putting more emphasis on direct sales to customers.

Changes always cost

So you have to make a change and you know you have to pay the change fee and fare difference. Wait a minute! You are also going to pay the agent for their work. Again, commissions vary from agent to agent but can be quite high (think 100 USD or even more per person per ticket changed). If that fare they gave you wasn’t public, in most cases you cannot even change that ticket directly through the airline yourself. Bugger.

Last minute deals do not exist in agencies

You read that right. Those last minute deals you can find on airlines’ sites don’t make it through the booking system. And no agent will book you a flight on a very short notice, especially if you are a new customer. Some of those super discounted rates aren’t even for the agents, so you can only find them on the airlines’ websites.

Changing a multi leg ticket is a nightmare

So your agent gave you an amazing deal. The only “minor inconvenient” is that all your flights are on the same ticket. God forbid you need to make a change. Or worse, cancel a flight. The real nightmare scenario: when you miss a flight. Allow me to explain: if you miss the first leg of any multi-leg flights ticket, you are as good as dead. If the rules allow, they can reissue the ticket (and yup, you pay the change fee, fare difference, and the agent’s fee). When you make a change, consider that the cheaper the ticket, the more restrictive it will be…so may not even be able to make a change. So: suck it up, pay a bit more, and be careful what flights are combined on a single ticket.

You can (and will) find better deals

Online booking engines are really powerful nowadays. There are so many ways to tweak (and trick) them to get excellent prices. Honestly, there are a ton of chances to find excellent deals on your own, beating even the best agent. And I love the word wide web for this! Plus, there are a ton of discounts which to your email directly from the airlines and hotels, and those discounts cannot be applied by the agents.

Book in advance. Everything

Know the golden rule: book in advance! For low cost carriers, that’s 2-3 months. For international travel, that’s 6-8 months in advance. For trains, that’s usually 2-3 months, as fares aren’t always available too far in advance. As soon as the fares become available for when you plan to travel, set alerts. Check them often.

Especially in times of uncertainty, look for flexible fares with free cancellation and changes.

You cannot use your miles with an agent

Most travel agents don’t even accept miles for payment. Those which do accept them, charge a hefty commission. So put those memberships to good use and get the tickets (and upgrades) at a decent cost for you.

You cannot book through AirBnb, HomeAway or Homestay with an agent

If you love non-traditional accommodation, an agent cannot help you. Specifically, I am talking about vacation rentals. Similarly, you cannot ever book a homestay through an agent. These are alternatives to the hotels you can’t book through an agent. And yes, they are cheaper and offer plenty of other perks, thank you very much.

Oh, and did you know there are Facebook groups where you can find places to stay for free for a night or two? And no, they are not traps or anything. Travelers do help each other.

A conclusion?

Yes, I am quite sincere when I say I hate travel agencies (and I am not the only one haha). For someone who is tech-savvy and knows how to use the Internet, agencies are a waste of money. If you want to get out of the cycle of using a travel agency, start with getting help from a friend who doesn’t use an agency. I am certain they will have a lot of words of wisdom for you. And, with experience, comes the confidence to later on book on your own. Everything.