Anywhere you go in Australia – anywhere there’s money to be made from tourists – you’ll find a heap of travel agents competing for your wallet. It’s important to shop around and compare prices before settling on one.

We went with Tribal Travel in Sydney. We liked Gaz, the store’s new owner, as he was friendly and attentive. He didn’t push trips we didn’t want and offered good deals when we bought tours in bulk.

But not every trip we took was satisfying. The Fraser Island self-drive tour and the canoe trip on the Noosa River left much to be desired. But this is partly our fault for not asking the right questions before booking them.

Make sure you don’t make our mistake by asking the following:

1. What are the extra fees?

Agents make trips look cheap by excluding additional coasts like park access fees, insurance, and equipment rental. The fees are mentioned in small print on your booking confirmation, and can inflate the final price significantly.

Ask you agent to clearly spell out the fees and calculate them into the total.

2. Do you match competitors’ quotes?

An agent will normally quote a tour at a high price – just in case you didn’t shop around and are willing to pay it. If you mention a better quote from a competing agency, they may try to beat it.

However, they might ask you for proof, like a sheet scribbled with the other agency’s quotes. For this reason, some agencies will refuse to let you walk away with their price list.

In such cases, write down the prices you were given in your own notebook to show another agency.

3. What’s the trip like?

This is supremely important and will determine how much you’ll enjoy the tour. Ask the agent to describe details of the trip: how many people in a group? How much freedom do you have? Where does this tour go compared to other operators?

Our trip to Fraser Island was a disappointment, as it was too controlled and regimented. We later learned that another agency offers a similar trip where you are given greater choice of where to go and how long to stay at each place.

4. What kind of people usually take this trip?

You want to make sure you’ll be surrounded with people who have the same travel values as you. If you’re looking for activities wither a focus on learning and tranquility at night, you don’t want to get stuck on a booze cruise with a ton of college kids on holiday who just want to party.