If you've ever visited Seattle and wandered downtown, you may have noticed an unusual bit of art on the wall of the Pike Place Market Theater.
Well, ok, "art" is a subjective term - some people think it's art, still others (myself included) find it to be a disgusting wall of germs and nasty.
Whether you see it as germy or genius, one thing is certain - the Gum Wall is coming down. What started as probably a bit of nasty vandalism by a theater patron who mistakenly felt that it was totally acceptable to leave their chewing gum stuck to a public wall back in 1993 found itself being added to by more and more people. Despite the poor theater workers trying to go after it and scrape it off, the gum kept accumulating and in 1999 the market officials deemed it a "tourist attraction" so the theater just gave up.
Apprarently, it has garnered a lot of attention, including being used as backdrop for wedding photos (really? ew!) and also appearing in the film "Love Happens." It was also rated the 2nd germiest tourist attraction in 2009 (not sure that's something to be proud of, Seattle!) - and was still on the list in 2013.
This week, the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority announced that they have hired a company to power wash all the gum off the wall once and for all. The move was because they were worried about how the gum (which we all know has sugar and all kinds of other weird additives) was eroding the bricks on the building.
The cleaning will begin on November 10th, so I suppose anyone who is worried that they can't have the happiest day of their lives memorialized in front of an estimated 1 million pieces of sticky and saliva better get over there fast. ;) The cleaning is expected to take a couple of days at a cost of around $4,000.
What will happen to the gum? The PPMPDA (because I didn't want to type their long name again lol) will have it weighed - because that's apparently a vital piece of information to have - and then they will just throw it into the garbage where it will sit for all eternity, because gum doesn't compost.
It is predicted that after the walls are scrubbed clean, people will restart the wall with new gum, which makes it feel a little futile.
What do you think - is the gum wall worth rebuilding, or should people keep their masticated rubber and spit to themselves?
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Collect Memories, Not Things: Honeymoon Registries
Earlier today, I posted what has to be one of my favorite travel memes:
Obviously as a travel agent, one of the biggest priorities in my financial life is finding money for travel! ;) I don't usually go for gadgets (heck, I still use a Note 2 and they have already come out with a Note 5), and a couple of years ago my husband and I actually decided to downsize to try to live a more simple life.
While our lifestyle isn't for everyone, one thing that most people can agree on is that when it comes to wedding gifts, it's often the experiences that are treasured and not necessarily the toaster or wine glasses. I can't tell you what all I received from my guests at my reception, but I can tell you that I cherished the conversations and the gathering of so many people I loved - and I can tell you that without my loved ones, we would never have been able to take a honeymoon!! Back when we got married, there weren't really a lot of options to give the gift of travel without shelling out significant money, but we were blessed by an outpouring of gift cards and the donation of some hotel nights as we left our reception straight for our moving trailer and moved several states away!
Thankfully, giving the gift of travel is so much easier these days thanks to a genius idea called a honeymoon registry. Similar to a wedding registry you might find at a big box store, a honeymoon registry is a place where you can purchase different experiences for the bride and groom, picked out by the couple themselves! You can chip in toward airfare, resort fees, a romantic candlelight dinner on the beach, or even a couples massage.
At Operation Relax, we have partnered with Honeyfund to help couples create fantastic honeymoon registries, and help guests provide the perfect memories for their loved ones. The couple has total control over their registry and chooses what they add to the registry and how they want to handle payments. Honeyfund is a FREE platform, but it does offer some upgraded enhancements for a small fee. Couples can choose to book their travel prior to setting up the registry and then apply payments as they come in from guests, or can choose to wait to book their honeymoon until they see what kinds of funds they have been able to raise to cover some or all of the costs.
Overall, a honeymoon registry can be a wonderful experience for both the couple starting their new lives together and the guests who are celebrating their love! Feel free to contact Operation Relax to set up your honeymoon registry at any time.
Obviously as a travel agent, one of the biggest priorities in my financial life is finding money for travel! ;) I don't usually go for gadgets (heck, I still use a Note 2 and they have already come out with a Note 5), and a couple of years ago my husband and I actually decided to downsize to try to live a more simple life.
While our lifestyle isn't for everyone, one thing that most people can agree on is that when it comes to wedding gifts, it's often the experiences that are treasured and not necessarily the toaster or wine glasses. I can't tell you what all I received from my guests at my reception, but I can tell you that I cherished the conversations and the gathering of so many people I loved - and I can tell you that without my loved ones, we would never have been able to take a honeymoon!! Back when we got married, there weren't really a lot of options to give the gift of travel without shelling out significant money, but we were blessed by an outpouring of gift cards and the donation of some hotel nights as we left our reception straight for our moving trailer and moved several states away!
