u/starjean

Vegas local here reaching out to my other Vegas locals—I’m looking for recommendations for a travel agent/advisor/consultant in the area who’s willing to work with me rather than just book everything for me.

I’ve always booked my own travel—flights, hotels, rental cars, rebookings, cancellations, upgrades, etc.—and I’m pretty comfortable managing all of that myself. I enjoy researching my own trips, choosing my flights, and having the option to upgrade my airline seats myself while still earning all of my rewards and loyalty points.

What I’m really looking for is someone knowledgeable I can call for advice, recommendations, destination ideas, and trip planning, and someone I can bounce ideas off of who can share their personal travel experience and expertise.

If you know someone who’s flexible and enjoys collaborating with travelers instead of taking over the entire planning process, I’d love to hear your recommendations.

Thanks!

I'm sorry if people ask these things a lot, but I didn’t see a recent post and was curious.

I’ve always booked my own travel—flights, hotels, rental cars, rebookings, cancellations, upgrades, etc. I’m pretty comfortable managing everything myself. But the idea of having someone knowledgeable I can call for advice, recommendations, and trip planning sounds appealing, and I understand time is money.

So for someone like me, what is the real value of using a travel agent?

A few things I’m curious about:

How do travel agents get paid? Fees, commissions, or both? Or do I pay?
Do you only book suppliers that pay commissions?
What value do they provide beyond booking hotels and flights?
If something goes wrong, do I have to go through them to make changes, or can I still manage things myself?
Do I still earn all my airline, hotel, and rental car points/status?
Can I still manage upgrades, seat selections, check-in, and changes myself?
Are there certain types of trips where a travel agent is absolutely worth it and others where it isn’t?
Can a travel agent help optimize loyalty programs or point earning?

And who really controls the reservation? For example, I like checking upgrade availability myself and have snagged some cheap first-class upgrades on American before departure. Can I still do things like that if a travel agent books the trip?

For context, I travel a few times a year, mostly book with American Airlines, care about loyalty points/status, and generally enjoy planning my own trips. I’m genuinely curious where a travel agent adds value for travelers like me.

I’d love to hear from both travel agents and travelers who use them.

I'm sorry if people ask these things a lot, but I didn’t see a recent post and was curious.

I’ve always booked my own travel—flights, hotels, rental cars, rebookings, cancellations, upgrades, etc. I’m pretty comfortable managing everything myself. But the idea of having someone knowledgeable I can call for advice, recommendations, and trip planning sounds appealing, and I understand time is money.

So for someone like me, what is the real value of using a travel agent?

A few things I’m curious about:

How do travel agents get paid? Fees, commissions, or both? Or do I pay?
Do you only book suppliers that pay commissions?
What value do they provide beyond booking hotels and flights?
If something goes wrong, do I have to go through them to make changes, or can I still manage things myself?
Do I still earn all my airline, hotel, and rental car points/status?
Can I still manage upgrades, seat selections, check-in, and changes myself?
Are there certain types of trips where a travel agent is absolutely worth it and others where it isn’t?
Can a travel agent help optimize loyalty programs or point earning?

And who really controls the reservation? For example, I like checking upgrade availability myself and have snagged some cheap first-class upgrades on American before departure. Can I still do things like that if a travel agent books the trip?

For context, I travel a few times a year, mostly book with American Airlines, care about loyalty points/status, and generally enjoy planning my own trips. I’m genuinely curious where a travel agent adds value for travelers like me.

I’d love to hear from both travel agents and travelers who use them.