I think the Co-op have got it really right with their new advertisement; the strapline is something like enjoy travelling, not being a travel agent. I don't know what the Co-op is like with regards to travel but I have recently re-discovered how great it is to walk into a place and have someone capable give you what you want with informed, friendly helpfulness.
Duncan at Flightcentre has become "our travel agent". (That still feels like a swanky, grown-up sentence, like saying "I've been to Paris every year I've been in the UK"... When you come from a country where there are no other countries bordering your own, the UK is part of Europe and Europe is exotic! But I digress....)
Last year when we needed urgent flights for a family tragedy, Duncan just made it happen. He was great; the right amount of compassionate, efficient, helpful.
When we decided to organise holidays this year, we headed straight back to him. He is a font of knowledge on Latin America, the Arctic and Antarctic (much to my envy!) and is helping us book an amazing trip to Cuba and Costa Rica later this year. It's been great talking to someone who's going to give us all the options of independent travel or a package and give us insight how best to make the most of our time and budget.
He's also probably a bit of an expert on Australia, come to think of it - maybe being Australian is where his healthy dose of cheekiness comes from! read more