This Is the No. 1 Secret to Cheap Travel That Your Travel Agent Won’t Tell You

3. They make the most money if someone dies

When you have to plan a trip last minute, travel agents make the most money. | iStock.com/AntonioGuillem

This is perfectly awful, but unfortunately, travel agents make the most money when they have to make last-minute reservations, such as flights for unexpected funerals. “Times of need such as death, illness or other urgent trips are where agents see the big bucks. Airlines don’t charge any more for late bookings, but the agent sure will,” a travel agent told Travel Weekly. Don’t use a travel agent if you have an emergency trip come up —book your trip yourself.

And another said, “I remember a time when I marked an airfare up $600 over what you could get it for on the internet or with the airline direct. “A family member had passed away in the US and they wanted to leave the following day. I felt a bit guilty, but it paid for a big weekend of partying.”

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