Print   Close

Why use travel agents?
Because their knowledge and experience save time and money!!

By Sheri Leigh

Travel agents have come full circle. We've gone from the days when you had to go to the airport or a local agent to look up airline schedules and buy tickets, to schedules and tickets being just a mouse click away online. Now we're back to wanting the service and experience only professional travel agents can provide.

Travel today is not the commodity that mega companies would like us to believe. Just ask savvy travel agents who have built great reputations and solid repeat business by offering their clients specialized, boutique-style service. And service is the operative word -- it's a concept that never goes out of style.

This month we are singing the praises of travel agents, and trumpeting their triumphs in surviving and thriving in this “next economy.” Forgive all the musical metaphors, but I have to tie in this month’s American Jazz Museum, Florence’s Maggio Musicale Festival and our Cuban Jazz story. It’s not easy to find monuments and events celebrating travel agents! Hopefully this issue will start to change that.

LA’s Travel Store is the largest privately owned agency in Southern California, with 10 offices in the region. Currently 40 of its agents specifically handle vacation travel. It is Travel Store’s concept of what constitutes a specialist that marks it as our Pick of the Month. Not content with just accepting a trade association or tourist board certificate as qualifying somebody as an agent or specialist, this agency requires a consensus among an agent’s peers. It is experience that truly matters to this company, not official recognition. This process for qualifying agents exemplifies Travel Store’s serious intent to truly know its product and build a reputation for honesty and integrity.

For both experience as well as recognition, Starward First Travel is the place to call for cruises. The company offers a wide selection of small ship and barge cruises for the ideal relaxing holiday afloat. All of its staff members are Accredited Cruise Counselors who frequent all the cruise shows and have personally inspected most of the major cruise lines’ ships. All this company does is cruises, so you are assured it will find the best ship for your needs. From personal experience, I know the staff also has a great sense of humor!

Art and Crafts Tours specializes in the Arts and Crafts movement of the 19^th century. Focusing mainly on the architecture and decorative arts of Britain and Eastern Europe, this company can arrange access to private homes and after-hours visits, complete with guides and lectures. This company’s skill as travel consultants is what makes it stand out.

Bill Lange from Multi Travel Connection, Inc is another great example of what a true travel consultant should be. The Scots Master, as he is called, knows his way around the highlands and lowlands of the country known for heather and haggis. Certified by the Scotland Tourist Board, he can even set you up with a kilted guide/driver. Maybe he can even tell you what Scottish men wear under their plaid!

If you are more inclined to be married in Paris then question a brawny man wearing a skirt, Thema is the place to call. This company can arrange for weddings in an assortment of romantic chapels and chateaus in and around Paris. It  can also provide cultural activities that will bring travelers together with the true gems of any country, the local people. They can arrange a visit with a artist is his studio or lunch with a local family.

Lunch, as well as your other eating habits is all important to Green Earth Travel/Adventure Health Travel. Helping vegetarians find the right spa, cruise or tour to fit their needs, this company can advise you what constitutes vegan in different countries. It even promotes a Beatles tour, which although not just for vegetarians, is included as an honor to Paul McCartney herbivore lifestyle.

Capitol Hill Travel caters to lifestyle choices, as well. This agency specializes in gay and lesbian travel planning. Its well-traveled staff has first-hand knowledge of the destinations and companies it sells, and the company offers a large selection of gay and lesbian-only tours and cruises. It also will handle all aspects of trip planning. A service well worth providing, since this is a niche where experience is more important than credentials.

People are frequently surprised at the range of companies Cultural Travels represents. Culture to us is more than just ruins and dead poets. It is the fabric that makes up our lives. Whether it is the pop culture art of Warhol, the fusion of French-Moroccan cuisine or the drive to conquer space, the earth’s diverse cultures make the world an endlessly fascinating and surprising place.