What Exactly Does a Travel Advisor Do?
Traveling is one of life's great pleasures. Planning the trip, however, can be another story.
At first, it sounds pretty simple. Choose a destination, find a hotel, book a flight, and start counting down the days.
Then you start researching.
Which area should you stay in? Is that hotel really as convenient as it looks? How much time do you need in each place? Which experiences are worth booking ahead? What's the best way to get from one destination to another?
Before long, you've opened fifteen browser tabs, saved dozens of ideas, read conflicting reviews, and somehow have more questions than when you started.
That's where I come in.
A Little About Rohn Travel
I'm Veronica Rohn, owner and travel advisor at Rohn Travel—or what many people still simply call a travel agent.
I started Rohn Travel because I genuinely enjoy the part of travel that many people find overwhelming—the research, the details, and figuring out how all the pieces fit together.
But there's something else that's equally important to me.
I want to know the people I'm planning for.
Before I start recommending hotels or building an itinerary, I take time to learn about you. Where have you traveled before? What did you love? What didn't you love? Do you want to see as much as possible, or would you rather slow down and really experience a destination? What's important enough to splurge on, and where would you rather save?
Because two people can visit exactly the same destination and need two completely different vacations.
That's why my travel planning doesn't begin with a booking website.
It begins with a conversation.
What Does a Travel Advisor Actually Do?
One of the biggest misconceptions about travel advisors is that our job is simply to book things for you.
Booking is certainly part of it—but it's only one part.
My role is to take all of the pieces involved in planning a vacation and make sure they work together.
That might mean helping you narrow down where to go, researching accommodations, coordinating transportation, finding experiences that fit your interests, or determining whether the itinerary you've imagined is actually realistic.
Sometimes my most valuable recommendation may even be telling you not to add something.
Trying to fit London, the Cotswolds, Edinburgh, and the Scottish Highlands into one short vacation might look great on a wish list. But if getting to all of those places means you're constantly packing, checking out, and traveling to the next destination, we may need to rethink the plan.
A good itinerary isn't about fitting in the most.
It's about making the time you have count.
What's the Difference Between a Travel Agent and a Travel Advisor?
You may hear the terms travel agent and travel advisor used interchangeably, and there is definitely some overlap.
Traditionally, a travel agent was thought of primarily as someone who handled the booking—flights, hotels, cruises, and other travel arrangements. A travel advisor takes that role a step further.
Yes, I can make the reservations. But I also help you decide what should be reserved in the first place.
That means looking at the entire vacation: your interests, budget, travel style, timing, transportation, accommodations, experiences, and all of the little details that need to work together.
That's why I prefer the term travel advisor. I don't simply want to book a trip for you. I want to help you make good decisions about the trip you're taking.
Is It Worth Using a Travel Advisor When I Can Book Online?
Absolutely, you can book your own vacation online.
There are more travel websites, booking platforms, reviews, videos, and planning tools available than ever before.
The problem usually isn't finding information.
It's sorting through too much of it.
You can spend hours comparing hotels only to wonder whether you've chosen the right neighborhood. You can read hundreds of reviews and still not know whether an experience is right for you. And an itinerary you found online may be fantastic for the person who created it—but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the right trip for you.
Working with a travel advisor gives you something a search engine can't: someone looking at the entire trip through the lens of your priorities and providing insight about things that may not have even crossed your mind. Things like, rush hour traffic is a very real thing on Oahu, and I can help you plan to avoid it, or most stores in Iceland don't open until 10:00am so be sure to stock up the night before.
And, working with a travel advisor gives you something else that's becoming increasingly valuable: your time.
Instead of spending evenings researching hotels, comparing transportation options, and trying to determine which reviews to trust, you have someone doing that work with your particular vacation in mind.
What Is It Like to Work With Rohn Travel?
When you work with me, we start by talking about the trip you have in mind.
You don't need to have everything figured out. In fact, you may only know that you've always wanted to visit Ireland, you're thinking about taking the family to Hawaii, or the UK has been sitting on your travel list for years.
Maybe you've enjoyed traditional ocean cruises in the past, but now you're wondering if a smaller, more intimate river cruise might be right for your next trip.
That's enough to start.
From there, I help turn those ideas into an actual plan. Depending on the trip, that may include:
Researching destinations and helping you narrow down your options
Recommending accommodations that fit your preferences and budget
Building a personalized vacation itinerary
Coordinating flights, transportation, tours, and experiences
Helping you understand what needs to be booked in advance
Preparing you for the details you'll need to know before you leave
Providing support when questions arise before and during your vacation
My goal is to take away the hours of research and uncertainty without taking away your choices.
It's still your vacation. My job is to make planning it easier.
Does Personalized Travel Planning Mean Luxury Travel?
Not necessarily—but it certainly can.
A personalized vacation doesn't have to mean five-star hotels, private drivers, and extravagant experiences at every stop. But if that's the travel experience you're looking for, I can help you plan that, too.
Custom travel planning isn't about spending more simply for the sake of spending more. It's about deciding where you see value.
Maybe you'd rather stay at a comfortable boutique hotel and put more of your budget toward an unforgettable experience. Maybe location is more important to you than having a large hotel room. Or maybe this is the trip you've been saving for, and you want the five-star hotel, private transfers, and a few special experiences you've always dreamed about.
There isn't one right answer.
Part of my job as your travel advisor is helping you decide where your travel dollars will have the most impact on the experience you want.
Why I Started This Travel Blog
This blog is another way for me to help make travel planning feel a little less overwhelming.
I'll be sharing destination ideas, practical travel advice, things I've learned through my own travels, and some of the details that I think are helpful to know before you go.
And sometimes I'll take you behind the scenes of how I approach planning a particular destination.
I've already started doing exactly that with the UK.
If a trip across the pond has been on your mind, my post “So You Want to Visit the UK—Where Do You Start?” walks through some of the first decisions to consider when planning a UK vacation.
And there will be plenty more destinations, travel tips, and ideas to come.
Your Vacation Should Feel Like Your Vacation
There are plenty of places online that can tell you where to go.
What I want to do at Rohn Travel is a little different.
If there's a trip you've been thinking about but haven't quite figured out how to make it happen, you don't need to have all the answers before you reach out.
Sometimes all we need to start is a conversation.
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