Time is Money
Wow, it has been a long time since I have written here. Mostly because I was exclusively blogging on our trip page. There are so many things I need to catch up on here! But, there is definitely something we need to talk about before I get in to my own travels or specific destinations and that something is you. That is right, we need to talk about you. For the past few months many friends and family have been asking me questions about how they can go about traveling the cheapest way possible. I have no problem with people trying to save money and travel on a budget or asking me for advice, but just hear me out real quick because I want to explain a few things about traveling and how sometimes we are doing ourselves a disservice by focusing on quantity as opposed to quality and the ramifications that can sometimes come from that kind of travel. I also hope to convey how sometimes a travel consultant/agent can help with different options without having to sacrifice your vacation and travel, something that you probably have spent countless hours working for, saving money, and time.
So, first off, American's travel differently than most of the world and all of the industrial world and it breaks my heart. Especially because there is evidence about how important vacation is, and that is in terms of family vacation, couples, or groups of friends. We are not given time, we are not given the wages, and we are just basically not given the same opportunity to rest, refresh, and connect with those we love most in the world. American's tend to compensate in a few ways. Mostly, they try to shove everything into one week, sometimes less making things a hectic rush, and they are also much more and rightly concerned about how far their dollar stretches. Many of us also tend to see travel as a status symbol, something we have to do, even when we might not have the money to do it, leading us to take shortcuts. All of this instantly puts us in the quantity mindset over quality. Because you work so hard for your money, for your time, and for your families, I hope this post can help you think about travel a little differently and get those quality experiences you absolutely deserve.
I think it goes without saying, and I am not doing this to plug my profession, but many people think going through a travel agent is automatically going to be the most expensive option. That couldn't be further from the truth. What I don't tell my friends and family in the messages (because I am trying to be solution oriented) is that many of their problems would be non-existent or moot points if they had gone through me for the whole trip from the get-go. Travel agents have way more tools than the average traveler that helps us see the the options, ones that are not necessarily available to you. The options are what we are experts at and it is our job and livelihoods to know and understand ALL of your options. We actually might be able to help you spread your money further, give you an option you never thought of, curate a vacation package saving you money, help you understand where you are going and what you can do, and how you can get there. We are not here to help you travel at your cheapest, we are here to help you travel at your best and sometimes those two things though. are not mutually exclusive. The biggest example I can give you is the vacation package, I can guarantee you that a travel agents can get you a resort, flight, and round-trip transportation for cheaper than you can put it together yourself and with something more important you cannot get for yourself.....protections. Which brings me to my next point.
Protections are huge when you are traveling. Do any of my Minnesotan peeps remember Sun Country stranding hundreds of Minnesotans in Mexico last spring because of weather cancellations? Most of those people got out of there because of travel agents, and many agents put their own money and time on the line to help their customers, or people who just needed help. When you book through third party sites like, cheaptickets, expedia, bookit, cheapcruises or any of the like, you generally lose ALL of those protections. You are being booked at a lower class on flights and they really are not interested in assisting you when something goes wrong. Do you know what kind of resort or hotel you picked? What neighborhood you are in? We constantly hear horror stories from Spirit Airlines experiences, why? Because the focus is quantity not quality. I have no problem with that airline, I love them and I will send my clients to fly with them if I have to. But, they do not go in blind, they know what to expect. My point is that there is a lot of fine print to wade through when dealing with third party budget travel sites and just budget travel in general, and all if it is to protect the third party, not the customer.
We confuse traveling cheap with traveling smart. Americans get really caught up in deals and budget ideas and getting the best price possible. Sometimes that is not the best strategy, especially when it comes to the one thing you will never get back, time. It could be time missed being spent with loved ones, time lost fixing something you have no control over, and time is never on our side. I love that everyone is starting to travel again, or wanting to start for the first time. It's hugely important to our mental and physical well-being. I will definitely continue to answer all your travel questions when time allows, but I will not always be able to give you the answers that you want. The hard truth is that sometimes waiting a little longer for that vacation makes sense, or that maybe a different destination is more feasible until you can really save for your dream vacation, or just that sometimes you might have to bite the bullet and buy the flight that you think looks ridiculously expensive. Like any industry we are all at the mercy of the suppliers and trends, just know that there are experts out there, making it a point to understand what we might think are whims from an industry that is not always as transparent as we would like. Your time and money are valuable and your vacation experiences are priceless, there are people who can help!
