Let's Work Together
Yes, travel advisors are still a “thing”. We are more than a booking agent, we provide a full service.
You are probably wondering what a travel advisor can do for you, if so, let me explain to you…
When I first meet with a prospective new client, I am used to all the usual questions; Why should I use a travel agent?, How do you get paid?, What can you do for me that I can't do for myself online?, etc. I have my responses well-prepared. Here's the thing...if you want to book round trip air from Raleigh to Dallas and stay in the Holiday Inn Express on the corner of 1st Avenue and Main Street, you probably don't need me! I am an expert in custom-crafting vacations that are going to provide you with the EXPERIENCE (hence the name) you are longing for. I don't just "sell travel." Sometimes, that amounts to some well-researched advice on which cruise or tour is the right fit for your dreams. They are all so very different! If you are looking for a guided tour with built in leisure time versus camping out trekking across the desert, I would recommend a tour that has standard to luxury accommodations. Sometimes it involves literally hours and hours of detailed planning, research, and jigsaw-puzzle precision to put together a 3-week custom European journey through 3 or 4 different countries for a family who wants to immerse themselves into each culture with art and culinary classes. I am happy to go to any lengths necessary to engineer that perfect EXPERIENCE for my clients...it's what I do!
If you send me an email that says "I found a deal online for a week in Jamaica at the XYZ resort for $599...Can you beat it?", I'm going to let out a big sigh. First of all, how do you even know that the XYZ resort is a good fit for you? Secondly, I have no idea what that "deal" includes - and neither do you. A colleague's client sent her something similar, only he said that the only online price included round trip air....she thought it looked "too good to be true" and it was...the price was only for the resort...no air included. Saving money is great, and I'm all for staying within budget and getting a good value for my own travel dollars, but don't reduce your vacation to being treated like a commodity. When an item is a "commodity", there are no differences between the same item sourced from different places - except price. I really do have your best interests in mind....trust me to do what I do best and find you the perfect fit and the greatest value for your precious vacation time and budget.
Finally, keep this in mind...when you hit the "Buy now" button on Travelocity or Orbitz, or BookIt.com and purchase that vacation, you receive confirmation numbers and the corporation gets a cut of the cost back into their high-tech wallets. When you give me, or any other hard-working travel professional, the "go ahead" to book that same vacation (often at the exact same price, or better), you receive your travel documents, destination information, sightseeing suggestions, along with the promise that we have your back until you return from the trip...and even beyond! If anything goes wrong on the trip, we are the extra security blanket who advocates for YOU and your well-being. Try getting Mr. Orbitz to pick up the phone at 7:00 AM to argue with a hotel desk clerk about the noise level, or lack of air conditioning, in your room! That, my friends, is "VALUE" for your travel dollar...and it's what I am all about.
Now that you know the difference, let’s chat about your next adventure.