Below is a guest post from Travel Agent Donatella Braghieri of Fifth Meridian Travel. She shares how she saved her client’s vacation by using her resources to save an Irish adventure.
Travel agents save the day, one passport at a time.
One of the best things about working with travel agents, in my opinion, is that when things go wrong, we always have a few tricks up our sleeves to save the day.
Travel agents build their careers by knowing the ins and out of travel regulations and working with airlines. We are invaluable resources when it comes to planning a seamless trip. But as with all great planning, there is always a chance that something won’t go according to plan!
I once helped two of my clients book a trip to Ireland for an adventure getaway. The trip had been planned a couple months in advance, and my clients and I felt everything was taken care of. They were planned, packed, and ready for a great tour of southern Ireland.
On the day of their trip, the husband called me from the airport saying he had been refused boarding. He had tried to travel to Ireland with just a passport card, not an actual passport. Within 24 hours I was able to get him a new passport that would allow him to fly internationally. I also used one of my contacts at the airline to get the couple’s flights rebooked on a flight two days later. It was originally a nonrefundable, nontransferable flight, mind you!
Thanks to my skills as a travel agent, my clients were still able to enjoy five days of their trip after we got his passport created. A lot of travelers would not be able to rearrange their flights so quickly. And most people definitely would not be able to get a passport so quickly and still be able to take their trip.
I literally saved this couple’s vacation. Even with the passport mishap, my clients were able to have the vacation they had dreamed of. The husband was so impressed with how I saved their trip that we are constantly getting new client inquiries from people who say he referred them to us.
When you’re taking an international vacation and something goes wrong, why wouldn’t you want a professional on your side? Travel agents are there to help you even after the trip is booked and ready to go. We’re there for you when you’re boarding your flight, when you’re enjoying your time abroad, and we’re with you until you get safely home again.
If you want to learn more about the benefits of hiring a travel agent and about what Donatella Braghieri could do for you as you plan your vacation, check out her profile in our directory by simply clicking here.