Thankfully, giving the gift of travel is so much easier these days thanks to a genius idea called a honeymoon registry. Similar to a wedding registry you might find at a big box store, a honeymoon registry is a place where you can purchase different experiences for the bride and groom, picked out by the couple themselves! You can chip in toward airfare, resort fees, a romantic candlelight dinner on the beach, or even a couples massage.
At Operation Relax, we have partnered with Honeyfund to help couples create fantastic honeymoon registries, and help guests provide the perfect memories for their loved ones. The couple has total control over their registry and chooses what they add to the registry and how they want to handle payments. Honeyfund is a FREE platform, but it does offer some upgraded enhancements for a small fee. Couples can choose to book their travel prior to setting up the registry and then apply payments as they come in from guests, or can choose to wait to book their honeymoon until they see what kinds of funds they have been able to raise to cover some or all of the costs.
Overall, a honeymoon registry can be a wonderful experience for both the couple starting their new lives together and the guests who are celebrating their love! Feel free to contact Operation Relax to set up your honeymoon registry at any time.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Make your Technology Travel Savvy
Let's be real - most of us are unable to "unplug" from our technology these days, even while on vacation. Some people even get anxious about having less-than-stellar connections on their devices, to the extent that there are certain types of vacations and/or destinations that they refuse to even consider!
So, how can you make your technology less stressful while on vacation? Here's a few travel tips for your technology:
1) Leave it at home!!
Yeah, ok, I probably wouldn't follow that one either. BUT, remind yourself that you do deserve to have some downtime, and make a rule that you can only use your technology devices for a certain amount of time per day. Then get out there and enjoy your vacation!
2) Know the costs involved.
Most of us don't have international plans, so before you leave check with your service providers to find out how much it might cost to check your email or send texts while overseas. Do a little research or ask your travel agent about wifi options at your resort or destination - many places these days realize how connected we are and are providing wifi at a cost or free.
3) Keep your devices safe.
When you aren't using your device, utilize your in-room safe if you have one. If not, or if you'd rather keep your device on you, make sure you pack clothing with big pockets! ;) Or you could purchase a HipKlip from me - it's a clippable pocket with enough room for your cellphone, ID, and keys. Just remember to always keep an eye on your device if you have it with you at the pool or other crowded place where it could be easily stolen.
4) Plug it in.
Don't forget your charger! But also, don't forget that not all countries have the same electrical outlets, so it's a good idea to invest in an adapter or converter if you like to travel frequently. Some rooms may not have a lot of outlet space, so if you have a little extra room in your luggage bring along a power strip too.
5) Get familiar with your device.
Devices can be a little complicated these days, so make sure you take the time to learn how to turn on the airplane mode, what it looks like when it's picking up a roaming signal, etc. It can help you to avoid unwanted charges.
6) Don't do data-heavy work.
Yes, sometimes emails are important to answer immediately. But you shouldn't plan on watching live-streaming services like Hulu or Netflix, or downloading huge files. While these may still work some places, most of the time international roaming or free wifi can lead to slower or lower quality connections that can make these things impossible.
As you can see, it is still possible to stay "plugged in" while on vacation if you choose - just plan ahead!
So, how can you make your technology less stressful while on vacation? Here's a few travel tips for your technology:
1) Leave it at home!!
Yeah, ok, I probably wouldn't follow that one either. BUT, remind yourself that you do deserve to have some downtime, and make a rule that you can only use your technology devices for a certain amount of time per day. Then get out there and enjoy your vacation!
2) Know the costs involved.
Most of us don't have international plans, so before you leave check with your service providers to find out how much it might cost to check your email or send texts while overseas. Do a little research or ask your travel agent about wifi options at your resort or destination - many places these days realize how connected we are and are providing wifi at a cost or free.
3) Keep your devices safe.
When you aren't using your device, utilize your in-room safe if you have one. If not, or if you'd rather keep your device on you, make sure you pack clothing with big pockets! ;) Or you could purchase a HipKlip from me - it's a clippable pocket with enough room for your cellphone, ID, and keys. Just remember to always keep an eye on your device if you have it with you at the pool or other crowded place where it could be easily stolen.
4) Plug it in.
Don't forget your charger! But also, don't forget that not all countries have the same electrical outlets, so it's a good idea to invest in an adapter or converter if you like to travel frequently. Some rooms may not have a lot of outlet space, so if you have a little extra room in your luggage bring along a power strip too.
5) Get familiar with your device.
Devices can be a little complicated these days, so make sure you take the time to learn how to turn on the airplane mode, what it looks like when it's picking up a roaming signal, etc. It can help you to avoid unwanted charges.
6) Don't do data-heavy work.
