At Professional Travel Advisors, we understand that everyone is different and so it’s obvious that one size will never fit all! Still there are plenty in the travel business trying to fit everyone into the same itinerary.

We were pleased to read therefore, that a recent survey for American Express Travel confirmed that 92% of leisure travellers are “overwhelmed” by the options presented during the trip booking process, to the point where more than half say they would pay extra for a personalised itinerary.

According to Sangeeta Naik, Amex’s global head of strategic partnerships and marketing, the survey also found that 40% of travellers believe that finding a “perfect” travel experience is “harder than finding a perfect significant other.”

The reliability of online content was identified as an issue. Two out of five respondents reported that they had stayed at a hotel and were disappointed that it was “nothing like the photo,” she added. Moreover, 20% of travellers polled were so flummoxed by the complexity of air travel choices that they had actually booked a flight on the wrong day.

“Customised trip planning is one solution” Naik said. “As consumers spend more on trips, travel brands need to focus on high-touch as well as high tech.

We agree, high-touch is critical and that’s what our network of Independent Travel Agents specialise in. They will use their personal experience and expertise to match up the travel options with your specific requirements. Whether it’s flights, transfers, hotels, restaurants or excursions, they will give you the best advice from a position of neutrality.

They will often have visited the destination themselves, and will certainly have contacts ‘on the ground’ to keep them updated with latest developments. And, what’s more, it doesn’t have to cost any more than booking a standard package.

So choose your destination and give one of our agents a call.