The travel consultant's function is to design a trip that fulfills a purpose as detailed by the customer. This could be for business, vacation, "visit family and friends" or emergency travel. The customer may have a particular destination in mind, such as with business travel, or may have only a general idea of a desired experience, such as scuba-diving. It is the travel consultant's function to make suggestions and then provide detailed information to help customers make decisions to fulfill their needs. Travel consultants will arrange reservations, ticketing, payment and itinerary details prior to the trip.
There are two types of consultants--business travel consultants and leisure travel consultants--and each of these can employ specialists in various categories. Certain companies may employ an individual whose sole purpose is to plan employee travel. Leisure specialists include adventure travel, cruise, eco-travel and sporting trips. Others may specialize in convention and group travel.
Consultants have a wide array of tools to use, including computer links to hotels, airlines, tour operators, cruise lines and other suppliers. Certain travel agencies may also negotiate favorable terms with suppliers due to high volumes, and these discounts are often passed on to consumers. Business travelers may be offered high discounts if they stay in a specific hotel, and cruise companies often have special deals on departures that have low bookings. Travel consultants are briefed daily on these opportunities.
Consider using a travel consultant that is certified, either as a Certified Travel Associate (CTA) or Certified Travel Counselor (CTC). Both designations indicate the counselor has received training. In addition, there are many independent travel counselors that sell their services locally. These counselors can be excellent resources for destination expertise, but inquire as to which agency they are affiliated.
The best travel counselor is one who travels, and has personal experience with a wide variety of destinations. He can provide the "ins and outs" that may not be available via tour brochures and Internet sites. He can tell you how long it takes to walk from a hotel to a business office, or to a must-see museum, enabling the best use of the most valuable travel commodity--time.
