travellers caught up in the net
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Your support makes all the difference.I AM a Luddite. I am also a travel agent, and declare my interest lest I be accused of partiality. I am writing to save you all from the false friend, who, it is claimed, will free you from your chains. I am writing to save you from the Internet.
What has prompted me to write are those clients who have come unstuck with the microchip god they worship. The current belief is that what comes from computers will deliver precisely what the consumer wants: choice. But that choice is really just an illusion.
You must be aware that service providers, hotels and the like, are going to show themselves in the best possible light on the Net. That's OK, but it doesn't necessarily tell the whole truth. A hotel may offer lots of facilities but won't state what condition they are in. Is there a better hotel nearby which is not on the Net? You can only get such impartial advice from a travel agent.
And what about price? By cutting out the middleman, do you get a cheaper deal? Well, no. The hotel will sell at the rack (public) rate and just keep the agent's commission. If you book through a specialist agent you tend to get access to bulk deals or your travel agent's contract prices, which are often much cheaper than rack rates.
And airlines are no better. You may get a cheap ticket from the Net, but an airline is selling its own services. It doesn't tell you that another carrier is cheaper or has better stopover facilities or offers discounts on regional flights or on air passes.
What if something goes wrong when you're on holiday? Your travel agent's rep will be on hand if you have been sensible. But if you have booked it all yourself, defenestrating your VDU when you get back is the only satisfaction you are likely to get.
But why bother? The travel industry is now so well regulated that it seems incredible to me that anyone would voluntarily side-step the safeguards. By booking the loosest of packages you qualify for superb consumer protection under the Package Travel Regulations.
I am a microchip atheist. I preach heresy but you know I am right. So go on, change your anorak for a cardy and pop down to see your travel agent.
Andre de Mendonca
The writer is a director of the specialist travel company South American Experience
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