(The Cataract Travel Blog is our continuing effort to keep you informed and to clear the air of numerous misunderstanding about our place within the travel industry.)

There is an assumption by some that the internet is the place to go when planning your next vacation.

The theory is to book directly with the vendor such as a cruise line or tour company and secure that “rock bottom” pricing you were hoping to attain.

A travel agent’s expertise and service would be nice to have but who needs the added “markup” or service fee the travel agency requires in order to profit from your travel arrangements, right?

Well to clear up a major misconception, surrounding a travel agency’s involvement in your travel planning; Cataract Travel does not add any charges or service fees when you are booking that all-inclusive package to the Caribbean or Mexico, or a Disney World vacation, cruise, etc.

This misunderstanding is really not your fault. As an industry, travel agencies have not done a very good job of clearing up what has become a giant misconception about their means of income when handling honeymoons and other vacation planning.

In short, travel agencies receive a commission from most travel vendors such as Disney Vacations, Sandal Resorts, etc. as they do from all the cruise lines you can think of including Carnival, Royal Caribbean and the like. For this reason there is no need for a travel agency to add a service fee to the package pricing offered by these vendors.

The pricing you may find by searching out your own travel arrangements is the exact same pricing you will receive from us!

Since these travel vendors provide travel agencies with this commission for handling the reservations the notion that there is an additional markup by travel agencies in order to recognize a profit is untrue.

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I am sure we have all lived through the experience of attempting to contact a service provider of some sort and been transferred from department to department unable to locate anyone to provide some customer service. Some of your calls may have been transferred half way around the world to someone who has little chance of being able to answer your questions or resolve your problems.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know you had someone that was easily accessible when you had simple questions or maybe a travel related dilemma?

Well if you live in Western New York or Southern Ontario you are a short ride from our office and if you are not located in the area you still are but one toll free number away from the agent that coordinated your travel plans.
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Guaranteeing the lowest price is very easy to say but it is just as easy to prove.

Several months ago we published “THE CATARACT TRAVEL PLANNER CHALLENGE”.

In a nutshell it went something like this:

We would be happy to do all the research for you; in fact, that is part of the service we provide our clients and as a result offer you the best pricing for the vacation you are planning.

If it sounds too good to be true than you have the following option in order to verify what we are proclaiming.

DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK

For you to make sure we are providing you with the best value possible for your next vacation, you may want to do the research yourself.

You can visit the cruise lines web sites, or the traditional on-line travel services such as Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, etc.

Once you locate the package you want to purchase you simply have to contact our office, inform us as to the package you have selected and the tour source where you found it.

We, in turn, will at the very least be able to match the pricing and, in some cases, actually beat it!

We want to make clear that this is not a necessary exercise but it is the best way for you to confirm what we are claiming!

In this way, you will know you have secured the best value for your vacation and also have the benefit of our service before, during and after your trip.

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Additional misconception:

As is the case with what we discuss in a previous blog concerning the airline industry, many people are under the impression that certain on-line travel outlets have access to special or reduced rates for vacation packages and cruises. Some on-line services feed on this misconception and actually suggest in their advertising that they have “special rates” found nowhere else.

When you hear that just remember that, even if it were true, we deal with vendors who match or beat these prices.

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At the end of the day we as travel agents ask for the opportunity of coordinating your vacation plans whether for that very special occasion such as a honeymoon, a family vacation to Disney World or one of those winter time getaways to an all-inclusive resort or cruise.

By allowing us into your planning process, you are guaranteed the combination of complete and exceptional service that includes easy access to our staff before, during and after your trip and the knowledge that you secured the best pricing for your vacation.