Jason and I have been at this now for about six months. It's been going well. I think we are surprised. Maybe a little impatient for it to go "faster", but at the same time constantly amazed when we hear about the great time people have had on the trips we've planned and booked for them.
Recently we were talking about exactly who our clients have been since we started this adventure. Surprisingly it has been very few friends and almost no family. We've worked really hard following up on leads and gaining the trust of valuable clients we've met along the way. Most of them being people we've never met in person, but have built up a great rapport with over the phone and via email. And surprisingly, none of them are "local" to us. The internet makes it all possible, we can touch base anytime, day or night, at the client's convenience. Once we know what someone needs from us, it's just a matter of pulling it all together and providing them with the details!
So many exciting trips have been booked for these people! Jason planned a touching trip for two families to Ireland, in memory of lost loved ones. Then there is the large group that is going to Mexico for Halloween to celebrate "Day of the Dead!!". A honeymoon trip to Hawaii is currently being quoted. Plus all of the smaller trips that were just as important to those people going on them!
It can be difficult to explain to prospective clients why they would want to work with a travel agent or wedding planner. Recently even my best friend booked her own cruise because she was convinced she would pay more if she worked with me. It made me sad on a personal level, because I know that I could have gotten her a better deal - not to mention that I'd never, ever ask anyone to pay more for something if I knew they could pay less somewhere else. Especially not my best friend. So lately that has been my mission, helping people to understand how travel agent fees are paid, how that affects the cost of your trip, and why you are better off using a travel agent!
Did you know that as the client, you don't pay the travel agent a dime? There is no fee paid by you for our services! Hotels, cruise lines, resorts and other travel based services love travel agents because we bring them business. We also take the burden off of their staff by dealing with you, answering your questions, coordinating payment and a myriad of other details so they don't have to. In exchange for doing all of that, they pay us a commission.
That commission is NOT added into the price of your trip on the back end. The price you are quoted by a travel agent will sometimes be the same price you could find on your own via a travel website. Often it will be less. Less!! How is that possible? Because travel agents have access to wholesale pricing, special rates, and other non-public deals that regular sites and the general public will not.
OK, so besides the possibility of saving a few bucks - why is it better to use a travel agent? Maybe you don't need to save money. Or maybe the price is exactly the same. So why do it? A travel agent will spend time researching your trip to your exact specifications, working hard to find you not only a great deal - but also the exact type of hotel and flight schedule you are looking for. Sure, you could do that yourself, but why wouldn't you want someone else to do it for you? Especially for free?
Later, when you are on your trip, your travel agent will be available to you should you need anything at all. If an emergency arises and you need to get home immediately, your travel agent can pull that off easily. If something goes wrong at your hotel or resort, your travel agent has contacts you wouldn't believe - it will get fixed faster than you'd imagine! And if you happen to be getting married while you are on your vacation... well if your travel agent is also a wedding planner, you can be playing on the beach, enjoying your resort, while everything is flowing smoothly behind the scenes.
There are many reasons why a travel agent is the way to go when it comes to traveling, whether it's a short trip for business or a lengthy vacation with many stops. Next time you travel, give us a call (248-560-7001), we'll give you a quote and you can compare for yourself! Jason (jason@candycaintravelglr.com) or I (anita@candycaintravelglr.com) would love to hear from you!
Showing posts with label travel agent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel agent. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Who does what?
Who does what? We had a general idea. We knew Jason would focus on booking travel and I would handle wedding planning. But what about all of the rest of it? So much more goes into starting up a new business, but we didn't exactly sit down and work out the details. We probably should have.
Jason and I have very, very different strengths. He kicks butt at everything computer related so naturally he was in charge of building all of our websites, making our Facebook Groups, all of the technology related stuff. I'm all about writing, marketing and networking, really anything that might get our company name noticed. I spend hours trying to figure out the next topic for our blog, or review to put up on lunch.com. I have bunches of ideas but not a lot of time to execute, so I try to figure out what the most "bang" is for my time.
Jason spends a lot of time researching travel deals and booking actual travel for our clients, which takes a lot of time and effort. He's really very good at it. I'm amazed at how quickly he's become an expert at scouring for the best deals, but of course he has been trained by the best - our mentor, Candy Cain!
So the other day I was feeling bad, it seemed like maybe I wasn't doing as much work as Jason has done so far. He's booked a good amount of travel, but I haven't planned any weddings yet (I know, I know, it's only been 6 weeks). Then we discussed it and I realized that a lot of the leads we've gotten, quotes we've done and travel we've booked have been a result of my networking and marketing efforts.
Hmmm, it really is a team effort. Not effortless, no not at all! We didn't realize, but maybe that's a good thing! If we'd have really thought it through we might have talked ourselves out of it. Instead we just jumped off the deep end, took the plunge if you will. We'll sink or swim, but we'll do it together. I have a feeling we'll be just fine.
