So, you want to see the world. More so now than ever I would venture to guess. You’re not alone. Pretty much every survey I have seen regarding the public and traveling again has the same result – they are over quarantine and ready to hit the road again – with safety measures in place of course. Many are waiting until they get vaccinated, and some are waiting until their children are eligible to get vaccinated – but the resounding chorus is let’s start planning!
Now – you can go book your vacations, getaways, adventures, journeys – or whatever you like to label your trips – on your own. We all know that there are endless online travel sites and resources available at your fingertips. But and this is a big but – we also know what happened just about a year ago when travel was brought to a screeching halt – without any regard for those who were in the middle of their trips. From this unprecedented series of events emerged two vastly different tales.
On one hand there were the unfortunate accounts of not being able to get back home in any kind of reasonable time frame or without many detours and stressors at each turn, of numerous phone calls with ridiculously long wait times, of waiting months for refunds for lost days or entire trips that had to be cancelled or not getting refunds at all – and so on. The majority of these were from travelers that booked the trip on their own without the assistance of a travel advisor.
On the other hand, there were the feel-good stories of getting home with little to no delays and making just one phone call to do so with virtually no wait time, not having to fight for refunds or getting cancel penalties waived, not having to wait on hold – and so on. Know who booked those traveler’s trips? Bingo! Travel advisors.
As a travel advisor for the past decade, I have always known my worth in the trip planning process. And thanks to some amazing reviews from my clients, I can confidently say the part I play is met with much gratitude. And my friends I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. If you know Thia, you know my passion for travel. Getting to share that with others makes my heart happy. That being said, if you haven’t used a travel advisor in the past – and you were lucky enough not to be in one of the unfortunate accounts above – you may still be thinking you will do simply fine on your own. And I am not saying that you won’t by any means. But I would love to take this time to tell you why I don’t think you should travel the world without one.
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We Are A Wealth of Knowledge
As travel advisors we have all studied our craft in one form or another. Some went to college to become a part of the hospitality industry. Some may have learned about travel from years of, well, traveling. However we became experts in our field – the point here is – we did indeed become experts in our field. And as with most professionals, we love to share our knowledge. And that knowledge can take you to places you never dreamed of – literally. Personally, my expertise comes from a lifetime of travels that started when I was a child and had the fabulous opportunity to accompany my parents on business trips. So much of what I know, I experienced firsthand. The rest is thanks to an insatiable hunger to devour everything I can about destinations across the globe through continuous education and training, supplier and partner webinars and affiliations with well-known and respected travel industry leaders.
We Know People
Travel advisors have access to discounts, sales, upgrades, perks, private tours and experiences and a host of other things to save you money or add value to your trip without adding to the cost. How? A few reasons really. This one has a lot of different moving parts to it. For me there is my status with certain hotel brands that allows me to access all of the above. Then there are my trusted contacts in each destination that range from tour operators to transfer companies to restaurateurs. They are literally my eyes and ears on the ground that I trust to check things out that perhaps I have not seen in a while or have yet to see, along with passing on great insider secrets that I can then pass on to you.
We Are Your Person
Another benefit to using a travel advisor is that you have one contact person for every aspect of your trip. Need to change your seats on one of your flights? Your travel advisor can get them changed. Need to request feather free pillows in your room? Your travel advisor can request that. Need to change your morning spa treatment to an afternoon one? Your travel advisor can switch it. Want to book an extra excursion? Your travel advisor can book it. Need to … ok I’m pretty certain you get the idea. Traveling with Thia means you pretty much only have to have one number in your favorites – mine. I am your middleman, your go between, your personal concierge. I wait on hold, so you don’t have to. I get things done for you to ensure that you have nothing less than a fabulous vacation.
We Are There From Start To Finish
Know another great reason to travel the world via a travel advisor? They travel with you – from afar of course. Now, I cannot speak for all travel advisors but when you book with Thia you get Thia from the very beginning planning stages right through the entire trip until you return home. When you are travelling you can contact me 24/7 should the need arise. And when you call me – you get the same agent every time – me! – as opposed to a random agent in a call center. So, no need to stress or worry about explaining anything to me regarding your itinerary. I created it. I know it. I know who to contact. I know how to answer it, fix it, cancel or confirm it. I am here to make sure things go smoothly and take care of any unforeseen circumstances. Basically, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride! So to speak.
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In the interest of time and space – and quite possibly attention spans – I am going to stop at these four reasons – which are pretty much the top four that encompass the main value behind using a travel advisor to travel the world. Although there are many, many more and I am sure my brothers and sisters in the industry can each come up with additional reasons simply based on personal experiences of how they have assisted their customers.
With that being said, whether you need more convincing or you’re ready to let me take the reins, contact me today and let’s get to planning, and thus resuming, your travels around this marvelous world of ours!
Yours in travel,
Thia
