The benefits of using a travel agent
(Part 3)
A lot of you make all of your travel arrangements, yourselves, these days, using online booking engines to purchase flight tickets and reserving tours on tour companies’ websites, but we wanted to hear from any of our subscribers who prefer to let a travel agent do the work or who have had a positive experience using one recently. We asked you to include the following details.
For a trip to what place(s) outside of the US that took place approximately when, what have you had a travel agent do for you? What have you found to be some of the particular benefits of using an agent? Did an agent arrange something that you may not have been able to do without expending a lot more time, money or effort? Did one come through for you recently when you were in a pinch or accomplish something that you could not have done otherwise? If there is a particular agency that you rely on or a certain agent who you trust, tell us the agency’s or agent’s name and their contact information.
We printed a number of responses in last month’s issue. More appear below. If you wish to comment, email editor@intltravelnews.com or write to Appreciating Travel Agents, c/o ITN, 2116 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818. Include the address at which you receive ITN. Photos are welcome.
Since 2008, I have been using one travel agent, Joanie Reisman of All-Travel (2001 S. Barrington Ave., Ste. 315, Los Angeles, CA 90025; 800/300-4567, www.all-travel.com), for virtually all of my travel needs, internationally and domestically, and I would never go back to doing without.
Joanie, initially recommended to me by a friend who had been using her services for many years, has assisted me with travel to/around/from England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Germany, New Zealand, China, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Turkey and Bhutan.
Travel professionals like Joanie have expertise and a breadth of experience that we lack. Tapping into that experience and expertise has certainly proved to be invaluable for me.
The immeasurable value I have attained by using a travel professional who has encountered such a broad spectrum of experiences, vis-à-vis her clients over the years, and who is, herself, an experienced traveler includes…
• hotel selections fitting my criteria in locations that are unfamiliar to me;
• being able to make hotel changes on the spur of the moment (as when I was in a foreign country on a group hiking trip and found myself in a poor-quality hotel; Joanie got my boyfriend and me into another hotel within hours, changing our experience from horrid to wonderful);
• obtaining a flight home from Turkey for me on an earlier date (to quickly accommodate certain unexpected circumstances);
• on trips where I am joining a group, the assurance that my dietary restrictions will be known well in advance;
• to and from international destinations, having flight and seating arrangements synchronized with those of my boyfriend, who lives on the East Coast;
• having all internal flights and transfers arranged (e.g., between Istanbul, the Aegean coast and Cappadocia in Turkey);
• canceling trip arrangements and having an insurance claim filed on my behalf when knee surgery interfered with a planned hiking trip, and
• having her get to know my preferences (likes, dislikes, etc.), which makes future trip planning so much easier and more pleasurable.
And the list goes on… .
Randi Val Morrison
Manhattan Beach, CA
For an elaborate 5-week retirement-kickoff trip to Australia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands, Oct. 6-Nov. 12, 2013, my wife and I benefited enormously from the services of About Australia (226 W. Rector, Ste. 1, San Antonio, TX 78216; 888/359-2877, www.about australia.com).
About Australia is based in the US but is run by Paul Watkins, a native Aussie, who added an enormous amount of value to our trip by repeatedly interviewing us about our preferences, budget and schedule and then creating — over the course of many weeks and via many phone calls and emails — a fantastic itinerary.
Prior to our departure, Paul peppered us with a great number of helpful tips about each destination — restaurants, the best times of day to see various sights, where to shop and so forth.
We had the company book our air travel and choose hotels, though at one destination we specified a particular hotel, which they incorporated. They also recommended various side excursions, some of which they booked for us and some of which we booked on our own.
At about $12K per person, the trip we designed included several internal flights, an overnight boat to Doubtful Sound, a hike on the Fox Glacier, a jet boat ride, a day trip to a thermal park near Rotorua in New Zealand, a “Sounds of Silence” dinner at Ayers Rock, a hike through Kata Tjuta, a day trip to Kakadu National Park in Australia, a Rarotonga Island tour and a cultural dinner in the Cook Islands.
A hot-air balloon ride in Alice Springs, Australia, was canceled due to weather, but the cost was refunded to us without difficulty.
