Booking Smarter: How Travel Advisors Add Value in a DIY World

by Andreen Anglin

As the seasons change, you and your family may be planning your next summer or winter vacation. Will you get lost among the spruce-firs of the Great Smoky Mountains, sip an ombré-colored cocktail on a black sand beach, or cycle through the castles of the Emerald Isle? The possibilities are endless; your only real limits are time and budget.

In the age of do-it-yourself booking, many wonder: why use a travel advisor at all? It’s a fair question, and the answer depends on your needs. Not every trip requires a travel advisor, but every trip can be enhanced by one.

Travel advisors serve as vital bridges between clients and the travel industry. Their job is to curate the best possible experience—accommodations, activities, and overall planning—by leveraging both their expertise and their industry relationships. If you’re considering working with one, it’s important to ask if they’re affiliated with a host agency.

Host agencies matter. They provide advisors with platforms for booking, support for supplier relationships, operational tools, and access to a collaborative community of fellow advisors. Not all host agencies are created equal, and the benefits they offer can impact the service an advisor can provide.

As a travel advisor affiliated with Fora, I have access to a broad catalog of hotels, villas, cruises, excursions, vacation packages, travel insurance, and ground transportation. If you’re a loyalty member with a particular hotel chain, you can still use my services and receive your points. Thanks to Fora’s supplier partnerships, I can often offer clients exclusive perks—such as room upgrades, hotel credits, and personalized amenities—that elevate the experience beyond what’s available through self-booking.

So how do advisors offer these kinds of incentives? The answer lies in how the travel industry works. Travel advisors represent a lower cost of distribution compared to large third-party booking platforms, which typically take higher commissions. Independent advisors, by contrast, bring more contextual knowledge of destinations, properties, and experiences. That local insight allows us to match clients with the right options, and that’s something algorithms can’t replicate.

Ultimately, the value of a travel advisor comes down to personalized service. We tailor every trip to your budget, travel style, and preferences. Want a restful vacation? I can secure a spa credit for you. Traveling with a special needs family member and worried about crowds? I can arrange for a local guide to ensure your visit is both accessible and enjoyable.

Without that personal touch, much of travel becomes trial and error. You might watch hours of YouTube videos and trust influencers’ recommendations, but you won’t truly know if something suits you until you experience it. With a travel advisor, you are the central focus—not someone else’s taste or travel style. Your trip becomes exactly what you want it to be.