Yes, sometimes emails are important to answer immediately. But you shouldn't plan on watching live-streaming services like Hulu or Netflix, or downloading huge files. While these may still work some places, most of the time international roaming or free wifi can lead to slower or lower quality connections that can make these things impossible.
As you can see, it is still possible to stay "plugged in" while on vacation if you choose - just plan ahead!
Thursday, October 1, 2015
It's National Plan a Cruise Vacation Month!
It's October, which means it's one of my favorite times of the year - Fall! :)
Ok, ok, it's not just fall that makes it my favorite (although it is my fave season), it's also National Plan a Cruise Vacation Month! One of my favorite types of vacations is a cruise vacation, and I love helping others discover how fun it can be. Using a travel agent to book a cruise continues to be the most popular way to book a cruise (which makes me happy)! In fact, go here to read 5 great reasons to book your cruise with a travel agent.
This is one of the BEST times of the year to book your cruise, because just about every cruise line out there has a special going on. Not only that, but you can also enter to win a FREE CRUISE by participating in the #CruiseSmile contest! All you have to do is go to http://www.cruisesmile.org/ and follow the instructions to be entered to win the daily cruise giveaway. You can get extra entries by posting your "Cruise Smile" photo on Twitter or Instragram using #cruisesmile and #sweepstakes (sadly, not on Facebook, for those of you like me who prefer that over the other two). And don't worry - you just have to upload a pic of you smiling, not necessarily one of you on a ship, so if you haven't cruised before you can still enter to win!! You can upload a new picture every day.
Even if you don't win one of the free daily cruise giveaways, you can still get some INCREDIBLE cruise deals! Here's a list of some of the deals that I can get you when you book with Operation Relax:
- Ama Waterways: $100 off per person ($200 off per stateroom) on ALL cruises - and when you book with me, you also get a $50 onboard credit! This offer DOES combine with all other current offers with this cruise line!
- American Cruise Lines: $1,000 off their holiday river cruises on the Independence and American Eagle!
- Avalon Waterways: Save $1500 per couple on select 2016 river cruises!
- Azamara Club Cruises: Up to $500 onboard spending money on select 2016 sailings!
- Carnival: Special Early Saver rates plus a $50 per stateroom onboard credit for 2016 to April 2017 cruise bookings, PLUS a $100 per stateroom onboard credit for select Carnival Vista 2016 European sailings! Carnival is also offering a GROUP SPECIAL - you can earn one FREE berth for every 10 full fares paid, rather than the usual 15 full fares!
- Celebrity: 50% reduced deposits plus up to $300 onboard credit on select 4 night or longer 2016 cruises!
- Costa: Take a 7 Day Eastern or Western Mediterranean cruise starting from only $595 per person, and Balconies start at $995 per person, PLUS up to $400 onboard credit AND 50% reduced deposit!
- Cunard: $150 reduced deposit plus FREE upgrades on 2016 transatlantic and Mediterranean voyages!
- Holland America: Get the "Explore 4" offers with select January 2016 to April 2017 cruises! Explore 4 includes: a FREE Signature Beverage Package, FREE Pinnacle Grill dinner for two, reduced cruise fares for 3rd and 4th guests in cabin, and 50% reduced deposits!
- MSC Cruises: Book a Caribbean 2016 or 2017 cruise and receive up to $600 in shipboard credit PLUS a beverage package and dinner for 2 in a specialty restaurant! PLUS, you can combine this with Kids Sail Free for select dates, AND you get a free 5x7 onboard photo!
- Norwegian: Book any 2015 cruise and choose one of the following offers: FREE unlimited beverage package, FREE specialty dining, FREE WiFi, or FREE Shore Excursions! PLUS, book a suite or above category and get ALL FOUR OFFERS!
- Princess: 3 for FREE promotion on select 6 day cruises Summer 2016 to Spring 2017, where you can get the following: FREE stateroom location upgrade, FREE gratuities for the first 2 guests in a stateroom, and FREE specialty dining for 2! PLUS, book a Mini-Suite or Suite and get a FREE bottle of wine! PLUS, deposits have been lowered to only $100 per person!
- Royal Caribbean: Buy one guest, get the second 50% off PLUS FREE upgrades and FREE gratuities on select sailings!
- Windstar: Save up to 59% PLUS get 2 FREE hotel nights to use pre- or post-cruise PLUS get a $100 onboard credit PER PERSON on select sailings!
So what are you waiting for? If you love to cruise, or have always wanted to try one, NOW is definitely the time to get "onboard" and book a cruise with your travel agent! ;)
Ok, ok, it's not just fall that makes it my favorite (although it is my fave season), it's also National Plan a Cruise Vacation Month! One of my favorite types of vacations is a cruise vacation, and I love helping others discover how fun it can be. Using a travel agent to book a cruise continues to be the most popular way to book a cruise (which makes me happy)! In fact, go here to read 5 great reasons to book your cruise with a travel agent.
