Travel agencies in Canada simplify business travel planning. Travel agents in Canada have the knowledge, skills and resources to quickly organize all aspects of your company's business trips — from airline flights and ground transportation to lodging and restaurant reservations. Reputable travel agencies Canada-based can even help with important travel issues like passports, visas and currency exchange rates.

Canadian travel agents not only find the right flights and accommodations to meet your business travel needs, but they secure competitive travel rates for your company. With today's online technologies, most travel agencies for Canada are able to quickly find the best fares while ensuring high service standards for your employees. Before booking business travel with a Canada travel agent, evaluate the pricing and costs of travel agencies in Canada.

1. Are the Canada online travel agencies able to secure the lowest travel fares available to meet your business itinerary needs?

2. What kind of special corporate travel packages and promotions do the Canada travel agencies offer to save your business money?

3. How will the travel agency in Canada help reduce your corporate travel budget and assist in analyzing business travel expenses?

Action Steps
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Select Canada travel agents who get the best prices for your travel schedule

In the business world, time is money. Before spending hours looking online for the best flights, hire a Canada travel agent to do the searching for you. Experienced Canadian travel agents have the knowledge and resources to find your business the lowest available travel fares that best meet your business travel itinerary needs.

I recommend: Bestairfares.ca offers business class flights at discount prices like business class flights from Toronto to European destinations ranging in price from $3,000 - $6,000. Freedom Tours & Travel features the best flight itinerary for your business at the lowest price, and offers airline upgrades and ticket usage monitoring.

Choose Canada travel agencies that offer business travel package discounts

Reputable travel agents in Canada with established industry relationships will save your business money with discounted rates on flights, hotels and car rentals. Canadian travel agents have access to unadvertised corporate travel specials and know how to bundle travel services to take advantage of discounts and promotions.

I recommend: WD World Travel subscribes to six hotel corporate rate programs, passing on substantial savings to business clients at thousands of properties around the world. River East Travel offers discounts on travel insurance, hotel accommodations, car rental and attractions for corporate clients. Goliger's TravelPlus provides special rates with several airlines, hotels and car rental companies and studies your business travel patterns to find suppliers that most benefit your company.

Work with travel agencies in Canada that will help monitor and analyze your business travel expenses

Look for Canada travel agencies that will work with and complement your company's business travel policies and budget. Select a Canada travel agency that provides your company with business travel reports and analysis to help curb corporate travel expenses. A monthly or quarterly report of travel expenses from your Canada travel agency can save valuable time and money in assessing your business travel budget.

I recommend: Absolute Travel Services provides comprehensive travel management reporting to its corporate clients who spend more than $200,000 in air travel each year. Bradfield Travel offers a variety of services to assist corporate business clients, like developing corporate travel policies, ensuring bookings comply with your company's specific business travel policy and preparing monthly management savings reports.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Find out if your travel agency in Canada is a member of NBTA Canada or the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies. Memberships in industry organizations indicate that the travel agency is dedicated to higher standards for corporate travel professionals.

Tourism agencies in Canada have many similarities to and some differences than those in the United States. If you’re planning to use travel agents in Canada, you should be aware of the required licenses and preferred affiliations in assessing whether or not you want to work with them.

As with any travel agent, you want to evaluate Canadian travel agencies' backgrounds, training, credentials and expertise. The more experienced the agent, the more likely they will be able to answer questions, locate the best packages and even share their personal travel knowledge with you. All of this can make a significant difference in your trip. To assess your Canadian travel agent’s knowledge and capabilities, ask such questions as:

1. What Canadian travel agency training programs have they completed?

2. What Canada travel agent certifications have they earned?

3. How many years have they been in the business?

4. To what Canada travel agent associations or organizations do they belong?

5. How much have they traveled and to what destinations?

6. Do they specialize in any particular niche, such as certain destinations, events or activities?

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Verify the credentials for Canadian travel agents

For travel agencies, Canada has the CITC (the Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors) which awards the CTC (Certified Travel Counsellor) and CTM (Certified Travel Manager) designations. A Canadian travel agent must pass a series of tests and evaluations to earn these credentials. The CITC advises that because of training and experience, certified Canadian travel agents deliver better service and help clients save money, all of which results in a better trip for you.

I recommend: Ask your Canada travel agent about their credentials. To locate a CTC- or CTM-designated Canada travel agency, you can go to CITC’s National Directory of Certified Travel Professionals. Travel agents who do business in Ontario must meet the Travel Industry Council of Ontario standards.

Check the affiliations to which the travel agency in Canada belongs

Travel agencies in Canada should have certain affiliations in order to deliver services. For example, to sell international airline tickets, travel agencies in Canada should be accredited by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and have completed specific training. For domestic travel within Canada, they need to be accredited by the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC).

I recommend: Check to see if your travel agency in Canada is a member of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) on their database. ACTA also provides a number of helpful tips for travelers. For those who want the added comfort of traveling under one of the most established travel associations, American Express offers a search process to help you identify Canadian travel agencies by province.

Find a travel agency in Canada that specializes in your type of vacation

Whether you're planning a cruise, a trip by plane abroad, or just a trek across the county, it's important to find Canadian travel agents that know your vacation. Different skills are involved in different vacations; make your trip the best it can be with the help of a specialized travel agent.

