1. EXPERT GUIDANCE: Travel agents, unlike instructions on a Web page, are experts in understanding and deciphering the myriad of travel information and codes out there. It's what they've been trained to do and they do it every day. They provide convenient one-stop shopping.

2. PERSONALIZED SERVICE: Travel agents are your neighbors, not the impersonal voice thousand of miles away. They know what you want and what you value in your travel experience. They have a vested interest in making sure you have the best travel experience possible.

3. PROFESSIONAL ADVICE: Travel agents are there to make sure you get where you want to go, when you want to go and for the best price. They have intimate knowledge of the destinations they sell and are able to select the most appropriate travel arrangements to meet their clients needs.

4. TIME SAVING: Instead of checking a long list of travel Web pages, which only provide rates and fares for the companies that have contracted with them, why not go straight to the source? A travel agent has all the information at their fingertips, saving you a few hours in front of a computer screen.

5. UNBIASED INFORMATION: Travel agents work for their clients (you-the consumer), not for a travel supplier. It makes sense that a happy customer will be a repeat customer.

6. BEST DEALS: Travel agents are out to find the consumer the best rate available. Agents are there to save you money as well as time.

7. CUSTOMER ADVOCACY: The travel agents are there to act on your behalf to see that restitution is made if you have a problem with a particular part of your travel experience. ASTA, for example, is the only travel association aggressively fighting to improve the travel experience, and air transportation in particular, for all consumers, not just those with access to the Internet.