This is one of the BEST times of the year to book your cruise, because just about every cruise line out there has a special going on. Not only that, but you can also enter to win a FREE CRUISE by participating in the #CruiseSmile contest! All you have to do is go to http://www.cruisesmile.org/ and follow the instructions to be entered to win the daily cruise giveaway. You can get extra entries by posting your "Cruise Smile" photo on Twitter or Instragram using #cruisesmile and #sweepstakes (sadly, not on Facebook, for those of you like me who prefer that over the other two). And don't worry - you just have to upload a pic of you smiling, not necessarily one of you on a ship, so if you haven't cruised before you can still enter to win!! You can upload a new picture every day.
Even if you don't win one of the free daily cruise giveaways, you can still get some INCREDIBLE cruise deals! Here's a list of some of the deals that I can get you when you book with Operation Relax:
- Ama Waterways: $100 off per person ($200 off per stateroom) on ALL cruises - and when you book with me, you also get a $50 onboard credit! This offer DOES combine with all other current offers with this cruise line!
- American Cruise Lines: $1,000 off their holiday river cruises on the Independence and American Eagle!
- Avalon Waterways: Save $1500 per couple on select 2016 river cruises!
- Azamara Club Cruises: Up to $500 onboard spending money on select 2016 sailings!
- Carnival: Special Early Saver rates plus a $50 per stateroom onboard credit for 2016 to April 2017 cruise bookings, PLUS a $100 per stateroom onboard credit for select Carnival Vista 2016 European sailings! Carnival is also offering a GROUP SPECIAL - you can earn one FREE berth for every 10 full fares paid, rather than the usual 15 full fares!
- Celebrity: 50% reduced deposits plus up to $300 onboard credit on select 4 night or longer 2016 cruises!
- Costa: Take a 7 Day Eastern or Western Mediterranean cruise starting from only $595 per person, and Balconies start at $995 per person, PLUS up to $400 onboard credit AND 50% reduced deposit!
- Cunard: $150 reduced deposit plus FREE upgrades on 2016 transatlantic and Mediterranean voyages!
- Holland America: Get the "Explore 4" offers with select January 2016 to April 2017 cruises! Explore 4 includes: a FREE Signature Beverage Package, FREE Pinnacle Grill dinner for two, reduced cruise fares for 3rd and 4th guests in cabin, and 50% reduced deposits!
- MSC Cruises: Book a Caribbean 2016 or 2017 cruise and receive up to $600 in shipboard credit PLUS a beverage package and dinner for 2 in a specialty restaurant! PLUS, you can combine this with Kids Sail Free for select dates, AND you get a free 5x7 onboard photo!
- Norwegian: Book any 2015 cruise and choose one of the following offers: FREE unlimited beverage package, FREE specialty dining, FREE WiFi, or FREE Shore Excursions! PLUS, book a suite or above category and get ALL FOUR OFFERS!
- Princess: 3 for FREE promotion on select 6 day cruises Summer 2016 to Spring 2017, where you can get the following: FREE stateroom location upgrade, FREE gratuities for the first 2 guests in a stateroom, and FREE specialty dining for 2! PLUS, book a Mini-Suite or Suite and get a FREE bottle of wine! PLUS, deposits have been lowered to only $100 per person!
- Royal Caribbean: Buy one guest, get the second 50% off PLUS FREE upgrades and FREE gratuities on select sailings!
- Windstar: Save up to 59% PLUS get 2 FREE hotel nights to use pre- or post-cruise PLUS get a $100 onboard credit PER PERSON on select sailings!
So what are you waiting for? If you love to cruise, or have always wanted to try one, NOW is definitely the time to get "onboard" and book a cruise with your travel agent! ;)
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
A Dirty Little Secret About the Travel Industry - and 8 Reasons to Use a Travel Agent Instead of Booking Direct!
Recently, I was inspired to write a blog post regarding why I choose to charge a small, refundable Plan to Go Fee (you can check out that post here). It touches on a few things that many people don't know about the travel industry, like how airlines just plain hate everyone in equal measure.
But I think it's time to reveal a little more.
First, let's face it - we are an online society and love to do as much online as possible. That's cool, I totally get it (and not just because I fall into the "Milllenial" age range, though admittedly at the upper end of it). So where do a lot of people go to book vacations - Expedia? Orbitz? Travelocity? Directly with the resort/cruise line/hotel/etc?
WHY?
Oh, because they say they have the lowest price? They GUARANTEE they have the lowest price? Huh. Well, that might be true - but it's not the whole truth. See, they do have the best price - but so does Operation Relax, any other booking engine, or any other travel agent.
