Jodi Scott

In this day and age, the internet is a travel agents biggest competition.
So hopefully this will help you decide to book with a travel agent for your next flight, vacation, or business trip.

1)  What if something goes wrong?  who do you call?
This could happen prior to the trip or during.
If you book online, it's very hard to get a hold of someone to help.  
If you need to call an airline directly you could be on hold for a long time.  When the volcano happened in spring, I spent approx 2 hours on hold with an airline for my client. And it is usually in these instances when everyone needs to call at once which makes it so hard to get through.
With an agent, you just call them and they will do it for you. 

2)  Save yourself some time.
This one speaks for itself.  If you ask an agent to look up what you need, you don't need to spend anytime searching.
However, I know most people want to make sure they are getting a good deal and do look for themselves.
That's fine and understandable.  In that case, either let the agent know what you've found already, or if you look after and you find it lower don't hesitate to tell the agent.  Sometimes prices fluctuate within the day, even one day can change a price drastically.  

3)  Better prices, and much better value!
In some cases we, as agents, have contracted rates for certain destinations.  
Cruiselines, for example, will give my company a group rate because we buy in large quantity, so they will give discounts up front.

4) Experience and product knowledge
A travel agent knows the best hotels in each destination, or at the very least has the resources to find out.  
We know how to read through the fine print in the brochure and from past clients reviews can suggest the best option for you.
If you deal with someone who has experience, they should know what airline has the best on-time peformance and best customer service.
A good travel agent will train themselves constantly, either by travelling, or through product training.