Thursday, July 31, 2014

Welcome to the Gold Standard of Travel!

Two things that are WRONG:

1. The idea that Travel Agents are useless in this day and age, what with the Internet and all those
online booking sites.

2). ‘Travel Agents’ who won’t reach out of their comfort zones to help their clients get to where they
really want to go. If you truly feel that Dubai – in July – is where you want to spend your honeymoon,
and your Travel Agent is trying to get you to book at Sandals because that’s a whole lot easier...I don’t
think your interests are being served.

Which is why I came to a decision...

It was time for me to get back into the Leisure side of Travel, and open my own agency, the Gold
Standard  Travel Company.

I want to cater not only to those folks who are looking for a quick trip to Las Vegas or an all-
inclusive resort in Mexico, but also to couples who are looking for their once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon
experience. Far off destinations, unforgettable memories and everything else in between!
You can book all your travel online...but do you really know what you’re getting? Do you even know
where you’re really going? For example, you can book a flight to New York City, tap in NYC, tap in
“lowest fare”...and end up in Islip. Ever been to Islip? It’s a long, long cab ride from Times Square.
Actually, you’d be a lot better off booking your flight to Newark (it’s closer to Manhattan than either
LaGuardia or JFK) BUT...the website didn’t tell you any of that, did it? And that website didn’t exactly
stress the fact that your cheap fare came with a couple of stops, and baggage fees (or in the event of a
flight on Frontier or Spirit, carry-on fees)!

So I’m back in the travel game because I want to provide top notch travel service to anyone looking for
that once-in-a-lifetime trip, or a simple family vacation at the Mouse House (Did you know that there
are four big Disney resorts? Did you know they have serious differences?) I want my clients coming back
from their trips knowing they got treated right, had 24/7 access to me if they had any kind of problem
or any kind of question, knowing they would be taken care of, no matter what the issue.  Above all, I
want my clients to know I won’t try to shoehorn them into anything they don't want (like a completely
different destination!) and will bend over backwards to find the perfect solution for their travel needs.

I’ve had my CTA (Certified Travel Agent) designation since October 2011; this October I’ll be
attaining the CTC (Certified Travel Counselor) designation.  I’ve had 13 years in the Airline and Hotel
Industries and 5 years as a Travel Agent.  I’m an expert in Mediterranean, Middle East, Russia, Luxury,
Honeymoon, Corporate and Adventure Travel.  I’ve been a member of the American Society of Travel
Agents (ASTA) and NACTA (National Association of Career Travel Agents) since 2009.  In 2014 I was the third Travel Agent ever invited to join the Airline Industry's Wings Club. 

Let’s face it. I live and breathe Travel, and I invite you to make your next booking with me.


Welcome to the Gold Standard of Travel!