Signs an agent is booking for their commission, not your trip

You're paying a travel agent to put your interests first. But their income depends on commissions from hotels, airlines and tour operators — and that's where the conflict emerges. A good agent navigates it honestly. A bad one doesn't. Here's how to spot the difference before your dream trip becomes their profit centre.

When the itinerary feels like it's selling you, not serving you

The clearest sign an agent is chasing commission is when their suggestions cluster around high-commission providers rather than your actual needs. You mention you want a quiet, nature-focused break and they keep steering you toward all-inclusive resorts with busy social programmes. You ask for mid-range accommodation to stretch your budget further and they insist five-star is "worth it for the experience." These aren't accidents — they're patterns.

Listen to how they respond when you propose an alternative. If they immediately explain why it's "not as good" or dismiss your idea without engaging with it, that's defensive behaviour. A commission-first agent feels threatened by suggestions that fall outside their profitable ecosystem. A client-focused agent says, "Let me check that option and compare it fairly to what I was suggesting." Then they actually do.

Another red flag: they rush you to decide or book. Real itinerary planning takes time because you need to live with the proposal, think about whether it fits your rhythm, and ask questions. Agents who create artificial urgency — "The price goes up tomorrow" or "I need your decision by Friday" — are often protecting their commission window, not your interest. Legitimate discounts exist, but they rarely evaporate between a Monday conversation and Wednesday.

When you ask why a particular hotel, airline or tour operator made the cut, a good agent gives you reasons rooted in *your* brief: "You said you wanted to avoid long transfers, so I picked this lodge because it's a 20-minute drive from the airport." A commission-chasing agent gives you marketing language: "They're amazing, everyone loves them, you'll have the best time." Vague enthusiasm masks vague reasoning.

How to test where their loyalty actually lies

Propose something you know isn't a high-commission option. If you mention a smaller, local guesthouse or a direct flight to reduce transfers, watch what happens. Do they research it seriously, or do they suggest around it immediately? Agents earning their keep will explore your priorities even if they earn less.

Ask directly: "What commission do you earn from this hotel versus the one I'm considering?" A trustworthy agent will answer. They may explain that commission doesn't drive the recommendation — that the hotel genuinely suits your needs better — and then you can judge whether that's true. An agent who gets evasive or acts offended is protecting a conflict you should know about.

Request the proposal broken down by supplier. You should see exactly where your money is going: the airline, the accommodation, the activities, the agent's fee (if they charge one). When everything is bundled into one price, it's easier for agents to hide what's driving their choices. Transparency makes conflicts visible.

Also ask what happens if you want to swap something out. "If I decided to fly a different airline or stay at a different hotel in that city, how would that change things?" If the agent panics or tries to convince you that changes are impossible, they're protecting commissions. If they adjust the proposal calmly, they're treating it as your itinerary, not their product.

The best safeguard is comparison. Get proposals from two or three agents and see what varies. If one agent's itinerary is radically different from the others and they can't explain why, ask hard questions. If all three suggest similar hotels but you've never heard of them, that's a hint to research independently. You should feel like you've been advised by someone who knows your trip better than you do, not like you've been fitted into their inventory.

When you find an agent whose suggestions make sense for *your* priorities, whose reasoning is clear, and who welcomes your input without defensiveness, that's someone worth paying. Strove lets you vet travel agents' experience and read what past clients say about whether they felt truly looked after — that track record matters more than any reassurance they offer.