This is a special guest post from Travel Agent Trish DeDamos. Read on for her real life story of how she saved the day for her clients and you’ll understand the benefits of hiring a Travel Agent.
As a travel agent, what I’ve seen over and over again is that situations arise — not even necessarily emergencies, but just complications and inconveniences — that no average traveler could reasonably be expected to deal with. They just don’t have the leverage. They don’t have a list of contacts to call. It’s not that they are incapable, obviously. It’s just that without that training, there’s no way they could navigate the complexities of the travel industry.
I had clients who had booked a romantic vacation to Europe, spending two weeks hopping around the Netherlands. Their return flight happened to be the day after the Chicago FAA flight control tower had a fire in 2014. Thankfully, there were no casualties in this fire — but it was intentionally set, and it did knock out their communication system out, and it could have been dangerous. As a result, thousands of flights — including my clients’ — were cancelled. The next available flight was two days after their originally-booked flight.
The Benefits 0f Hiring a Travel Agent
While they were in the air from Amsterdam to Chicago, I researched all available options. I looked at other airlines, various flight times and connections. I found one-way Southwest tickets out of Midway. I texted all the relevant details to them. So when they finally landed at ORD, I had a car waiting for them to transport them to Midway, and got them on their way home. With only four hours between their two flights, they got home that same night — no delays, no overnights stranded in the airport or in a hotel.
A week later, I got a gift certificate in the mail for a fancy steak dinner, and I had two very happy clients!
I was able to use my expertise and do what I love to do — plan amazing romantic vacations for people — to make sure that even when the unexpected arose, they still had an incredible experience. They knew that I cared and that their trip mattered to me as much as it did to them. And it’s true! Yes, you hire travel agents for all the dream moments — but you also hire them so that when things don’t go as planned, there’s someone there who can manage those situations with grace and efficiency. From the moment you leave to the moment you walk back in your door, you’ve got someone who’s looking out for you.
If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of hiring a travel agent and about what Trish DeDamos could do for you as you plan your romantic getaway, check out her profile in our directory by simply clicking here.