So, first off, American's travel differently than most of the world and all of the industrial world and it breaks my heart. Especially because there is evidence about how important vacation is, and that is in terms of family vacation, couples, or groups of friends. We are not given time, we are not given the wages, and we are just basically not given the same opportunity to rest, refresh, and connect with those we love most in the world. American's tend to compensate in a few ways. Mostly, they try to shove everything into one week, sometimes less making things a hectic rush, and they are also much more and rightly concerned about how far their dollar stretches. Many of us also tend to see travel as a status symbol, something we have to do, even when we might not have the money to do it, leading us to take shortcuts. All of this instantly puts us in the quantity mindset over quality. Because you work so hard for your money, for your time, and for your families, I hope this post can help you think about travel a little differently and get those quality experiences you absolutely deserve.
I think it goes without saying, and I am not doing this to plug my profession, but many people think going through a travel agent is automatically going to be the most expensive option. That couldn't be further from the truth. What I don't tell my friends and family in the messages (because I am trying to be solution oriented) is that many of their problems would be non-existent or moot points if they had gone through me for the whole trip from the get-go. Travel agents have way more tools than the average traveler that helps us see the the options, ones that are not necessarily available to you. The options are what we are experts at and it is our job and livelihoods to know and understand ALL of your options. We actually might be able to help you spread your money further, give you an option you never thought of, curate a vacation package saving you money, help you understand where you are going and what you can do, and how you can get there. We are not here to help you travel at your cheapest, we are here to help you travel at your best and sometimes those two things though. are not mutually exclusive. The biggest example I can give you is the vacation package, I can guarantee you that a travel agents can get you a resort, flight, and round-trip transportation for cheaper than you can put it together yourself and with something more important you cannot get for yourself.....protections. Which brings me to my next point.
Protections are huge when you are traveling. Do any of my Minnesotan peeps remember Sun Country stranding hundreds of Minnesotans in Mexico last spring because of weather cancellations? Most of those people got out of there because of travel agents, and many agents put their own money and time on the line to help their customers, or people who just needed help. When you book through third party sites like, cheaptickets, expedia, bookit, cheapcruises or any of the like, you generally lose ALL of those protections. You are being booked at a lower class on flights and they really are not interested in assisting you when something goes wrong. Do you know what kind of resort or hotel you picked? What neighborhood you are in? We constantly hear horror stories from Spirit Airlines experiences, why? Because the focus is quantity not quality. I have no problem with that airline, I love them and I will send my clients to fly with them if I have to. But, they do not go in blind, they know what to expect. My point is that there is a lot of fine print to wade through when dealing with third party budget travel sites and just budget travel in general, and all if it is to protect the third party, not the customer.
We confuse traveling cheap with traveling smart. Americans get really caught up in deals and budget ideas and getting the best price possible. Sometimes that is not the best strategy, especially when it comes to the one thing you will never get back, time. It could be time missed being spent with loved ones, time lost fixing something you have no control over, and time is never on our side. I love that everyone is starting to travel again, or wanting to start for the first time. It's hugely important to our mental and physical well-being. I will definitely continue to answer all your travel questions when time allows, but I will not always be able to give you the answers that you want. The hard truth is that sometimes waiting a little longer for that vacation makes sense, or that maybe a different destination is more feasible until you can really save for your dream vacation, or just that sometimes you might have to bite the bullet and buy the flight that you think looks ridiculously expensive. Like any industry we are all at the mercy of the suppliers and trends, just know that there are experts out there, making it a point to understand what we might think are whims from an industry that is not always as transparent as we would like. Your time and money are valuable and your vacation experiences are priceless, there are people who can help!
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