Yep.
True story, we all have access to the same prices 99% of the time. The other 1% of the time it might just be that we aren't comparing apples to apples (for example, you found a great hotel deal online and assumed air was included - it wasn't - so our quote looks higher but only because we included air) or because the hotel/cruise line/resort/whatever is being douche-y and trying to make travel agents look bad (and yes, that does happen sometimes. In that case, we usually are up front and honest with you about it). Why would they do that? Well, when you book direct, they pocket the commission that would normally go to us, so it's kinda like they get paid a little bit more for you doing all the work of booking yourself rather than having us do it for you.
Let's think about that a little more - they get paid for YOU doing the work? Wow. That's kind of like performing your own professional dental cleaning and then still paying the dental bill when it comes in the mail.
So what about booking with a travel agent? Well, that means WE do the work for you, and then THEY pay us. Not you. There is a little misunderstanding that by using a travel agent you are paying us directly. Most of the time, that's not true (the caveat being that sometimes there might be a refundable Plan to Go Fee like Operation Relax charges, or you might be booking something - like airfare only - that doesn't pay commission and thus we'd have to charge you if we wanted to get paid to work, which is perfectly reasonable right?). So by booking with a travel agent like me, you are paying someone to do the work, and helping to support a small business!
In case that's not enough of a reason for you, here are eight more reasons:
1) When it comes to travel, I'm smarter than you.
That might sound mean, but it's true. See, I actually take classes on travel. I think about travel every day. I spend hours reading travel magazines and books, watching travel webinars, and randomly surfing Pinterest for pictures of travel destinations that I think are something I should learn more about. I'm not alone in this - all good travel agents spend their time doing the same things! We also go to conferences, visit places on educational familiarization trips, and even do resort inspections where we often spend hours walking all over a resort and seeing EVERY TYPE OF ROOM in the resort along with all of the common areas just so we can specifically know whether or not a Beachfront Tiki Bombtastic Room is worth an upgrade from the Beachfront Tiki SortaCool Room.
Here's a great example - let's say you found a great deal for a trip to Jamaica in October. You're feeling pretty great about it, until I remind you that it's hurricane season and that Jamaica and the Dominican Republic are usually the worst hit by hurricanes. Then I can guide you to places that are usually less affected by hurricanes, like St. Lucia or Grenada.
Or let's say you want to go to the Cancun area for a vacation. So you head over to Expedia and you do a search for Cancun and... HOLY SMOKES! There are over 250 options. So you think - no problem, let me narrow it down to all-inclusive resorts. BOOM! That brings you to 55. That seems great,until you find yourself still elbow-deep in Trip Advisor reviews several hours later with no real idea as to which resort would give you the best spot to just hang in a hammock all day because that's not actually an option on Expedia for narrowing things down and no one on Trip Advisor has talked about it... argh!
Yeah, no worries, I got this. I've been to the area, can show you a picture of a spot where I've hung out in a hammock, I have a great relationship with the resort and just lined you up a free drink package, and I've just saved you hours of stress-eating. Just sayin'.
2) Along that line - we get perks for our clients.
Part of the reason we spend so much of our time (and money) visiting resorts, taking their tours, and going to conferences is to build relationships with them. Not only that, but because of our volume, they are more likely to give us little luxuries that we can share with you. These aren't things that you can get when you book with Orbitz or Travelocity.
I don't want to mislead you - we can't ALWAYS get you goodies. But I can guarantee you that we always ask!
3) There's a good chance I've been there.
Or there. Or there. Travel agents go a lot of places and see a lot of things. Often even when we "vacation," we line up multiple resort inspections to do "on the side" - for example, when I was in Negril I didn't just go to Sandals, I also checked out Beaches and Grand Pineapple. Resorts want agents to sell them, so they often invite us to come check them out. In 2015 so far, I have been to 3 countries with over 7 destination stops. In a previous year, I took 3 cruises - yep, in ONE YEAR. What can I say - not only do I love to sell travel, but I love to travel myself!
4) And if I haven't been there, I know someone that has.
I won't lie and say I've been everywhere - there's only so much travel time I can do (and only so much money I can spend on it). But I know people - LOTS of people. And a lot of the people I know are other travel agents! So maybe I won't know the best place to get lunch in Paris since Europe isn't really my "thing" right now, but I can guarantee that I know someone that not only knows the best place but also what time to get there and who to ask for. I'm part of a network of over 2,100 travel agents all over the world. If we all average sending out clients on about 14 trips per month, that means so far this year we've booked 176,400 trips. So yeah, that's a lot!
