January 16, 2025

Adventure Destinations League

Navigating Travel Wonders

How Instagram, TikTok generations are bringing travel agents back

How Instagram, TikTok generations are bringing travel agents back

Philadelphia — Over the past five years, Natalie Contrera has traveled from her West Philadelphia home to Colombia, Belize, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic twice. She soon hopes to visit Egypt and Lebanon, her family’s homeland.

The 35-year-old’s secret to planning and affording so many excursions since the pandemic?

How Instagram, TikTok generations are bringing travel agents back

A travel agent.

“I give her a budget. I give her a couple countries I want to go to,” said Contrera, who owns a branding agency. On each vacation, she and her partner have spent between $1,500 and $3,000 per person.

The travel agent “is organizing an entire trip for us. And if things go wrong — that is also what they are there for,” Contrera said. “Why would I ever plan it myself again?”

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