Travel Agent of the Day - Friday, November 30th, 2007 - Marina Byrum
11/30/2007 01:11 p.m.
Marina Byrum
Certified Travel Consultant (CTC), Destination Specialist (DS)
Marina joined the Tripology network in June of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com.
How long have you been in the business?
"Forty-two years."
What inspired you to become a travel agent?
"The urge to travel myself and to learn about other cultures."
Do you have a passion for travel?
"Very much so!"
Did you do anything else before becoming a travel agent?
"No, I choose this as a career when I was 19."
Are there any great perks that come with working in this business?
"Sure"
What are some of the perks?
"I get to help clients live their travel dreams and experience new things, too."
Any great discounts?
"Yes, but they aren't as good as they used to be!"
What about upgrades?
"Only if I pay for it or use frequent flyer miles."
Do you take a lot of vacations?
"Yes, anywhere from two to four per year. Always someplace different as I like to experience new things."
Do you go alone or do your friends and family tag along?
"I usually let my husband tag along to carry the luggage."
Favorite getaways to head off to on your own?
"A week-end of shopping at the San Marcos, Texas Outlet Mall, or a day in Salado or Fredericksburg, Texas for shopping and some excellent German food."
Do you inadvertently work a lot when you are on vacation? - scouting hotels, activities, tours and sites?
"No, but I am always the "tour guide" for my family and friends if they are with me. I check out some hotels, but I don't let scouting hotels take over my vacation."
How else do you review hotels that you may not have been to?
"I subscribe to many websites that rate hotels and I also check TripAdvisor.com."
How many clients do you have right now?
"Who counts!? But if I had to guess probably around 200-300."
Do you work with a partner?
"No, it's just me."
Office or home?
"I'm home-based."
Do you limit how many clients you can work with at one time?
"No...Haven't had to as of yet."
Websites such as, Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity have given the opportunity to travelers to book trips without a travel agent. Have you found this to be a problem for you?
"Not really."
What are you doing to convince travelers that a travel agent is a better option?
"I always tell people that they may be able to get airfare online cheaper than what I can do; but if they have an extensive itinerary, which is often the case, online is not going to work for them. I also let them know that I never end an airline booking without obtaining seat assignments, something the online booking engines seldom do. So, if "cheapest" is what they are looking for, I may not be their best bet; but if it's service they want, I can deliver."
If a traveler asks you, "Why should I use a travel agent," how do you respond?
"I tell them that using a travel agent versus booking online is comparable to having a legal expert draw up your will as opposed to using a website to do it. You can do it yourself, but you never can do it as well. Plus, if they are going into unfamiliar territory, they need expertise from someone who has 'been there done that;' and that's where a travel agent comes in. Most of the time, we've been there and know all the nuisances of travel in a particular part of the world to which they may be traveling to."
Have any travelers given you any horror stories of experiences they had trying to book a trip on their own?
"A couple"
What's the most exciting trip to book right now for you?
"I am booking a lot of cruises right now, and I always love that. Cruising is so much fun and so exciting to experience, especially, for first-timers. I enjoy helping people with Eco-Adventure travel to Costa Rica, Belize, and Ecuador as well. I am an Ecuador Specialist and have been there twice, including cruising the Galapagos Islands just last month, so that makes it even more exciting to sell! I am also starting to sell some cruises that include Norway and the Arctic- a polar bear expedition to Spitsbergen, Norway. Doesn't that sound like the ultimate!"
What would you say is your most popular destination request right now?
"Cruises to Alaska."
Why do you think that is?
"People want to experience the last frontier...particularly the wild life."
There's a lot of buzz about specialization these days, and how destination expertise is still a great value proposition for travelers. Why do you think agent specialization is important to have when travelers are trying to book the trip?
"I don't think that you can really sell a trip unless you have been there; and if you haven't been there, it really isn't your specialty, is it? So, I tend to try to stick to selling destinations that I know, and that I have visited at least two times. I have been to Belize about 4 or 5 times, so I feel like I can give my clients all the options, things to do & see, etc. If you haven't been to Belize, you probably don't know that it is not exactly a shopper's mecca; but it's pure paradise if you're looking for an Eco-Adventure trip."
What does it mean to be specialized to you? Is it focusing on only 1 thing and traveling there every year?
"No. No travel agent worth her salt is going to focus on just one destination. How boring would that be? But to 'specialize' means you know your product; and you HAVE been there....more than once."
Do travelers ask a lot if you have been to where they are trying to book their trip?
"Sure, people spend a lot of money on vacations and honeymoons, etc. That entitles them to know what to expect. They have to ask questions to be informed."
How specialized is too specialized? Is this possible?
"I don't think you can be too specialized. Some car salesmen only sell Lexus models, whiles others sell a little bit of everything. Who are you going to go to if you want a Lexus? Travel is the same way. If an agent carves a niche just selling customized or escorted tours to Africa, that's a high-end market, so good for her!"
If someone were to call you and ask for a once in a lifetime vacation idea, what would you suggest?
"I would probably find out what kind of person they are first, and if they like wild life, the beach, just looking at scenery, etc. Then I would take it from there. But for most people, the trip of a lifetime is an African Safari; and there are definitely some that offer the most luxurious accommodations imaginable. I would probably start there because Africa really is the trip of a lifetime. The Galapagos Islands are great also, but they don't hold a candle to Africa."
Funniest thing you have ever been asked?
"One young lady asked me, 'Do they strip-search you at airport security now?' I laughed later, wondering if she would have been dreading that or looking forward to it."
Tags: travel agents of the day
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