(Photo above: You may not know that I'm not the only family member in the travel industry; my son, Ben, is a First Officer with Republic Air!) I'm writing this as the sun sets on St. Patrick's Day. Having lived in Chicago most of my life, St. Patrick's day in Southern California is comparatively low-key. But if you've harbored a hankering to visit Ireland, this is a great time to plan - one of my partners has a great air-included promotion for trips to Ireland - but this trip must be booked by March 19th. My wish for you is well stated in this Irish Blessing: May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door! How Can A Travel Advisor Help You? Earlier this week I was speaking with a colleague who mentioned that they and their spouse would really, really like to travel - but just could not find the time to plan. "That's why you hire someone like me!" I said - and it's true! Lack of time to plan, or getting "drinking from the firehose" overwhelm by the plethora of options available online which may lead to inability to make a decision - these are great reasons to work with a professional travel advisor when planning your travel. But there are other reasons as well...
A TRAVEL STORY I have clients currently in Barcelona. When they contacted me several months back to help plan their trip, after the initial consultation conversation, I reached out to my network of trusted suppliers and put together a proposal including flights and hotels. When I sent it for first review, their first assumption was that the price quoted was per passenger - but it was actually for two. (They were very happy!) Fast forward to earlier this week, as they left for Spain. I was monitoring their flight, and they texted just as I learned their flight was delayed. At first it seemed they might make their connection, but once airborne it was clear that the delay would prevent this. Before they landed I had contacted the travel supplier and identified possible alternate routing, and had learned that the airline had prospectively re-routed them for the same flight, next day. I had alerted their travel insurance carrier regarding the delay, and had information for booking a hotel for the night (and was standing by to make that booking). Once they were in the terminal and had settled on their revised travel itinerary, I contacted the company scheduled to pick them up in Barcelona, and rescheduled their ride for the next day, and then contacted their hotel directly to ensure that their room would not be cancelled and, in fact, would be available when they did arrive the next morning. My lovely clients took the weather-related delays in stride, and enjoyed their "bonus day" in New York before heading out to Barcelona - to get in the spirit of Spain they attended a Miro exhibit (and caught a glimpse of the New York St. Patrick's Day Parade). When I remarked on their turning lemons into lemonade, they responded "Lemons + Vodka = Limoncello!" Today they posted a lovely video depicting a live band and dancers, in a weekly event held in front of the cathedral just after Sunday Mass, to celebrate the Catalan Culture and independence movement. They are looking forward to a wonderful working holiday. Things happen - for all manner of reasons - and when they do, isn't it nice to have someone behind the scenes to help you work things out? Later this week I'm headed to LA for my first conference at Virtuoso, the consortia that my agency partnered with in January - conferences such as this provide a great vehicle for me to learn about what's new in the travel industry and to network with colleagues and suppliers - with the end result that I'm better positioned to provide great service to my clients. I've linked below my agent profile with Virtuoso - whether for personal or group travel, please let me know how I can help you create your next travel experience! Happy Travels, Joan https://www.virtuoso.com/advisors/15759919/joan-qualls#.XI6E2npKg8Y Leave a Reply. |
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August 2020
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