Planning an overseas holiday can be an exciting yet overwhelming experience. It's hard enough learning the ins and outs of a foreign country let alone booking accommodation, flights and activities and organising passports and travel insurance. For some that's where a travel agent comes in handy, but with an abundance of online booking website options available many choose the DIY route. Travel agents may seem like a service of the past, but they claim to have the upper hand when it comes to invaluable advice and access to deals and discounts. We decided to compare travel agents to DIY to see which option saved the most money and bagged the best holiday deals. To do this we set up three hypothetical trips to one of the most popular holiday destinations for Australians – Bali. Our hypothetical holiday-makers are :
Scenario 1 : Solo traveller 9-day 'Balintro' tour with activities, accommodation and flights The second inquiry was for a single traveller who had a budget of $2000. Our solo traveller requested adventure activities and the chance to meet other solo travellers.
Travel agent The agent responded immediately with a 'Balintro' package for $799, which included a 9-day tour around Bali with accommodation. Organised activities included surfing, snorkelling, beach parties, Kuta nightlife and traditional Balinese temples and culture. He bundled in some flights (unknown airline) for $855, bringing the total cost to $1645.
Balintro package – $799
Flights – $855
Total: $1645
DIY Booking the same holiday DIY online was actually quite straightforward and worked out to be cheaper. We discovered the Balintro package could be booked directly through the website, with an optional deposit of $200 to save your spot. We found Jetstar flights through Expedia for $553 return. Overall it cost $302 extra to book through the travel agent. However, our shadow shopper may not have come across the Balintro package while doing their own research, so booking accommodation and activities separately could have been more expensive.
Balintro package – $799
Flights – $553 (Jetstar)
Total: $1352
Which is cheaper? DIY.
Scenario 2 : Family holiday Eight nights at Ayodya Resort Bali including buffet breakfast, flights and travel insurance The third inquiry was for a family of four (two adults, a five-year-old and a three-year-old) with a budget of $5000. The family was seeking a three-star resort that had childminding or kids' club facilities.
Travel agent The travel agent we contacted with this request responded with a list of questions asking for preferences on accommodation or airline, what prices we'd seen so far, if this was the family's first time to Bali, what the reason for travel was and if there were any other requirements. In a follow-up question the agent asked the client if she'd seen any accommodation she liked or anything he could price match. She mentioned the Novotel Nusa Dua was about $2500 and said she couldn't manage to find anything similar for her budget. The agent responded promptly with an itinerary, which was $700 over budget but included everything she requested. He recommended Ayodya Resort Bali as it was more affordable than Novotel and said it had more of an Indonesian style. He had two different flight options, Virgin with inclusive meals and baggage, or to save a few hundred dollars he offered Jetstar flights as an option. Travel insurance was included with a 20% discount.
Ayodya Resort Bali including buffet breakfast – $2696
Flights (Virgin) – $2734 or
Flights (Jetstar, no baggage or meals) – $2300
Cover-More Travel Insurance – $147
Total: $5577 with Virgin or
Total: $5143 with Jetstar
DIY When we tried to book the same holiday directly through the resort we were quoted $448 less than the travel agent's price. Jetstar flights were slightly more expensive, yet Virgin was a bit cheaper. We also paid full price for insurance.
Ayodya Resort Bali including buffet breakfast – $2248
Flights (Virgin) – $2227 or
Flights (Jetstar, no baggage or meals) – $2478
Cover-More Travel Insurance – $160
Total: $4635 with Virgin or
Total: $4886 with Jetstar
Which is cheaper? DIY.
THE VERDICT It's hard to say whether a travel agent or DIY bookings will regularly be cheaper than the other. But if you're happy to do the research yourself, you can always take the prices you've found online to a travel agent and ask them to match or beat them. So choosing between a travel agent or DIY may just come down to your appetite for research and need for control.
Overall, booking through a travel agent can potentially save hours of research. We found there were so many accommodation options in Bali it was hard to know where to begin. Each travel agent catered to our specific requests, they responded quickly, and were attentive, friendly and personable. The agents also asked specific questions, which really helped with decision-making.
On the other hand, researching and booking your own holiday gives you the flexibility to browse lots of options at your own leisure. You're in control instead of needing to trust someone else, and you don't have to deal with two sets of terms and conditions (the travel agent's plus the airline or hotel's policy).
Booking websites often have customer reviews on hotels and packages instead of having to rely on an agent's opinion. However, if you use an agent you can always check customer reviews online for the options your agent has put forward.