Today … Many consumers think it’s just normal to buy their
travel on their own. WHY ? Cause they
see others do it this way ? Cause much
info is now on the internet ? Cause they
think they get a better deal ?
Buying travel is not all about price. And even if it were, the majority of the consumers
don’t know where the best prices are located !
And even if there are better prices out there, if you don’t know where
they are, it’s best to buy your travel local !
What does … “Buy on your own actually mean” ?
To the travel
industry, this means you need NO HELP ! It means you’re going to read all the
information from that Cruise or Tour Operator, or search out information from
expert Travel Writers.
Is this the same
definition to the consumer ?
Apparently NOT !More and more consumers are buying direct from Cruise and Tour Operators or “the net”, and instead of learning and reading information for themselves, they putting their responsibility, onto the back of others. They reaching out to family/friends, and facebook for their answers !
Please know, if you find yourself having one question,
you’ll soon learn you’ll have a second question … And on and on. If that’s the case … Why not begin with a
Travel Professional ? And expert in the
topic of your travel ? Or with a company
that has backing ? Why start with no
backing ?
It is true, if friends/family have been on previous
cruises/vacation, you may want to ask their “take” on a topic. But not all “takes” fits everyone. And “takes” shouldn’t be the blood that
consumers rely on.
There are so many laws and rule in traveling, that
consumers just don’t realize. Just cause
you give “your take” doesn’t mean the person you are providing the advice to, already
knows these rules/laws for their specific travel !
And whether the info you receive is correct or not, your
friends/family, nor facebook, will be liable for your vacation in times of
trouble. Again, this is WHY you don’t want to “Buy on your own” ! You want a Travel Professional backing !
Have you seen these FB groups like … Carnival, past,
present, future … Or Royal Caribbean … Or similar ?
Personally, I don’t know why I join these FB groups. I see questions, that lead me to believe,
these folks should have never “Bought on their own” ! One minute I find myself laughing at the
questions … Then I find myself frustrated over the answers that are given.
I read somewhere that facebook can be depressing. For me, many times, it is ! I just cringe when I see folks who buy their travel
on their own. And cringe even more, when
I see them ask questions, that they should be receiving from their travel
professional, or from me, had they called me.
If I see one of my FB friends, buy their cruise on their
own, I “unfriend them”.
I have had folks get mad when I do this. Why ?That person is the one who decided they didn’t need my advice … It was not me, who turned my advice away from them, before they decided to … “Buy on their own”.
The Travel
professional can’t help you out of a bind, after you “bought on your own” and
put yourself there ! The time for a
Travel Professional is “when you buy” !
So as long as you are only reaching to friends/family, and even facebook
for answers “before you buy” … Remember when its time to buy … Call your Travel
professional !
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