Not to mention, I keep tabs on my clients' travel experiences. I check in with them after travel and ask them to share their experiences, and I keep those in mind for future clients. I have clients that are braver than me - for example, the one that went skydiving in Vegas - or have different interests than me - for example, the one that went deep sea fishing and caught a SHARK - and I use those experiences to help me create a more comprehensive look at each destination.
5) My reviews are always honest.
If you follow my Facebook page or watch my YouTube tours, you'll see that I leave nothing out. If it smells, I tell you. If the beach isn't really up to par, I'll tell you that too. I'll also let you know when I place is so indescribably beautiful that you really have to go see it yourself (like here).
Have you looked at Trip Advisor reviews before? Some of them aren't even legitimately decent - for example, one couple who DIDN'T EVEN GO TO A RESORT was complaining about a resort and gave them a bad review. Seriously. Or sometimes people write glowing reviews for a resort because they are given a free upgrade if they do it.
Unless you know the person writing the review, and think they are an honest reviewer, you probably won't get much off of third party review sites. While it is true that sometimes resorts ask me to come stay for free, they are always told that I'm going to be honest with my clients when it comes to reviewing the resort.
6) I actually AM glad to get your call, or email!
It's not just something forced upon me by a telemarketing script. Honestly, hearing from prospective travelers and helping them plan trips often causes me to break out in my happy dance and subsequently terrify my cats (true story).
I LOVE working in the travel industry. This isn't just a "job" for me, but a way of life. I feel amazing getting to send travelers out into the world and see all of their pictures and experiences.
Similarly, when things go bad, I care and I feel sadness and anger on your behalf, and I fight for you. It's not something I "have" to do, but something I want to do. Recently, I had a client come back from a stay at a resort with a terrible experience. She was honest with me and showed me pictures of the problems. I took those pictures and her complaints and brought them directly to the top of the hierarchy and made the company aware of the problems. She didn't ask me to get anything for her, and probably didn't expect me to do more than listen to her complain. But my work on her behalf, and some additional followup, granted me the opportunity to obtain for her a formal apology plus a future travel credit! It made me feel like a fat white Oprah. ;) Does that always happen? No. Sometimes I bring forth the complaints and nothing happens, but you better believe I am always in your corner.
7) And as seen above, when it comes to resorts we are VIPs.
This kind of ties back in with the perks things - resorts realize how much power travel agents have, and they often make sure to keep us happy. They want me to sell them, and I won't sell them if I think they have mistreated a client. So if I call or email a resort, they listen and usually answer. Can you say that about BookIt?
Here's a personal story - before I was a travel agent, I went to visit my sis in Chicago and booked a hotel. I chose one that had a kitchen so I could cook my own food (having food allergies makes you aware of things like that) and chose a nonsmoking room. It's a bit of a drive from Omaha to Chicago - 8 hours - so we arrived at check in later in the evening, around 7pm. They gave us a room key and sent us on our way. We got in the room, and I was immediately wheezing from the smoke! So we turned right back around and went to the front desk and explained the problem, even showing them where we had booked a nonsmoking room (through an online booking engine that rhymes with "sex media"). Their response? "Sorry, we don't have any nonsmoking rooms available. We can check again tomorrow but you'll have to stay there tonight." Um, NO. I couldn't breathe, so there was no way that was going to work. So we tried calling that super special online booking site. After being transferred a few times, we found someone that could "help" us - they said they'd book us a room elsewhere and we'd still have to pay for it, and then in 10 business days we'd have our refund from the other room. WHAT?!? You want me to pay for ANOTHER hotel without even having the money back from this one yet? By the way, it was almost 10pm by then. Long story short - we ended up crashing at my sister's for the night, then having to pay out of pocket for a different room while we waited 10 business days for a refund for the first room. At no time did anyone apologize or think it was unusual - see, apparently if you book via an online booking engine you are a "non priority" client (it's in their fine print) so you aren't actually guaranteed what you booked.
Now that I'm a travel agent, things tend to go a little better than that. ;)
8) I work for YOU.
So if all of these examples haven't made it clear enough: I work for YOU. Why go it alone and hope everything works out when you can work with someone who knows what they are doing and can make it easier? One of Operation Relax's primary goals is making travel as stress-free as possible for our clients. It doesn't cost you anything extra to work with me, and I can help you nab the vacation that makes all of your friends drool over your pictures and stories.
Ready to get going? Stop by www.operationrelax.com or contact Jess at 402-590-2012 to start your booking.
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This post was inspired by my fellow travel agent at Vacationisms Worldwide Travel. You can find her post here .
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But I think it's time to reveal a little more.
First, let's face it - we are an online society and love to do as much online as possible. That's cool, I totally get it (and not just because I fall into the "Milllenial" age range, though admittedly at the upper end of it). So where do a lot of people go to book vacations - Expedia? Orbitz? Travelocity? Directly with the resort/cruise line/hotel/etc?
