TouringPlans Travel Agency

I don’t know much about what other travel agencies are offering these days as I too like to research and book my own vacations and be in full control. However, that being said if someone were to reserve my ADR’s and FP’s( when they become available). Maybe 1:1 video consult via zoom on vacation planning. Access to a video library of Vlogs perhaps on top disney restaurants, best quick snacks other topics. I dunno just throwing some ideas out there.

Congratulations!

Since a great many of your members on this site or your main site are type A planners, you might start by appealing to the planner or the person struggling with plans.

Also, make sure you mention that there is no cost to using a travel agent, so people don’t assume they are locked in and being charged.

You might throw in a free or discounted TP 1 year membership for any trip booked.

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Discounts are good. Having access to stuff I want on my vacation that I can’t get on my own would be good. Disney specific stuff would be dining reservations, (currently) park reservations, specific rooms, and (previously) fast passes.

The times I have used a travel agent were because of being aware of newly released lodging discounts and applying them to current reservations for me. Typically, at that time, we were booking at least 8 months out and booking multiple rooms.

Not sure merch would be an incentive.

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@PrincipalTinker I’m thinking a podcast with @AnnetteJackson and some other familiar podcasters could help…

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Although for many of us @AnnetteJackson first became a respected wdw agent from the old wdwtoday podcast. I personally would love to know she would be helping book cruises!

Also, I am a DVC owner but tell me about your Universal services!

I completely ignored @thekid’s genius idea…genius!

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I agree with folks who have said help with perks…hard to get reservations, any discounts,

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I like some of the ideas above, but I would focus on the numbers. You are analyzing the data more than the others. You have insights they don’t have. I think it is what sets you apart from the rest. Link that to some of the services that you offer, like getting reservations, Fastpasses (when they return) etc. Personalized help with their touring plans? They tell you what they want to do and you create the plans, optimize etc.

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Ugh! I miss the old podcast! I’m re-listening to older episodes on YouTube. I started with episode 1 - my how it changed over the years!

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Can you create a section of the forum and title it something like Touring Plans Booking Info or some much more creative title?

I most likely will be reaching out about 2021 deals for Universal after I have a better idea on the new coaster. I know the TP website might have more info about travel but honestly I hardly ever use that site (app and forum have always been my go to)

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While creating the travel agency would it be worth it to create a private tour guide company. Seems like the prices Disney charges for those that there is more money to make in that. With all the knowledge and planning that seems like a no brainer. I mean plenty of us would gladly spend weeks at Disney directing people around so they enjoyed every moment of their trip.

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The problem with that is the biggest selling point of the tours is that they get you basically front of line access. A private tour won’t do that.

I understand what you are saying but the difference between $450 an hour times 6 hours for front of the line ($2700) and maybe $500- $1000 for a perfect balanced day with slight waits might be worth it to a lot of people

I agree. Especially for the people who are new to WDW.

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@Brian
I know post 3 was mine and I still stand behind it. That being said I regret the fact that adding “Travel” to the banner removed the “Forum” link. I think Travel belongs on the banner but can we please get the forum link back up there? I like the addition of the TP Travel to the Dashboard but it seems to be completely out of balance with the dashboard as a whole. Maybe I am in the minority but it’s kind of off putting to me visually. I had envisioned something like crowd tracker or reservation finder box when I first thought of it. Just my thoughts and opinions though

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@Brian, I looked last night but I cannot find the information anywhere. Is there a list and contact information for the Touring Plans agents?

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I am linking my experience booking

Lol- Michelle’s husband’s podcast is “rope drop radio” and her favorite thing is rope drop :grinning:

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I started laughing when I read that in Michelle’s favorite things too.

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I just thought of a slogan.

“Use a travel agent as compulsive about planning vacations as you are (or wish you were)”

That is basically what convinced me to give a Liner TA a try.

The last previous time I voluntarily tried to use a TA was when I was a kid, pre-internet and when Braniff was still flying. She couldn’t even find flights as cheaply as I found with one direct phone call. In the early 2000’s I had a job requiring a lot of travel and the company wanted us to use the in-house TA. I got her fired after she booked me in a Days Inn where the room had a body shaped pool of still tacky blood. You might think it wasn’t her fault, but the companies policy was Courtyard or Courtyard-ish. Going nicer if that wasn’t available was OK. The TA thought that a lowly Engineer didn’t rank as expensive of a hotel as a Courtyard in San Jose, CA. San Jose is about 3x the cost of normal places and was a frequent destination for that company. But, I thought, “A Liner that is also a TA. That could work.”

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I don’t even know where to begin with this…