Jason and I have very, very different strengths. He kicks butt at everything computer related so naturally he was in charge of building all of our websites, making our Facebook Groups, all of the technology related stuff. I'm all about writing, marketing and networking, really anything that might get our company name noticed. I spend hours trying to figure out the next topic for our blog, or review to put up on lunch.com. I have bunches of ideas but not a lot of time to execute, so I try to figure out what the most "bang" is for my time.
Jason spends a lot of time researching travel deals and booking actual travel for our clients, which takes a lot of time and effort. He's really very good at it. I'm amazed at how quickly he's become an expert at scouring for the best deals, but of course he has been trained by the best - our mentor, Candy Cain!
So the other day I was feeling bad, it seemed like maybe I wasn't doing as much work as Jason has done so far. He's booked a good amount of travel, but I haven't planned any weddings yet (I know, I know, it's only been 6 weeks). Then we discussed it and I realized that a lot of the leads we've gotten, quotes we've done and travel we've booked have been a result of my networking and marketing efforts.
Hmmm, it really is a team effort. Not effortless, no not at all! We didn't realize, but maybe that's a good thing! If we'd have really thought it through we might have talked ourselves out of it. Instead we just jumped off the deep end, took the plunge if you will. We'll sink or swim, but we'll do it together. I have a feeling we'll be just fine.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Real Deal...
Before we hired a wedding planner it seemed like we were getting a TON of misinformation, mixed up information and crazy information from all kinds of various sources. And it all depended on the website I read, the wedding show I attended or the magazine I picked up. It was enough to make a person's head spin.
What we wanted was a beach wedding at an adults only, all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. More specifically we wanted to get married at Sandals Negril. But I had attended a bridal show where I had met a travel agent who specifically told me that was out of the question. Why you ask? See, my Maid of Honor is a fabulous single woman. So is my mother. This travel agent told me that absolutely no exceptions could be made for circumstances like these, so I'd have to look at Beaches Resorts as an alternative. I was pretty disappointed.
A few nights letter I sent the infamous email to our now business partner Candy Cain. She was just stunned to learn that any travel agent would give out such ridiculous and incorrect information. Sandals is happy to accommodate wedding parties made up of any marital status. Of course since they are a "couples resort" there is a catch, but isn't there always? We did have to pay for each "single" as if they were a "couple". We were more than happy to do so since it meant we could have our wedding at the resort of our dreams.
I had also read in several reputable wedding magazines that resorts may not allow for bringing in my own wedding flowers if they provide them as a service. Nothing could be further from the truth! I had gorgeous silk bouquets created by Creative Edge Events (they looked incredibly real and I got so many compliments you would not even believe!). Again, there is a catch. They don't really want you so ship them an entire box of silks to decorate the whole wedding. But something can always be arranged, there will likely just be a set up fee, but it can be made to work.
So my point is, don't take anything you read or hear as gospel. Keep asking until you hear the same thing from several very reliable sources. Or, until you get the answer you want!! I mean really, it is YOUR wedding after all. Give us a call as 248-560-7001, or drop me a line at anita@candycaintravelgr.com if you want the straight answers about your Destination Wedding. At Candy Cain Travel Great Lakes Region we will always give you the most accurate information possible. And if we don't know, we won't guess, we will find out and get back to you as soon as we know!
What we wanted was a beach wedding at an adults only, all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. More specifically we wanted to get married at Sandals Negril. But I had attended a bridal show where I had met a travel agent who specifically told me that was out of the question. Why you ask? See, my Maid of Honor is a fabulous single woman. So is my mother. This travel agent told me that absolutely no exceptions could be made for circumstances like these, so I'd have to look at Beaches Resorts as an alternative. I was pretty disappointed.
A few nights letter I sent the infamous email to our now business partner Candy Cain. She was just stunned to learn that any travel agent would give out such ridiculous and incorrect information. Sandals is happy to accommodate wedding parties made up of any marital status. Of course since they are a "couples resort" there is a catch, but isn't there always? We did have to pay for each "single" as if they were a "couple". We were more than happy to do so since it meant we could have our wedding at the resort of our dreams.
I had also read in several reputable wedding magazines that resorts may not allow for bringing in my own wedding flowers if they provide them as a service. Nothing could be further from the truth! I had gorgeous silk bouquets created by Creative Edge Events (they looked incredibly real and I got so many compliments you would not even believe!). Again, there is a catch. They don't really want you so ship them an entire box of silks to decorate the whole wedding. But something can always be arranged, there will likely just be a set up fee, but it can be made to work.
So my point is, don't take anything you read or hear as gospel. Keep asking until you hear the same thing from several very reliable sources. Or, until you get the answer you want!! I mean really, it is YOUR wedding after all. Give us a call as 248-560-7001, or drop me a line at anita@candycaintravelgr.com if you want the straight answers about your Destination Wedding. At Candy Cain Travel Great Lakes Region we will always give you the most accurate information possible. And if we don't know, we won't guess, we will find out and get back to you as soon as we know!
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