WHY?
Oh, because they say they have the lowest price? They GUARANTEE they have the lowest price? Huh. Well, that might be true - but it's not the whole truth. See, they do have the best price - but so does Operation Relax, any other booking engine, or any other travel agent.
Yep.
True story, we all have access to the same prices 99% of the time. The other 1% of the time it might just be that we aren't comparing apples to apples (for example, you found a great hotel deal online and assumed air was included - it wasn't - so our quote looks higher but only because we included air) or because the hotel/cruise line/resort/whatever is being douche-y and trying to make travel agents look bad (and yes, that does happen sometimes. In that case, we usually are up front and honest with you about it). Why would they do that? Well, when you book direct, they pocket the commission that would normally go to us, so it's kinda like they get paid a little bit more for you doing all the work of booking yourself rather than having us do it for you.
Let's think about that a little more - they get paid for YOU doing the work? Wow. That's kind of like performing your own professional dental cleaning and then still paying the dental bill when it comes in the mail.
So what about booking with a travel agent? Well, that means WE do the work for you, and then THEY pay us. Not you. There is a little misunderstanding that by using a travel agent you are paying us directly. Most of the time, that's not true (the caveat being that sometimes there might be a refundable Plan to Go Fee like Operation Relax charges, or you might be booking something - like airfare only - that doesn't pay commission and thus we'd have to charge you if we wanted to get paid to work, which is perfectly reasonable right?). So by booking with a travel agent like me, you are paying someone to do the work, and helping to support a small business!
In case that's not enough of a reason for you, here are eight more reasons:
1) When it comes to travel, I'm smarter than you.
That might sound mean, but it's true. See, I actually take classes on travel. I think about travel every day. I spend hours reading travel magazines and books, watching travel webinars, and randomly surfing Pinterest for pictures of travel destinations that I think are something I should learn more about. I'm not alone in this - all good travel agents spend their time doing the same things! We also go to conferences, visit places on educational familiarization trips, and even do resort inspections where we often spend hours walking all over a resort and seeing EVERY TYPE OF ROOM in the resort along with all of the common areas just so we can specifically know whether or not a Beachfront Tiki Bombtastic Room is worth an upgrade from the Beachfront Tiki SortaCool Room.
Here's a great example - let's say you found a great deal for a trip to Jamaica in October. You're feeling pretty great about it, until I remind you that it's hurricane season and that Jamaica and the Dominican Republic are usually the worst hit by hurricanes. Then I can guide you to places that are usually less affected by hurricanes, like St. Lucia or Grenada.
Or let's say you want to go to the Cancun area for a vacation. So you head over to Expedia and you do a search for Cancun and... HOLY SMOKES! There are over 250 options. So you think - no problem, let me narrow it down to all-inclusive resorts. BOOM! That brings you to 55. That seems great,until you find yourself still elbow-deep in Trip Advisor reviews several hours later with no real idea as to which resort would give you the best spot to just hang in a hammock all day because that's not actually an option on Expedia for narrowing things down and no one on Trip Advisor has talked about it... argh!
Yeah, no worries, I got this. I've been to the area, can show you a picture of a spot where I've hung out in a hammock, I have a great relationship with the resort and just lined you up a free drink package, and I've just saved you hours of stress-eating. Just sayin'.
2) Along that line - we get perks for our clients.
Part of the reason we spend so much of our time (and money) visiting resorts, taking their tours, and going to conferences is to build relationships with them. Not only that, but because of our volume, they are more likely to give us little luxuries that we can share with you. These aren't things that you can get when you book with Orbitz or Travelocity.
I don't want to mislead you - we can't ALWAYS get you goodies. But I can guarantee you that we always ask!
3) There's a good chance I've been there.
Or there. Or there. Travel agents go a lot of places and see a lot of things. Often even when we "vacation," we line up multiple resort inspections to do "on the side" - for example, when I was in Negril I didn't just go to Sandals, I also checked out Beaches and Grand Pineapple. Resorts want agents to sell them, so they often invite us to come check them out. In 2015 so far, I have been to 3 countries with over 7 destination stops. In a previous year, I took 3 cruises - yep, in ONE YEAR. What can I say - not only do I love to sell travel, but I love to travel myself!
4) And if I haven't been there, I know someone that has.
I won't lie and say I've been everywhere - there's only so much travel time I can do (and only so much money I can spend on it). But I know people - LOTS of people. And a lot of the people I know are other travel agents! So maybe I won't know the best place to get lunch in Paris since Europe isn't really my "thing" right now, but I can guarantee that I know someone that not only knows the best place but also what time to get there and who to ask for. I'm part of a network of over 2,100 travel agents all over the world. If we all average sending out clients on about 14 trips per month, that means so far this year we've booked 176,400 trips. So yeah, that's a lot!
