What’s in a Name?
What’s in a name?
Some call themselves Travel Agent, others say Travel Advisor, and still others call themselves Travel Planner. What’s the difference?
With a little help from Dictionary.com:
An AGENT: a person who acts on behalf of another person or group
An ADVISOR: a person who gives advice in a particular field
A PLANNER: a person who makes plans
Of the three, Travel Agent is still the most commonly known; likely since it has been utilized the longest and is remnant of the older-school version of the role. Strictly speaking, the definition of agent implies a paternalistic approach in which an agent would make decisions for a client. This title has lost favor with current travel organizations and professionals in deference to the terms Travel Advisor and Travel Planner.
A Travel Advisor offers advice about destinations. This term has replaced “travel agent” in such organizations as the American Society of Travel Advisors (formerly “Travel Agents”).
A Travel Planner makes travel plans and manages the details of travel. This has been used interchangeably with Travel Advisor in that they also offer knowledge and advice about destinations, just as Travel Advisors also plan and manage travel details.
Let’s compare the terms to some other industries:
Insurance agent: responsible for identifying sales opportunities for insurance plans
Real estate agent: represents the buyer or seller in a real estate transaction
**Keyword: transaction | Objective: Sales
Financial advisor: provides financial guidance or advice
Academic advisor: provides advice pertaining to educational goals
**keyword: advice | Objective: offer info so the individual can make an informed decision
Wedding planner: responsible for managing ALL the details of your entire wedding
Event planner: someone who coordinates ALL aspects of professional meetings and events
**keyword: ALL, as in ALL the details. Objective: coordinate the details so the individual can focus on the event.
Interesting, right?
At the end of the day, we’re simply looking at terminology.
In reality, the functions of travel agents, advisors, and planners are not delimited by their title and are broadly interchangeable. What each travel professional calls themselves comes down to personal preference.
What’s my preference? Great question! I’m so glad you asked ;)
Even though Travel Advisor seems to be the industry preference, I think that the definition implies a more passive, advisory role, but not necessarily one who is going to assist with the booking.
So, my personal preference is: Travel Planner – I LOVE being able to provide knowledge and advice -and- I LIVE for the details!
However, you’ll still see me use the term Travel Agent in my social media titles/captions because it is searched with much more frequency than travel planner or travel advisor. And a smart social media marketer will use keywords that their audience is using. ;)
