Travel Agents

People traveling for business and pleasure have relied on travel agents to handle the intricate details since 1758, when the first travel agency, Cox & Kings, was established. Originally catering to wealthy clients who had the financial means to travel, the industry has mushroomed to include travel of all sorts.

During the early years, travel agents continued to focus on the upper class and business clientele traveling by boat, rail, and overland carriage. Commercial aviation, which literally took off in the 1920s, broadened their scope of operations considerably.

Travel agents experienced a boom in business once the fledgling airline industry opened up worldwide destinations that had previously been considered too remote for all but the most rugged of travelers. Travel agents and airlines alike enjoyed prosperity and expansion as these two forces joined ranks and changed the way the world traveled.

After the Great Depression and World War II, the middle class prospered too and travel agents enjoyed a surge in business. Telephones were still not common household fixtures so families looking forward to a family vacation left the arrangements to the travel agents.

The internet brought some concern for travel agents used to being the only people with ready access to the full spectrum of travel services available. Many people started booking their own travel plans via computer and the travel industry was forced to adapt.

With the internet now so commonplace, travel agents have altered operations but stay available and busy. Many travelers choose to arrange their own journeys only to find travel is much more enjoyable when the multitude of details is left to the professionals.

If considering making your own travel arrangements, it's not a bad idea to check with travel agents, too. After all, they know all the secrets.