Not to mention, I keep tabs on my clients' travel experiences. I check in with them after travel and ask them to share their experiences, and I keep those in mind for future clients. I have clients that are braver than me - for example, the one that went skydiving in Vegas - or have different interests than me - for example, the one that went deep sea fishing and caught a SHARK - and I use those experiences to help me create a more comprehensive look at each destination.
5) My reviews are always honest.
If you follow my Facebook page or watch my YouTube tours, you'll see that I leave nothing out. If it smells, I tell you. If the beach isn't really up to par, I'll tell you that too. I'll also let you know when I place is so indescribably beautiful that you really have to go see it yourself (like here).
Have you looked at Trip Advisor reviews before? Some of them aren't even legitimately decent - for example, one couple who DIDN'T EVEN GO TO A RESORT was complaining about a resort and gave them a bad review. Seriously. Or sometimes people write glowing reviews for a resort because they are given a free upgrade if they do it.
Unless you know the person writing the review, and think they are an honest reviewer, you probably won't get much off of third party review sites. While it is true that sometimes resorts ask me to come stay for free, they are always told that I'm going to be honest with my clients when it comes to reviewing the resort.
6) I actually AM glad to get your call, or email!
It's not just something forced upon me by a telemarketing script. Honestly, hearing from prospective travelers and helping them plan trips often causes me to break out in my happy dance and subsequently terrify my cats (true story).
I LOVE working in the travel industry. This isn't just a "job" for me, but a way of life. I feel amazing getting to send travelers out into the world and see all of their pictures and experiences.
Similarly, when things go bad, I care and I feel sadness and anger on your behalf, and I fight for you. It's not something I "have" to do, but something I want to do. Recently, I had a client come back from a stay at a resort with a terrible experience. She was honest with me and showed me pictures of the problems. I took those pictures and her complaints and brought them directly to the top of the hierarchy and made the company aware of the problems. She didn't ask me to get anything for her, and probably didn't expect me to do more than listen to her complain. But my work on her behalf, and some additional followup, granted me the opportunity to obtain for her a formal apology plus a future travel credit! It made me feel like a fat white Oprah. ;) Does that always happen? No. Sometimes I bring forth the complaints and nothing happens, but you better believe I am always in your corner.
7) And as seen above, when it comes to resorts we are VIPs.
This kind of ties back in with the perks things - resorts realize how much power travel agents have, and they often make sure to keep us happy. They want me to sell them, and I won't sell them if I think they have mistreated a client. So if I call or email a resort, they listen and usually answer. Can you say that about BookIt?
Here's a personal story - before I was a travel agent, I went to visit my sis in Chicago and booked a hotel. I chose one that had a kitchen so I could cook my own food (having food allergies makes you aware of things like that) and chose a nonsmoking room. It's a bit of a drive from Omaha to Chicago - 8 hours - so we arrived at check in later in the evening, around 7pm. They gave us a room key and sent us on our way. We got in the room, and I was immediately wheezing from the smoke! So we turned right back around and went to the front desk and explained the problem, even showing them where we had booked a nonsmoking room (through an online booking engine that rhymes with "sex media"). Their response? "Sorry, we don't have any nonsmoking rooms available. We can check again tomorrow but you'll have to stay there tonight." Um, NO. I couldn't breathe, so there was no way that was going to work. So we tried calling that super special online booking site. After being transferred a few times, we found someone that could "help" us - they said they'd book us a room elsewhere and we'd still have to pay for it, and then in 10 business days we'd have our refund from the other room. WHAT?!? You want me to pay for ANOTHER hotel without even having the money back from this one yet? By the way, it was almost 10pm by then. Long story short - we ended up crashing at my sister's for the night, then having to pay out of pocket for a different room while we waited 10 business days for a refund for the first room. At no time did anyone apologize or think it was unusual - see, apparently if you book via an online booking engine you are a "non priority" client (it's in their fine print) so you aren't actually guaranteed what you booked.
Now that I'm a travel agent, things tend to go a little better than that. ;)
8) I work for YOU.
So if all of these examples haven't made it clear enough: I work for YOU. Why go it alone and hope everything works out when you can work with someone who knows what they are doing and can make it easier? One of Operation Relax's primary goals is making travel as stress-free as possible for our clients. It doesn't cost you anything extra to work with me, and I can help you nab the vacation that makes all of your friends drool over your pictures and stories.
Ready to get going? Stop by www.operationrelax.com or contact Jess at 402-590-2012 to start your booking.
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This post was inspired by my fellow travel agent at Vacationisms Worldwide Travel. You can find her post here .
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