Life as a Travel Agent

I just finished a webinar with Cruise Director John Heald - Carnival Cruise Lines.  If you don't know who he is well he has become the #1 Blogger in the Cruise Industry.  So with his encouragement, I thought I would give it a try.  So bare with me as I get started on this new journey.

Deciding what to talk about isn't easy.  You wonder who wants to hear about what I have to say.  Well for what I am told, my life as a travel agent may not be so boring to all of you.  So here it goes.

I started the agency in February 2004 with my husband Dave's encouragement.  I went on my first cruise the Grandeur of the Seas in June of 2000.  We (my ex-hubby and I) sailed to the Eastern Caribbean.  I had no clue what cruising was about.  I had no anticipation (other than a much needed vacation) of anything.  So to my surprise, I couldn't believe that these people were just so darn nice.  I had never felt so pampered and well important.  They made me feel like a Princess.  The whole remembering my name thing, well that just blew me away.  Well needless to say, when the day came that I had to disembark, I wanted to stow away.  I literally cried as I boarded the bus heading back to the airport.  Can you imagine a vacation that touches you so much that you cry because you have to go back to reality?  Where hardly anyone knows your name and you have to clean and make beds, cook, do laundry.  Ugh!  I knew I had to do it again and I would. 

In September 2001, I was going through a divorce and just started the dating thing when the countries tragedy became a personal one too.  My mother is working in the Pentagon that horrible day and well needless to say she didn't survive.  To my saving grace I had just started dating Dave and well he was my angel through the whole thing.  We were married in July of 2002 and combined our two families to become as Vicky Garcia from Cruise Planners home office - The Brady Bunch plus Alice.  Dave has four children and I have three.  What a group and they all love cruising!  Anyhow, Dave had always wanted to go to Aruba and he decided that Aruba was the place to celebrate his 40th birthday.  Hello, opportunity is knocking.  Yep, that is right I quickly called an acquaintance of mine who was a travel agent and together we found the perfect cruise for us.  In December 2003, we boarded the Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan Puerto Rico and headed to the breath taking Southern Caribbean.  Dave and I had an incredible time, except that Dave's ear hurt from all my talking about how great cruising is.  Well it is great! 

Immediately after we returned home and without my knowledge Dave began researching franchise opportunities.  Shortly after we purchased our business and headed to one week of training in Ft. Lauderdale Florida.  One week, you ask that is it?  Yes, one week to get an idea of what the heck you got yourself into.  Since then I have been running the business on my own with a great hubby supporting me.  Dave doesn't do as much of the selling, but he sure knows how to talk me up and send folks my way. 

Since 2004, I have won a few awards and have had good years and bad years.  Being a Travel Agent isn't as easy as you think.  Sure there are folks out there that will sell you anything you want, without questions asked.  And sure you can do it yourself on the internet, without questions asked.  But I bet you, when they were ready to plan the next trip they used a different method of booking, because something didn't quit go right or wasn't what they thought they were getting.  I know this to be true, because it happened to me before I was an agent. 

Come back next week as I will talk about - how to find a good agent and what makes them good.

To all of you who are interested, thank you and I hope to hear from you.