If we return to that part of the world, we will be sure to use About Australia again. We recommend them very highly.
Rich Isaacman, Edgewater, MD
In the 1990s, Kim Blackwell of Tropical Dreams Travel Agency (2500 Marconi Ave., Ste. 104, Sacramento, CA 95821; 916/971-9449, www.tropicaldreamstravelagency.com) did a super job of finding good, reasonably priced resorts and hotels overseas. She booked hotels and flights to Mexico (1992, 1993), Greece (1994), Australia (1995), the Cook Islands (1996), Samoa and Fiji (1997).
This was before we used computers for searching for trips and flights. Because she had visited some of the locations, it was nice to have her relate her experiences and give travel tips, wardrobe suggestions and recommendations of restaurants and sights to see. It gave us a great deal of comfort as novice overseas travelers.
The second company I used was Goway (400 North Brand Blvd., Ste. 920, Glendale, CA 91203; 800/387-8850, www.goway.com).
Twice I used Goway for travel to Australia. In 2004, my husband and I took a 2-week trip on Air New Zealand from Los Angeles to Cairns, Australia, and on to Sydney for a hotel stay. The agent gave us tips for preferred locations close to bus stops, museums, restaurants, parks and more.
In 2006, my cousin and I took a month-long trip to Australia. I asked the Goway agent to keep within the budget I determined and the hotel class I preferred. For us two seniors, she arranged flights, hotels and transfers and found us hotels close to bus stops and museums. She also gave us maps, coupons and suggestions. The agent did research to find answers to my questions, and the trip was quite reasonably priced.
Lastly, for that trip I specified the type and location of seats we needed on the planes to and from Australia, since I have to get up and walk almost hourly. I told her that if she could not guarantee the seat location, I would not be able to travel. She did what I requested and I was very grateful.
I do not like researching airfares and hotels online, but I can give a travel agent specifics — dates of travel, departure airports, preferred destinations, hotel class, location parameters of hotels, and nearby amenities — and they can do the search work and give alternative ideas. That is why agents are important to me.
Denise Doporto
Sacramento, CA
My wife, Carolyn, and I have traveled extensively over the years, and we’ve been in the habit of either making our own arrangements or traveling with a tour group. To celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary in 2013, we made arrangements to take a cruise from Rome, Italy, to Lisbon, Portugal, with Oceania Cruises, leaving Rome on June 6.
Shortly after this was in place, our son, Rick, and his wife, Maggie, in Boise, Idaho, decided to join us and enjoy their fifth anniversary during the same cruise. We scheduled time together in Rome and Lisbon also.
Since our planning time was getting short, we deferred the rest of our travel arrangements to Kimber Johnson of CruiseOne (203 S. Tremont Dr., Greensboro, NC 27403; 336/691-1500 or 336/370-0045).
Our plan was to meet at O’Hare airport in Chicago and travel together from there. Kimber had our flights booked with a 2-hour connection time in Chicago, and he made our hotel arrangements in Rome.
Then things started to go wrong. The flight from Boise was delayed and Rick and Maggie missed the connection. It was Sunday evening, and the rebooking of a flight was difficult. The United Club attendant was working with me and finally got something arranged for Rick and Maggie. The agent personally met them at their arrival gate and directed them to their newly arranged connecting flight to Rome.
Carolyn and I arrived at our hotel in Rome, the Atlante Star Hotel (Via Giovanni Vitelleschi 34), but we had no idea where Rick and Maggie were. After we were settled into our room, at about 5 p.m. Rome time I went to the hotel desk to explain our problem. I had the phone number for Kimber in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the hotel dialed it. Kimber answered and I explained that we wanted to know Rick and Maggie’s status.
He asked if I could hold the line open while he checked, the hotel desk agreed, and a quick check confirmed that they had been rebooked on a Lufthansa flight. With that flight number and scheduled arrival time, the hotel was able to meet them at the airport and transport them to the hotel. They arrived about two hours behind us.
Our travel agent played a major part in our having a successful and wonderful trip.
