I was sitting at my kitchen table one evening with a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold. My husband had already gone to bed. The house was quiet. The only light was coming from my laptop as I searched through resort maps, flight schedules, transportation options, and excursion reviews.
The client I was working for wasn’t paying me for that time.
In fact, there was no guarantee I would ever get paid for it.
That’s something many people don’t realize about travel advisors. We don’t get paid when we spend hours researching. We don’t get paid when we answer dozens of emails, sit through consultations, attend supplier trainings, visit destinations, or troubleshoot problems. We only get paid if our clients trust us enough to book with us and ultimately travel.
And honestly? Most of us don’t do this because we’re chasing a paycheck.
We do it because we genuinely love helping people create memories.
We get excited when grandparents decide to take the whole family on vacation. We smile when newlyweds are planning their honeymoon. We celebrate when someone who has worked hard their entire life finally decides it’s time to take that dream trip they’ve been talking about for years.
For us, travel isn’t just reservations and confirmation numbers. It’s people. It’s stories. It’s moments.
But sometimes those moments come with a little heartbreak.
Every travel advisor has experienced it. Someone reaches out wanting help. We spend days, sometimes weeks, building recommendations, comparing options, finding hidden values, researching destinations, and sharing the knowledge we’ve spent years acquiring. We answer questions. We make adjustments. We provide guidance.
Then suddenly they disappear.
A few weeks later, we see they’ve booked online or directly with a supplier.
What many travelers don’t realize is that they didn’t just take a quote. They took hours of professional experience and expertise that someone freely gave in good faith.
The internet can book a room.
It can book a flight.
It can even book a cruise.
But it can’t tell you that the room you selected overlooks a noisy service area. It can’t tell you that your flight arrives after the last transfer departs. It can’t warn you that the excursion everyone is raving about is actually a poor fit for your family. It can’t tell you which resort building is closest to the amenities you’ll use every day.
Those are the things we learn because we dedicate ourselves to this industry. We attend trainings. We build relationships. We travel ourselves. We make mistakes with our own vacations so hopefully you don’t have to make them on yours.
And when something goes wrong, because occasionally it does, we’re often the first call our clients make.
Not because we’re magicians.
Because we’re advocates.
I’ve answered messages while sitting in church parking lots. I’ve worked from airports, hotel lobbies, campgrounds, cruise terminals, and family gatherings. I’ve spent hours fixing problems I didn’t create because my clients needed help and deserved someone in their corner.
That level of service doesn’t come from a booking engine.
It comes from a relationship.
So if you’re considering working with a travel advisor, I simply ask that you remember there is a real person on the other side of that email or phone call. Someone investing their time, knowledge, experience, and heart into helping you create something special.
We’re not just selling vacations.
We’re helping create memories that you’ll talk about around dinner tables for years to come.
-Sarah