The first step when you decide to travel is the actual planning of the the vacation. This is something in the travel industry that has drastically changed over the years. I had the chance to interview Stacey, a former travel agent that worked back in my small hometown from 1988 to 1993. The first step to a successful vacation is the planning, check out the interview we had!
How did you decide that you wanted to be a travel agent?
I wanted to get out of Iowa and see the world. I had also thought about being a flight attendant.
Where did you attend travel school?
McConnell Travel School, downtown Minneapolis for one year
What were all the elements that you planned for the travelers?
I booked the flights, room accommodations, and tours. I also gave them the times to be at the airport and some packing recommendations.
How did you go about planning the vacations?
I would find our what their interests were and what they wanted to see. Then I could start researching and looking at different packages, hotels, and flight times. We would then look at different brochures to see where they wanted to go, otherwise we had to trust what places said over the phone on what the views, hotels, and surroundings looked like.
Describe the different types of people that you had to accommodate.
You had your party people (night life), people that wanted to just relax, sightseers, adventurous people, and people that were interested in the history of the area. I had to tailor to each of their different needs, everyone was looking for a different aspect or even a combination of a few. I gave them different ideas of where to go that would be in their interest.
What advice would you give the travelers after planning their vacations?
I would advise them to look for specific gates in the airports. Also, I told them to be alert of their surroundings and to look where they were going, but to have fun! Some locations I would recommend to stay within their resort to be safe.
Did customers ever come back and tell you about their experience?
I got a lot of postcards while they were on vacation. A lot of times the honeymooners would come back and thank me for such a great trip.
Did you get to go anywhere fun because of this job?
Yes and at discounted prices! I traveled to Europe, Mexico, Las Vegas, The Bahamas, and many other places. This helped me to recommend travelers to different places I had visited.
Do you think it's easier now to plan trips because of the Internet and new travel apps?
Yes, there is so much more out there to gather information and to get things booked faster and more efficiently. There are many great websites like TripAdvisor, Expedia, and many more that make the planning so much easier. I wish I would have had that when I was an agent.
Do you think the traveling industry has changed the way it advertises?
Yes. When I was working as a travel agent, the places that put out the best brochures got the travelers, unless I knew firsthand. The ads and pictures sold the trip. It has changed more from paper to the Web. Now how they advertise is on the web, the itinerary is on your smartphone, everything is at your fingertips.
What advice would you give travelers these days?
People still ask me advice because I was in the travel business, but now anyone can look anything up these days. I encourage them to do their research and make sure other travelers liked it, use TripAdvisor.
What do you look for in a successful trip?
A successful trip would be on time flights, lots of sunshine, pretty water and beaches, and happy traveling companions.
Have you had trouble with on time flights?
Recently, I was on a plane with engine trouble and we could only leave the next day. We knew about traveling so we asked about different airports that could give us the same flight. We ended up driving from Sioux Falls to Omaha in a blizzard, what an adventure!
Do you think there is still a need for travel agents?
If you have the time -- No. You can research it and book it yourself, but if you are busy and you want someone to help you with the prices and places to go then it is nice to have those options, and yes sometimes we (my family) uses a travel agent.
Would you ever consider working in the travel industry again?
Yes, but maybe as something other than a travel agent.
What skills do you think you would need now as a travel agent?
I don't think you need any certification, but you would want to know your geography and have some hands on experience. I would say to know some destinations first hand so you know what you are selling. And for sure have computer and people skills.
Thanks for all your great input Stacey! Happy traveling planning everyone! Any questions you have can be commented below and I will ask her them.
