Ever booked a holiday online that turned into a nightmare, or called an 1-800 number for a great vacation deal but then lost all of your money?

Those are just some of the potential dangers and pitfalls facing customers exclusively using a website or telephone service to book their holiday as opposed to a reputable high street travel agency.

And it is something that Meyer-Franklin's vice-president or corporate development and travel, Cheryl Hayward-Chew, and corporate travel manager, Margaret Drinkwater, are keen to warn holidaymakers about and to promote the advantages and benefits of going through a bona fide travel agent.

The pair, who have more than 60 years experience in the travel and customer service industry, have seen a number of examples of what can and, indeed, does go wrong when putting yourself at the mercy of technology and instances of where clients have been able to save time, money, effort and hassle when dealing with an agent in person during their time at the Hamilton-based travel agency.

Ms. Drinkwater said: "In general, for the basic Bermuda to New York and back flight and where someone wants to a hotel, the Internet is fine for that - we have a booking engine and they can go on the website and book.

"But the main difference is that we check with the customers what they have chosen is what they really want, but with a company which is exclusively a holiday website, once you take it you are subject to terms and conditions which may restrict you."

With so much small print involved in booking a holiday in general nowadays, it is important that a customer knows what they are, or could be, letting themselves in for, which is where the personal touch comes in, according to Ms. Hayward-Chew.

"When you are doing the actual booking, if you can't retain all of this information then there is a good chance something is going to happen which you don't necessarily want," she said.

"The advantage of the travel agent is that they will have talked back and forth with you and have an understanding of your ticket and what it offers.

"Meeting face-to-face with someone or hearing a reassuring voice on the other end of the phone to help understand your needs and give you peace of mind is another benefit of going through a travel agent, she added.

"When you have a conversation with somebody they can pick up signals about what you are really thinking," she said.

"Airlines can change the rules - in fact, they can change anything at anytime, so if you have not clocked onto that you can lose hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of money, which is where travel agents come in because they can keep you up to date with the situation.

"A further upside to using a travel agent versus solely an online facility is the chance to change your trip and not be tied into a rigid schedule, said Ms. Drinkwater

"Online is instant and often unreversible, but we have the capability to put things on hold," she said

."For example, the businessman who is planning a trip may think he is going to London and books an all-round trip and then thinks maybe he'll go to Paris and Venice and can't always change his schedule if it is all done online, but if it is done through a travel agent he has the flexibility to alter it.

"It is the same when you are going to all of these multitude of destinations, we do a visa check for what is needed and our database keeps all of this information about what is required for different nationalities in different countries.

"Another consideration when booking online is being technology savvy and making sure your personal and banking details are secure, but even then problems can arise, according to Ms. Hayward-Chew.

"We find that often people have a daughter or son that ends up booking for them online and sometimes things can be lost in translation and they don't always get what they want," she said.

"We are trained to just say yes or accept and not look at the detail on the screen.

"Other issues surrounding the use of websites include the time and effort required to book online, particularly by businesses booking for their employees, and the additional services offered by the travel agent over the websites such as details on file in case of an emergency like loss of passport or wallet.

According to the latest research by analysts Forrester Research the number of people using the Internet to both research and buy their holidays is in decline for the first time since 9/11, with the amount of US leisure travel bookers falling nine percent between 2005 and 2007 and occasional users dropping from 30 to 20 percent.Among some of the reasons cited are the difficulty and confusion of booking online, the time it takes, the lack of control people may have and navigating the websites.

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean Cruises have announced they will no longer be doing business with 'card mills' or host agencies that sell consumers access to benefits designed for travel agents, including YTB Travel Network and two other firms.

"It is all about the personal relationship built up between the client and the travel agent and it means that the travel agent is the first person the client thinks of calling," said Ms. Hayward-Chew.

"For the established online sites, I don't see it as an issue, but there are still a lot of Bermudians that are uncomfortable with booking with their credit cards online or even having a credit card in the first place.

"At the end of the day, it is the fact that the way we stay in business is to keep our customers happy."I think, for us we have to help the customer make the best of their money and to give them value for money.

"As you build up this relationship and the travel agent gets to know your likes and dislikes, it is easier the next time you book a holiday and they can suggest ideas for future holidays.

"But there is so much out there in terms of holiday websites and telephone booking services and people are always thinking that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, so if you see something that looks too good to be true, always be wary and read the small print.

For further information contact Meyer-Franklin at 278 0820, email etravelmeyer.bm or visit the website at www.meyer-franklintravel.bm