By: Danielle Higgins
For Spring Break, my husband and I traveled with 500 students to Colombia. With a group that large, we had to work with a local travel agency. Never having traveled with a significantly sized group or with a travel agency, I was interested to see how it compared to a trip where I’m the primary planner. In the first half of this blog, I’ll cover some of our trip, especially the experiences included by the travel agency. In the second half, I’ll discuss four times where a travel agency is the way to go.
VAOVA
The company we traveled with was VAOVA, a travel agency specific to Colombia and Mexico. Founded by a Harvard Business School graduate, they focus on planning travel for large business school trips. For our Spring Break trip, VAOVA planned nine days in Colombia hopping between three cities: Bogota, Cartagena, and Medellin.
Booking
Our first interaction with VAOVA was the booking process. They offered a standard package, a premium package, and a myriad of add ons. The standard package included hotels, domestic airfare, transportation, insurance, and six included experiences (more on that later) for around $2,200 per person. As far as I could tell, the only difference between the standard package and premium package was an upgraded hotel experience in Cartagena (three nights). We felt the price difference, about $750 per person, wasn’t worth it.
The add ons ranged from tours and experiences throughout the trip to international flights and transportation. My husband and I like to plan our trips with one major event a day, opting for breathing room in our schedule to be spontaneous. We added three experiences (chocolate tasting, an evening sail on a catamaran, and a private club event) based on things that interested us or were something we wanted to experience with the group.
Hotels
All of the hotels VAOVA booked for us during our trip I really enjoyed. They were at least four star hotels. In Bogota, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt which was a five star hotel. Every hotel had great amenities too, such as jacuzzis and pools, spas, and elevated fitness centers.
Since there were so many of us in our group, we were spread out between two to three hotels. Even with this displacement, checking in as a group was a long process. VAOVA eased this logistical burden by providing snacks when we arrived to a new hotel. In Cartagena, fresh juice and plantain chips; in Medellin, fruit popsicles. Their small attention to detail was a highlight in my book.
Included Experiences
Maybe not an experience per se, but upon arrival, VAOVA gave us an entire welcome gift. This included a customized tote bag or cinch bag, a baseball cap with their cute logo, an enamel pin, and a welcome letter. We actually found it additive to our trip. We would be out in the middle of the city, see somebody wearing the hat or bag, and instantly know they were part of our group. It made introducing ourselves to new people much easier as it was an easy conversation starter.
As previously mentioned, every package came with six included experiences: a Welcome Talk, a talk by two Colombian Leaders, a private beach day, and a party in every city. With the exception of the Welcome Talk, every event was exceptional.
Talk with Colombian Leaders
I was originally skeptical about the talk by the two Colombian Leaders. However, the lineup included Colombia’s former President and the CEO for their most famous coffee brand, Juan Valdez. Juan Manuel Santos, former President and Noble Peace Prize recipient, was an engaging and insightful speaker. Definitely the highlight of the talk. I don’t think we would have had this experience if it wasn’t for VAOVA.
Private Beach
The private beach party was the event I was most looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint. VAOVA rented out the Rosario Del Mar Eco Hotel at the Rosario Islands. After arriving by speed boats, we were welcomed to white sand beaches, cabanas, lounge chairs, an open bar, beach volleyball courts, and turquoise waters. I felt like I was on the show Below Deck!
City Parties
Finally, the parties were at exceptional venues. In Cartagena especially, the party was outside of their Cultural Center and across from the main plaza. Usually, I’m the person outside the event wondering, but what a cool experience to be the one at the party. Also, each party had curated performances to showcase the culture of Colombia. In Medellin, the party was at the Botanical Gardens with floral displays and a parade mimicking the famous Flower Fair held each summer. Again, another remarkable touch on VAOVA’s part!
Add Ons
The add ons are where VAOVA appears to really make their money. We debated taking a full day tour to a surrounding town from Medellin which VAOVA was selling for about $150 per person. A similar tour, in both itinerary and duration, was about $35 per person if booked through Viator or Trip Advisor.
Even with the six included experiences, we had large amounts of our schedule open. For many of our companions, they filled their schedules with VAOVA’s add ons. The three were did were hit or miss. The chocolate tasting and private club event felt a bit lacking for me. The evening sailing event was fantastic, but I think that was more so the group experience, rather than the event itself.
When to use a Tour Agency
To be honest, we had low expectations going into the trip. We recognized to have the group experience, we were locked into using the travel agency. As long as we had decent hotels, we felt the trip would be worth it. I will say, my husband and I were both pleasantly surprised by the value VAOVA created for us. Based on this, I’ve landed on four occasions where booking with a travel agency is the way to go.
1. Traveling with a Large Group
For large groups, logistics become a challenge. It starts with booking; getting the same hotels, flights, and tours lined up, to ensure everybody has the same experience. Another key logistical burden with large groups is transportation. Speed boats to the beach, buses to the airport, and vans to events. The logistics of moving even a few people can be cumbersome, let alone large groups. I would say groups of ten or more and a travel agency might be the way to go!
2. Traveling Alone
While I haven’t traveled alone much myself, the idea of traveling alone, but on a group trip is appealing. Tour agencies are a great way to join a broader group. This would be especially important to me if I wanted to travel someplace where I would feel most comfortable following the “safety in numbers” adage. Additionally, one of the best parts of travel is meeting new people along the way. Traveling with a tour agency group would be a fantastic way to incorporate that into a solo trip.
3. If you Don’t want to Plan Anything
If you want to roll off the airplane and straight into your vacation, then letting a travel agency handle all the planning, booking, and logistics is a great path. The major downside to travel agencies is that they are more expensive than planning a trip on your own. But that is the point if you fall into this category. Let somebody else do the work, so you can enjoy vacation as a true getaway.
4. Exclusive Experiences
To be fair, I’m not certain this is ubiquitous to all travel agencies. Certainly, the case can be made our specific trip had sheer numbers on our side (500 to be exact). However, travel agencies are professionals at planning travel in a given location. They have multiple opportunities to curate and refine an itinerary, whereas you may only plan a trip to a place once.
Final Thoughts
Before our trip to Colombia, travel agencies were just a concept to me. I hadn’t known anybody to use a travel agency and I certainly didn’t have details on the process, price, or experience. I hope this blog provided some details to help you determine if a travel agency is the right fit for your next adventure.
Speaking of next adventure, check out my “Travel Guide to San Francisco” if you are looking for some inspiration! Or need some help packing? Check out my “Five Bags to Improve your Travel Packing Setup” blog.
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