How to be a good customer

I have mentioned several times about the need for a good travel agent when planning a vacation. What I may have neglected to mention is the need for a good customer when planning a vacation. It can be difficult planning just the right vacation for yourself, but it is even more difficult for a travel agent to plan it for you if you don't have at least some idea as to where you want to go and what you want to do.

Patience is a tool we as travel agents must come fully equipped with, along with a huge sense of humor and a lot of imagination. Over the years I have actually had people call me to book their vacation and they had absolutely no idea what they wanted to do. The family had not discussed it among themselves, nor did they know how many family members would be participating in said vacation. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand knowing that you just need a vacation, but aren't sure where. You would think that the discussion would start within the family before you ask a travel agent to decide for you.

For the first few desperate years in the industry, I was foolish enough to fall for the "what do you have available?" type of customer. Well guess what? Everything is available!! Would you like to go on a cruise? Would you like to spend a week on a sandy beach? Would you like to spend a long weekend at a Dude Ranch? How about an African Safari? Or perhaps going over Niagara Falls in a barrel? If you really want to leave it all up to me, well then you and your whole family are going to Disney World, because that is my personal favorite!!

The point I am trying to make is that a travel agent is to be used to get you the best deal for your money, the best accommodations, the best seats at shows, the best connections in airports, the best travel insurance and the least amount of hassle from your planning experience. We need to know what your family likes to do, the ages of all your kids, the amount of money you plan to spend, and how much time you have to spend it. We work very hard for our clients, and we try to get them the best value from their hard earned dollar.  We need to know if you have frequent flier miles on Delta Airlines before we put together a package that includes air on United Air Lines. We need to know if you are taking elderly parents or anyone that might require special assistance. We need to know if you get sea sick on boats and if you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary. We also need to know if you don't have a passport or if you have been extradited from another country. It would certainly help if you already knew at least which hemisphere you are interested in traveling to.

So in short, give your travel agent the tools to do their job!!! You will be glad you did!

Comments

[nomad blogger]

good story. I like it.

[sedan services washington dc]

oftentimes, customers make mistake or let's say become unprofessional when dealing with travel agent..although we're paying the service, we really have to cooperate for the speedy process and for both parties to achieve the best results

[velvet]

I just came across your blog at agetize. Do you happen to have any suggestions for a nice but easy on the budget trip near but outside the Netherlands? I'll be visiting there in a few months and I would like to explore more places.