I recommend: The Cruise Professionals is an Ontario-based travel agency specializing in luxury cruises. Maple Leaf Adventures focuses on the growing field of ecotourism. The Canadian Automobile Association offers a full range of travel services.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider purchasing travel insurance to protect you from calamities such as luggage lost by the airline, illness for yourself or your family, or the closure of your travel agency in Canada.

Travel agencies in Canada simplify business travel planning. Travel agents in Canada have the knowledge, skills and resources to quickly organize all aspects of your company's business trips — from airline flights and ground transportation to lodging and restaurant reservations. Reputable travel agencies Canada-based can even help with important travel issues like passports, visas and currency exchange rates.

Canadian travel agents not only find the right flights and accommodations to meet your business travel needs, but they secure competitive travel rates for your company. With today's online technologies, most travel agencies for Canada are able to quickly find the best fares while ensuring high service standards for your employees. Before booking business travel with a Canada travel agent, consider these travel agencies in Canada basics:

1. How much experience does each Canada travel agency have? What kind of industry knowledge do the Canada travel agencies offer your business?

2. Does the travel agency in Canada specialize in business travel? What special business packages do travel agents in Canada?

3. What kind of customized services do Canada travel agents offer to simplify or enhance business travel for your employees?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Select knowledgeable and experienced Canada travel agents

Before selecting a travel agency Canada-based, find out how much experience each firm has in the travel industry. Choose travel agencies in Canada with multiple locations who have a working knowledge of worldwide travel destinations. Experienced Canadian travel agents have the knowledge and resources to find your business the lowest available travel fares.

I recommend: Before booking with Canada travel agencies, check out the Canada online travel agencies reviews at Fly From Canada. Uniglobe has 200 locations in Canada, so your business benefits from working with a local account executive consultant who knows the local Canadian travel market.

Choose Canada travel agencies that specialize in business travel

While there are many travel agencies in Canada offering competitive rates on vacation packages, there are only a handful that specialize in corporate travel. Look for Canada travel agencies that will work with your company's business travel policies and simplify corporate travel for your employees. Ask about business packages that offer discounted rates with the purchase of airfare, lodging and ground transportation.

I recommend: Sol'Ex Travel specializes in business travel and works with your company to develop corporate travel programs and travel policies for your employees. TTI Canada features automated processes to streamline business travel like online booking systems and travel analysis reports. W.E. Travel focuses on corporate travel and offers value-added business travel services, like airfare, hotel bookings and ground transportation, as well as meeting and conference planning.

Work with full-service travel agencies in Canada

Full-service Canada travel agencies cater to the needs of business professionals. Look for a Canada travel agency that offers customized services for your employees, like assisting with currency exchange and passports, ensuring hotel rooms with internet connections and making reservations for business dinners. Choose a Canada travel agency with 24-hour emergency services.

I recommend: Blaney's Travel offers a convenient online currency conversion calculator to determine Canadian currency exchanges. Flight Centre Business Travel offers services like discounted flights for registered business customers, hotel room rate discounts of up to 50% and reduced rates on car rentals. The Travel Store records your travel preferences in its computerized reservation system and offers after-hours emergency services.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Find out if your travel agency in Canada is a member of NBTA Canada or the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies. Memberships in industry organizations indicate that the travel agency is dedicated to higher standards for corporate travel professionals.

Canadian travel agencies serve a diverse, bilingual audience over a very large land expanse. In the province of Quebec, French is the primary language, while English is the primary language in the rest of the country. It is helpful if Canadian travel agents know both languages. Another important element of conducting travel business in Canada is learning the key terms associated with the travel industry.

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Provinces and territories

Canada consists of 13 distinct provinces and territories. Combined, they make up the world's second-largest country. The 10 provinces are states that receive power and authority directly from the monarchy that governs them. The three territories are governed by the country's federal government.

I recommend: Learn more about the individual provinces and territories you may want to visit at Explore Canada.

Aboriginal culture

Ontario, Canada is home to many native Aborigines and residents as well as tourists take part in cultural celebrations and festivals. As a travel agent or tourist, it is worthwhile to learn about places and resources available to recommend and enjoy this element of Canadian culture.

I recommend: Learn the basics about the Aboriginal culture and plan travel packages that include cultural exploration at Ontariotravel.net.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is the national sport of Canada and began as a game played between the native North Americans and the townspeople. Today, there are four kinds of Lacrosse: Box, Womens and Mens' Field and Inter Lacrosse. For game enthusiasts or tourists interested in attending a game to observe the time-honored tradition of Canada, there are calendars and resources available on the Web to assist in travel planning.

I recommend: Lacrosse.ca offers a short history of the national sport of Canada as well as an event calendar.

Transit visa

A transit visa is permission to enter a country for the purpose of leisure travel or to pass through on the way to somewhere else. This is a common travel document in Canada due to the large border with the United States.

I recommend: The Citizen and Immigration site for Canada provides a list of countries whose citizens need transit visas to visit Canada.

Kilometer

A kilometer is the primary measurement of ground and air travel in Canada, which uses the metric system. Americans visiting the great white north should learn to convert miles into kilometers when dealing with travel agencies in Canada.

I recommend: A simple calculator is available online at Metric-conversions.org.

Prix fixe

Prix fixe is a restaurant term for a fixed-price menu. The term is most often used when dealing with nicer restaurants and is generally for a multi-course meal at one price. Premium travel packages arranged by travel agencies in Canada will often include meals at prix fixe restaurants.

I recommend: Pure Spirits restaurant in Toronto displays its prix fixe menu online along with a description of the food.