Luxury River, Ocean, and Group Travel Advisor

Lake Como, Italy looking north from Bellagio

Travel has always been a very large part of my life, be it for business or pleasure.  From the Caribbean to Europe, the Far East, Mexico, Canada, and much of the United States, my travels provided me not only with much enjoyment, but a wealth of knowledge on each and every place I visited.  

I don’t know about you, but during those years I made most of my own travel arrangements.  I enjoyed doing the research, speaking directly with the hotels, airlines, cruise ship companies, and spending the time necessary to plan those trips. It wasn’t until I retired from my business career that I started to use a travel agent to assist me in planning for my family vacations and then the get-a-ways that I enjoyed with my special partner.

Since travel was their business they were always up to date on most everything.  They assisted me in where to stay, how to get around easily, suggested restaurants that complemented the areas visited, and recommend excursions that was more in tune with what I would enjoy.  But most important, was the time they took to review and research my proposed trip so that I would enjoy my travels without having to worry if what I would have chosen was worthwhile.

Prior to selecting my travel advisor, like in every profession, there are some that are significantly better than others.  So how do you decide who to use for your next adventure?  Well, here are a few suggestions to making the task a bit easier and not in any particular order:

• Recommendations from friends and family who have had very successful trips with a particular Travel Advisor.
• Jot down a small list of questions, prior to meeting with an Advisor, that you would like answers to and see if those answers are in line with your own thoughts on traveling.
• Check to see if the Travel Advisor belongs to industry leading organizations, has certifications and expertise in specific destinations or types of travel.

Having experienced my own success in choosing a Travel Advisor, I knew what one needed to do to become successful in the travel business.  Obviously education, professional associations, travel business relationships, and prior travel experiences were very important, but what perhaps is the most critical skill set for any advisor in any business, is the ability to communicate and understand the needs of your clients.

As a Travel Advisor I decided to concentrate my business in very specific areas of travel.  For the most part they are Luxury River/Ocean Cruising, Custom Land Adventures, Major Sporting Event Packages, and Small Group Travel.

If you know you would like to travel, what major sporting event you would like to see in person, or, if you have a group that likes to travel together for pleasure or charity, now is the perfect time to talk.  Call or send an email to see how I can help you achieve your travel goals.