Richard Sherrick
Greensboro, NC
Andrea Fairbanks, owner of Marco Travel International (601 E. Elkcam Circle, Ste. C-2, Marco Island, FL 34145; 239/394-2564 or email marcotravelintl@earthlink.net), has been my “go to” person for more than 20 years.
My husband and I have traveled to all seven continents and more than 100 countries, and Andrea has booked them all while managing to integrate our ideas and desires with the necessary details, such as visas and plane, train and ship schedules. Based upon her experience with other customers, she also offers alternate ideas.
When she has had a problem fulfilling our wishes (we do choose some exotic places), she has located resources that could help. When we were crossing from Argentina to Chile, for example, we had to use whatever transport was available. We started on a ferry, then were met by a school bus on a dirt road, then another boat and so on until we finally arrived at Puerto Montt.
There was very little information available as to how to book this crossing, which included going through Customs in the middle of the wilderness of two national parks. Andrea finally found a source that was able to work with her.
She has also taken the hit of having resources fail to pay her for the business, yet we have never heard a complaint from her.
She is unfailingly cheerful and excited for us and, best of all, she’s a determined worrier who wants to be certain that all goes well. That is important to us! A sense of security comes with a travel agent and not with the Internet. A computer does not worry about you, the traveler. We cannot ask a computer to fix a problem. We can and do go to Andrea.
The comfort of knowing that we have a backup for help if it is needed means that we will never give up our use of Marco Travel International!
Sydney S. Mellinger
Naples, FL
I do believe in travel agents, and, although my husband and I are aging and don’t travel as we once did, I felt compelled to share a story with you.
Back in the very early 1900s, my grandfather, M.J. Connery, who had emigrated to the United States from Ireland, established himself in business and made enough in his first efforts to open a travel agency. In the beginning, it was there to help other immigrants from Ireland bring their family members to the New World. Once they had become established, many wanted to journey home or to other places.
From the agency, I still have wonderful old travel brochures for tours both ways on Cunard ships, escorted by my father, to seven countries in 45 days at a total cost of $495!
Of course, my father stayed in the business, and, once married, my Mom worked there also, as did an aunt. Our family’s vacations were to Europe, South America, the Middle East and Egypt because, in those days, agents got really good discounts.
Of course, when folks then came to us to plan vacations, Dad, Mom and Aunt Kath were knowledgeable about the cities, hotels and modes of transportation, so they could really help with good planning and suggestions.
That is still what travel agents can do for people who want to arrange special or complicated itineraries. They are able to cobble together interesting itineraries, contact hotels and secure reservations, and, when or if plans go awry, they can generally be reached to help straighten things out.
Travel agents don’t get as many commissions and perks as in the old days, and they work really hard, but they can be a vacation saver.
Patricia Koko, Oak Park, IL
I am a professional travel agent. I take pride in my work.
I also am an ITN subscriber, and in letters and articles in the magazine, there’s one thing that I’ve seen again and again. People get into trouble because they are ill informed about the reality of their travel plans or they completely ignore a fantastic resource — namely, the travel professionals who specialize in so many destinations or specific niches.
These are professionals who provide superior experiences for their clients — and often at the same or lower cost than the public can find for themselves.
Sharon Phillis,
Kingwood, TX
I had researched and booked trips for my husband and myself, so it was natural that I became a travel agent. I began by taking travel courses and then offering my services to a travel agency for free. I was hired and have been an agent for decades.
While it is easy to book flights and hotels online, it can become quite difficult and time consuming to coordinate more complicated travels. Agents can advise the best way to structure your travels, such as what city to fly into and out of for the best price and convenience, as well as what travel documents you may need and the connection times.
I match clients with a tour or cruise line I know will fit their pace, abilities, interests, ages and, especially, budget. I have arranged dialysis on cruises and private sightseeing in exotic ports. And I would not recommend an expensive tour, for instance, for a client on a budget!
Most travel agents’ services are free to clients, so there is no risk in seeking their expertise, and we often have access to contracted lower airfares, lower hotel rates and daily cruises as well as tour specials.
My suggestion is to speak with a travel agent, but if you do not feel a connection, find another one. Even though we may be a dying breed, a good agent works hard for his or her clients!
Amy Romano, Syosset, NY