How to choose a travel agency
Travel agencies sell an unusual product that can not be tasted with your hands or taste. Strange as it may sound, they are selling a dream. A wonderful dream of a wonderful, unusual journey into a fairy tale. However, if something doesn’t go as we would like, then psychology comes in: of course, the service provider is to blame. In addition, the press does not lag behind in publishing devastating articles, leading us to the idea that wherever you do not go, you will always be deceived. You can’t all be scammers, think for yourself. On average, more than eleven thousand licenses were issued in Moscow in the field of providing tourist services. Therefore, you should not include excessive suspicion.
In the advertising of this or that agency only briefly describes in which countries you can buy tours in the representative office. If you look from the other side, advertising policy can reliably say about the well-being of the company and how much it wants to occupy its niche in the competition. After all, if you look at the question of insolvency from the point of view of the simplest mathematics, it becomes clear that the more often a travel agency declares itself, the more money they have. Funds in the company come from customers. And accordingly, the more customers, the more money, and accordingly, the more reliable the company. After all, the amount that travel companies pay for themselves and customers is the main indicator of reliability.
The business of tourism in modern times is represented by two types of companies. The first is operators, institutions engaged directly in the development of routes, booking rooms in hotels. For example, a tour operator Anex Thur.. The second is agents who are directly engaged in the sale of tours already developed and calculated to the smallest detail. The inhabitants of Russia, famous for their dislike of any intermediaries, have a logical question: why buy through an intermediary, if you can make a purchase directly. That makes sense. But that's not entirely true. For starters, all over the world quite successfully use the system of interaction between operators and agents. The first are engaged in flights, documents, work with partners from abroad. Therefore, it is extremely profitable for them to shift the concerns of selling tourist tickets to agencies. Employees of agencies can focus all their attention on the direct sale of tickets. It goes without saying that for successful sales it is necessary to study the sold product from different sides in order to be ready for provocative questions. For successful sales for agents, special seminars and trips are held for closer acquaintance.
Observant client on the factors of the appearance of the office, the appearance of employees, the atmosphere in the office and the number of people in the office (implied clients) will easily draw conclusions about the agency.
Also, a lot can be said about the company manager, his way of conducting a conversation, possession of information about the product provided and the expected opportunities for you from buying a tour. First of all, you should provide complete information about accommodation, excursions and food. Don’t take it to heart if not all the moments match your vision of the dream. It is much better if you are told the positive and negative aspects of your planned trip. After all, if they try to establish a trusting relationship with you, then they do not try to sell an unclaimed product. Western partners usually provide enough brochures and information booklets to a long-running agency. This is done not only for your convenience of preparing for the trip, but also improves the image of the agency.
The next stage after receiving information, communicating with the manager and choosing a tour, of course, solving the legal subtleties of flying abroad in the direction you are interested in and paying for the tour itself.
Everything that has been discussed before is mostly emotions and subjective relationships. Now is the time to get back to reality and discuss more prosaic things. An agreement must be concluded with you with clearly prescribed items: a record of the subject of the conversation; a list of services that you are obliged to provide; the cost of the tour; extraordinary circumstances, independent of the wishes of the parties; the legal address of the agency; the settlement account of the company. An appendix to the contract is a ticket. This is necessary for you to fully understand the tour you are buying. But that's not the point. If you have this ticket, you will not have controversial moments and all information will be interpreted correctly. However, this innovation is not everywhere in practice.
If instead of a ticket, you will be offered a receipt for receiving money, an instruction on staying in the camp, you should think several times before signing these documents.
It goes without saying that for a quiet holiday, only competently drafted documents are not enough. But when the guarantees are not clearly spelled out, the vacation can be spoiled and controversial questions will appear, who said what and how it was understood. It is not legal literacy, and not the desire of the company to “inflate” you can cause many claims on both sides.
Last moment. If you are satisfied with the trip, the holiday was famous - do not change the agency. Now you are definitely among the regular customers, and these are benefits and certain advantages. In the case when you can not in the chosen place to provide the rest that you expect, you will be prompted where to turn or all the hassle will take over.