AMID DIY BOOKING OVERWHELM AND AIRLINE CHAOS, MORE TRAVELERS ARE TURNING BACK TO TRAVEL ADVISERS
Despite the sluggish job market, higher energy prices, rising inflation, and global jitters for international travelers, many Americans are ramping up their vacation plans this year.
And they’re tapping travel advisers to do so.
While there are scads of travel sites to search for and book travel on your own, travel advisers are making a comeback. It turns out that after decades of do-it-yourself online trip planning, the human touch might very well be the best travel hack out there.
In a recent survey of American Society of Travel Advisors members, about a third said that more than half of their clients are using their services for the first time.
“If anything, that trend is accelerating this year,” ASTA vice president Michael Schottey told Yahoo Finance. “Boomers are driving the demand for advisers, but millennials are the generation that’s rapidly turning to advisers. They hate planning a trip. They just want to go. They don’t want to have to think about it.”
Freebies and hand-holding
The real reason travel advisers are making a comeback: less hassle and better deals.
DIY planning is simply not that straightforward these days. It’s become a complex, time-consuming task, and it can be tough to decipher which offers are real and what’s a scam or AI-generated.
Plus, a savvy adviser can typically snag hotel freebies like room upgrades, complimentary breakfast, spa credits, and even a box of chocolates or a bottle of champagne in your room.
Read more: Find the best travel credit cards for free flights, hotel stays, and more
Alexandra Kerr is heading from her home in Los Angeles in mid-June for a two-week trip to Paris and several towns in Turkey with her husband, teenage daughter, and 85-year-old mother.
Kerr, 59, has utilized an adviser for several trips, including jaunts to Japan and Hawaii.
“We like knowing that if something goes wrong with our flights, or our hotel, he is just a phone call away,” she said. “Only a human being can provide that level of handholding and reassurance.”
Kerr is a convert. “I have historically always planned our trips, but I’m living a busy life,” she said. “It’s very easy for people to get kind of caught up in the ease of doing everything by themselves online. But there truly is nothing like having a human being to plan with.”
That load-lifting is not the only upside.
It’s also having someone weigh in on her destination choices. “Sure, there are a million places you can go and vendors that you can research on your own, but are they really being vetted in the way that a travel adviser can do?” she said.
How to find the right adviser
First, ask upfront how they’re paid so there are no surprises.
Travel advisers are typically paid commission on their bookings, such as hotel or cruise bookings, not by the client. So it costs you no more than if you had booked directly online. But be aware that some advisers may charge an overall planning fee.
Do the legwork to find the right person for you. There are plenty to choose from these days. Travel advisers are among the fastest-growing US jobs, according to LinkedIn’s 2026 Jobs on the Rise report. Right now, there are around 310,000 “sellers of travel” in this country, per ASTA data.
Ask friends and family for recommendations, or search online for advisers who specialize in a destination or activity you’re eyeing.
For starters, check out ASTA’s VeriVacation search engine. Travel and Leisure’s A-List is a roster of advisers who list their specialties, say, a polar expedition, a safari, or a specific country.
AAA travel agents are complimentary for members and offer personalized vacation planning, exclusive discounts, and 24/7 support.
Embrace asking for help — no request is too offbeat. When Kerr and her husband traveled to Japan last summer, they were flying on her husband’s 60th birthday.
“I wanted to know if I could bring a cake on the plane,” Kerr said. “Is that allowed? So I called our adviser. He went through the trouble of making sure that it would be OK — and, of course, it was.”
Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist and the author of 14 books, including "Retirement Bites: A Gen X Guide to Securing Your Financial Future," "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work," and "Never Too Old to Get Rich." Follow her on Bluesky and X.
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2026-05-31T19:03:34Z
