Eight benefits for using a destination specialist

We seek out great professionals to advise us, to consult with us on how best to attain the results we are looking for.  Whether they are a lawyer, accountant, or a even a travel agent, we seek them out because if they are good, they are experts in their field.  We always do not need a travel agent, if you’re going on a short domestic trip and only need a flight to Miami and a 3 star hotel its easy enough to do it ourselves online but what about when you are taking the family to a foreign country for two weeks on vacation with multiple cities to visit and activities in each location.  This is much more complex and increase if you don’t speak the language.  A vacation is an investment in our free time, you want to make the most of the free time you have so you can enjoy ever second. It’s our vacations, our journeys together that we carry with us for a lifetime, not that three day business trip Columbus, OH. So when planning a vacation, which is not cheap, why wouldn’t you seek out the best advise?  You want the best consultant for the destination you have chosen, because it is their advice, expertise and connections that are of greatest value.

Learn what you want

It’s a big world out there with thousands of  destinations and an over abundance of superfluous information to wade through online. And then add to the mix the fact that you just may not know what you want. A good destination specialist will ask questions, be interested in you and will ultimately guide you through all the important information you truly need and give you their personal recommendations so you can make an educated choice that is best for you.

Gain local knowledge

A specialist simply knows more than you do, they are there on the ground with first hand experience, they are better connected than you, and they have access to benefits you could not get otherwise.

Example, a hotel says in Madrid says they have renovated rooms.  But did you know that they only renovated two floors?  Do you know what floor to request? Probably not but a good destination specialist does.  They will know the manager of that hotel and make sure you get the best room possible.

Tailor Made

A suit or dress made to order will always fit you best because it was made just for you, well travel is no different.  Information and sharing it is the most important thing you can do with a destination specialist.  Its like taking measurements. The more information you share about yourself, likes and dislikes, what has worked in the past and not, what your “must have” for a successful trip, is all vital in order to get the best itinerary tailored to you and your desires.

I always see “best” lists like best hotels or best beaches and have used them for myself on my website but I always preface it with the fact that they are the “best” for me, my opinion, based on what I like. Not everyone loves fusion cuisine or loves 19th century fixtures and quirky room configurations at 5 star centennial hotels. A three star Micheline rated menu is not for everyone even though it is rated the best. Relying on ratings from TripAdvisor or Travelocity can be tricky. With these kind of sites its a statistics game, they lump all the opinions together and get an average.  I am always astounded at what the masses choose as “the best”. (But I do admit these site are good for identifying those places you should red flag.)  You are ultimately comparing apples to kidney beans in these cases.  A four and half star rating at a hotel next to the convention center in Valencia is not the same as a four and half star rating at a boutique hotel on a secluded cove in Mallorca. Only someone who specializes in travel in those locations can really inform you objectively.

So knowing how to adapt an itinerary to your individual needs is where you get value from your destination specialist. It is not enough just knowing what the best hotel or restaurant is, it is knowing what the “best” is for you.

Save Time

Lets say you want to do research on Spain.  You will want a hotel or luxury apartment and lets say a private guide in to take you around Madrid. Search for “hotels in Madrid” search results 37,000,000 hits on Google. “Luxury apartment rental in Madrid”  1,200,000 results, “private guide Madrid” 91,900,000 results. What is you down time worth to you?  Do you get paid an hour? And if you are not getting paid for your time how would you value your time you spend on researching your trip. People may spend from 20 to 100 hours planning a two week trip.  How does you time add up to hours spent on research? Researching your vacation will cost you hours and hours and at the end you still have no qualitative first hand experience of your results.  A destination specialist does.  They do this on a regular basis, are more efficient and share their experiences. They will make sure you will get the greatest value and optimize your time so you can maximize your enjoyment of your trip.

More value for your money

Once you consider the time benefits you will also see you will increase the value of your money spent. The benefits specialists offer increase as your travel becomes more luxurious, expensive, and specialized. Destination specialists do more concentrated business in their location so have developed excellent relationships with all of their suppliers. Many times benefits can included room upgrades when available upon hotel check in, extras like a bottle of wine or champaign, even massages, tours or free transfers. Booking on your own online just wont give you that kind of access.

Get Connected

Having a top advisor can also make you feel like an  instant VIP – free room upgrades, hard to get restaurant reservations, cutting lines, access to otherwise closed stores and exhibits, and insightful private guides. In Barcelona there is a bar and restaurant that has one of the best bar tenders in the world,he’s won awards and has been on television and I have to say he really does make a fantastic cocktail. It’s the kind of place were you may see a famous actor or football player yet no one will obviously take note. It is very much like a speakeasy, you knock on a door in an unmarked stairwell to get in, but you cannot get a table unless you know a member. Just casually walking by the main door you would never know that this place exists, but a destination special should and would know how to get you in.

Discover Authenticity

The best way to really get to know a place is to know its people. Experiences with locals always enhance a journey, you really get to connect and create more meaningful memories. A good destination specialist will facilitate this by extending their personal confections to their clients. It’s about knowing what the real local find is, whether that be a great tapas and wine bar in the historical district or access to a select art collection at a royal residence or access to a private club that touts the best bar in Europe.

Troubleshooting

They provide a safety net during your trip that you simply won’t get by booking yourself or buying insurance. A destination specialist is there, speaks the language, and is in the same time zone, much better equipped to help you than a customer service agent 5000 miles away.  A colleague of mine who had  a small group visiting from the US and during their trip a woman in the group had gotten hurt on the coast away from everything while hiking. They did not speak Spanish, her injury was serious and required extensive treatment over time so she wanted she wanted to get back to the USA soon as possible.  He immediately got to her side, arranged for her to be evacuated by helicopter to Barcelona so she could ultimately get on a flight back home, staying with her until she got on her plane.  He was able to make a bad situation as painless as possible and give his client comfort and a feeling of security during a very difficult experience. These kinds of emergencies do not happen often, but when they do its good to know you have someone close to help you through it.

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