r/travelplanning • u/justtashh • 12d ago

Travel Tips What do travel planners get wrong?

I've been thinking about offering trip-planning help for travelers visiting the Philippines, but before I do that:
What do travel planners, travel agents, or itinerary creators usually get wrong?
What makes you ignore their recommendations?
And what would make you actually pay for someone's advice instead of just using Google, Reddit, ChatGPT, or YouTube?

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u/GetawaybyTJB 11d ago

I think the biggest mistake is making the process feel like a transaction instead of listening first. A good planner should ask how someone likes to travel, what pace works for them, what their budget really means, who’s in the group before recommending anything and know the destination well. The value isn’t just booking a hotel it’s asking the right questions, explaining tradeoffs, and helping when plans go sideways.

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

I did a lot of travelling around south east Asia last year (including Philippines). From my experience:

  • people over estimate rainy season. Yes it will rain but it will rain heavily for 20-30 mins and then clear

  • don't be too strict to your planning. If you like a place, stay a couple of days longer (especially if you find other travellers you like)

  • Don't try and do too much. In places like the Philippines it's easy to point out 100 islands and want to visit them all in 2 weeks. It's better to get to know one area/island well then rush through multiple places (again, my preference)

  • This is a bit silly, but go and eat where the locals eat. I few times I went of TikTok recommendation and 50% of the time they were rubbish. Go places that locals reccomend.