The Questions Everyone Asks a Travel Advisor — and Their Honest Answers

People ask me travel questions constantly, as if the "travel advisor" badge is a neon name tag I wear. I'm pulled aside at school pickup, at dinner parties — texted at 8 a.m. on a Sunday with a panicked "so-and-so is sick, we leave tomorrow, what do we do?"

I love that neon badge of honor, truly, but I've noticed the same questions come up again and again. People are confused about my job, their options, the reality of moving from country to country and destination to destination. I operate in an expensive, international industry that demands major investments of time, money, and trust with returns that don't show up on a spreadsheet — so I've compiled the answers here to the most commonly asked questions about travel.

Everyone deserves better, easier travel. Start here.

"Aren't travel advisors a thing of the past?"

This one makes me smile every time. The internet was supposed to make us obsolete, and for a time, it definitely reduced demand. But the volume of travel booking options has become so overwhelming that people are more burned out on research than ever. Clients tell me about the hours they've spent in Reddit rabbit holes, review sites — and still weren't sure what they'd booked was right (or real).

The travel advisors who have become a thing of the past are the ones who looked things up in a binder and called a 1-800 number. That model of "agenting" is nearly obsolete, and it should be. What's replaced it is something much more useful: advisors who have actually been to these places, who have relationships with the people running them, and who are accountable when something goes wrong.

When a client had an involuntary seat downgrade on an international flight last year, I was the one filing the DOT complaint and following up with the airline until it was resolved. A booking engine won't do that; a real travel advisor does.

"Why use a travel advisor if I can research everything myself?"

You can research everything yourself. You can also represent yourself in a real estate transaction, manage your own investment portfolio, and cut your own hair. The question isn't whether you can; it's whether your time is worth more than the hours you'd spend doing it. And whether, after all that research, you'd still end up wondering if you made the right call.

Now, if you love the research, the planning, the itinerary design, I'm not here to take that away from you. A good travel advisor adapts to your travel style, so you stay in control of your trip. I'll be the industry connection — preferred partnerships, insider insights — that helps you execute your biggest travel dreams, so your money goes further.

Beyond the time that an advisor can save you, working with a travel advisor comes with services and advocacy from an actual person. No call centers, no robots to navigate, no chatbots answering your questions. Working with an advisor means you get access to exclusive rates, perks, benefits, and the weight of an entire travel agency behind you. When things go wrong, you have an expert on the ground (and an in-house concierge team) who can fix things and fight for you, so you can keep focusing on your trip.

"Do you charge fees? How do you make money?"

No. Never. My services are complimentary to you. I'm compensated by the tens of thousands of hotels, cruise lines, and tour operators I can book through. You're not paying more by using me, and in most cases you're getting added value — things like better rates, resort credits, complimentary upgrades, daily breakfast, or early check-in — that you simply can't get by booking direct.

LuxRally Travel itself is a host agency that forbids its advisors from charging fees. This agency and the support you'll receive from me or any LuxRally Travel advisor are built around saving you money, either in value gained or genuinely lower prices. If you've ever been burned by an agent who tacked on a $2,000 planning fee right after taking all your information (or you're currently in that situation), try me out once. There's no commitment; just better travel.

"Can you actually get me a better deal than booking online myself?"

Almost always. Either through perks that aren't available anywhere else, or through pricing that's genuinely exclusive to advisors.

Many properties and hotel brands don't advertise their best rates to the public — it would cheapen the brand. Instead, they push that inventory to wholesalers operating business-to-business, inventory travel advisors have exclusive access to.

Big booking sites like Expedia, Hotels.com, and Booking.com are built to maximize their own revenue, not yours, and essentially sell overpriced leftovers to travelers who need to make a last-minute booking. LuxRally Travel advisors like me use FastBook, our proprietary booking engine, to access rates from wholesalers across the globe so we can provide the absolute best rate available — along with genuine service, expertise, and advocacy before, during, and after your trip.

As a Forbes-endorsed travel advisor, I also have access to preferred partner programs with Four Seasons, Rosewood, Belmond, and dozens of other luxury hospitality brands. That means your booking comes with perks attached: daily breakfast, resort credits, confirmed upgrades, early check-in.

A client recently asked me to book a specific room tier at a Hyatt property. With my Hyatt Privé preferred partner status, I knew I could confirm an upgrade within 24 hours of booking. I suggested she let me book the category below what she wanted. She got the exact room she was after and saved over $1,000 on her stay. Those kinds of savings can't be accessed by booking yourself.

"Do you only book luxury trips?"

I specialize in luxury travel, yes, but luxury means something different to every traveler. For some families it means a private villa with a chef. For others it means a perfectly located boutique hotel where everything just works. I'm not here to upsell you into something that doesn't fit your lifestyle or expectations. I'm here to make sure whatever amount you spend feels worth it.

"What's the best time to book travel?"

Earlier than you think. For popular destinations in high season, six months to a year out is the way to go. The properties I love most fill up fast, and the ones worth staying in don't go on last-minute sale; they sell out.

That said, if you're a last-minute traveler and tend to need quick getaways, you should be working with a travel advisor. As an advisor, I have access to inventory that isn't available to the public, which means I can elevate your chances of pulling off a great last-minute trip. We also have the industry weight and the contacts to pull off moves that would have otherwise been impossible without a well-timed phone call. I've put together my fair share of last-minute trips, and they've been some of the most memorable trips I've planned. They just require flexibility and a little creativity.

"Do I really need travel insurance?"

Yes. I say this every time and I mean it every time. Not because something will definitely go wrong while traveling, but because the cost of being unprepared when you don't have it is too high. Medical evacuation from a remote destination can run $50,000 or more. I've seen it happen in real time, and trust me, a good insurance policy is much cheaper. A storm can derail the flight connections you were counting on for a cruise departure, and last-minute flights and transfers to the next port can cost thousands. A canceled trip for a covered reason can mean thousands of dollars back in your pocket.

Travel is an investment, and it should be protected as such. I can help you find the right policy for your trip and concerns with one of our highly vetted and trusted partners like Allianz — and I can help handle the fallout of upended travel if something does go wrong. Having an advocate in your corner means you're never traveling alone, even after the trip.

"What's the difference between a good hotel and a great one?"

The staff. Every time.

I've toured and stayed at enough properties to know this: a beautiful property with indifferent service is a frustrating experience. A simpler stay with a team that remembers your name, your allergies, and your favorite drinks, anticipates the needs your party might have, and fixes problems before you realize they exist is something you'll talk about for years. That's what I look for when I'm vetting properties for clients.

It's also why I'm with one of the few Forbes Travel Guide-endorsed agencies — Forbes Travel Guide uses one of the only rating systems that evaluates service objectively. Their inspectors go undercover and score properties on up to 900 criteria, most of which come down to the staff. How quickly does someone greet you? Do they anticipate what you need, or wait for you to ask? Do they recover gracefully when something goes wrong? It's not about marble lobbies or Michelin-starred restaurants — it's about whether the people inside the building make you feel taken care of.

"Can you just tell me where to go?"

Yes, actually — this is one of my favorite parts of the job. Tell me who you're traveling with, how you like to spend your time, what your last trip felt like, and what you wished it had more of. I'll come back with a real recommendation tailored to you and your party, not a list of the ten most Googled places in a region.

That's the whole point, really. A travel advisor isn't a search engine. I'm a person who has been there, knows the right people, and genuinely wants your trip to be the one you're still talking about in five years. That's why I do this.

Have a question I didn't answer here? Let's talk.