Travel Agent of the Day- Friday October 12th, 2007 - Patricia A.

10/12/2007 03:10 p.m.

Patricia Aitken

Certified Travel Consultant (CTC), Destination Specialist (DS), Lifestyle Specialist (LS)

Patricia joined the Tripology network back in March of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com.
 

 

How long have you been in the business?
"10 years"

What inspired you to become a travel agent?
"I did not want to go back into the legal field after my husband passed away. I wanted to do something 'fun and with no stress'- at that time little did I know!" 

Do you have a passion for travel?
"I have traveled extensively even before becoming an agent, both with my parents when I was young and then also with my Marine Corps husband for years. I got to see a lot and meet a lot of really great people. That aspect has really helped me over the years, because I've gone and seen so much (but not nearly enough yet!)"

Did you do anything else before becoming a travel agent?
"Yes, I worked in advertising many many years ago and then in the legal field as a paralegal for 30 years."

Are there any great perks that come with working in this business?
"Meeting great people and going to great places to learn."

Any great discounts?
"I have an IATAN card and my resort destination expertise gets me preferred rooms at resorts.  Also with the vacation rental people I have been doing business with for 10 years, I get the best places to pick from and I can stay all over the world."

What about upgrades? 
"I get offered if they are available, but that is assuming I even want to use them."

What is the best free vacation you have ever gone on?
"Barbados, hands down. It wasn't totally free but that part of the Caribbean is a jewel."
 

Do you go alone or do your friends and family tag along?
"I would like to have my family go along but with them working and the grandkids in school it is difficult. So, I go on my own."

Favorite getaways to head off to on your own?
"San Francisco and Las Vegas for quick getaways, as well as Seattle. I am kind of in the middle of all 3. Hawaii and Mexico are also quick and easy to get to for a week. I love France and Austria too."

Do you inadvertently work a lot when you are on vacation? - scouting hotels, activities, tours and sites?
"It's not inadvertent - I think every agent I know does work when they are gone, even when they absolutely swear that they won't. I get brochures and cards from everyone I talk to. I also take lots of pictures and then hope I remember where I was when I took them."
 
How else do you review hotels that you may not have been to?
"Since I am a resort specialist for many luxury resorts, if I haven't been there, my people there send me great photos and cards, which I read carefully and pass on information to my clients."

How many clients do you have right now?
"Between regular vacation rental people, destination wedding people and honeymooners...close to a thousand."

Do you work with a partner?
"I don't have a partner. I had one years ago but that didn't work out well. However, my daughter, Vivian, has been an enormous help over the years. Problem is she works outside in another "real" job. So, she can't help as much as we would both like. Her daughter, Samantha, helps me with web work and email. Jonathan, my grandson, is great at web hunting, sorting and putting stickers on mail...He doesn't like it all the time, but money does wonders."

Office or home?
"I am back at home...I worked at my own office downtown for two years and found at the end of the two year commitment I had made that it was not worth it. The big problem is that I work too much...the hours just seem to fly by."

Do you limit how many clients you can work with at one time?
"No, not really, because most of what I do is web based. I have an intricate system that has evolved over the years to help keep me sane."

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 anymore with Trip Taylor by my side for the low cost budget people. It used to be a problem, especially for the people who wanted just air. I charge $35 for a ticket and the work that goes into finding it. Then, the client always wants to know why they should pay me - they go onto say, "it just takes me too long to do it and it's frustrating..." - they don't pay, go back and do it themselves. Then, they call me back later when they get the ticket information because 95% of the time it's wrong. I tell them that I cannot help them fix the mess because I didn't book it for them. I did help one local Marine Corps Veteran who was having problems with Orbitz to get a refund. But it took more than a year, lots of mail, phone calls and email to get even half an answer."

If a traveler asks you, "Why should I use a travel agent," how do you respond?
"Being an ASTA agent, as well as a member of OSSN, I have a lot of working knowledge behind me. If I don't know the answers to something, I can get them fast, even with my European rentals. You just don't get those answers with Orbitz, Travelocity, etc... Call centers just don't give customer support like a one-on-one agent/counselor can."

Have any travelers given you any horror stories of experiences they had trying to book a trip on their own?
"Yes, and my friends have had similar stories as well. One of my travel agent friends was stranded in Cancun during Wilma and she was amazed at how many problems there were and how many people were stranded with no one to call."

Do you have any tips for the listening travel community?
"Yes, book early. Especially, with vacation rentals because they do not stay unrented. It is the same thing for resorts and air packages as well. I've seen people 'wait' for air to go down just to find out the resort is sold out. Then, again, the room  categories sell out too. You might get stuck with a room you really don't want. Also remember to give your agent your full legal name. I have had so many people say, "Yes, my name is Andy" when their real name is Andrew. They then get their tickets and the name on the ticket does not match their ID...And one last thing, Passports. If you don't have one, get one. Do not wait a month until you leave for your trip.

What's the most exciting trip to book right now for you?
"Destination Weddings and Honeymoons - everyone involved is so excited- well after they get over the 'dress' issue. People are finally beginning to realize that yes, they can do a Destination Wedding and it is, in all likelihood, less expensive than doing it at home. I've had two Destination Weddings have to cancel destination plans for one reason or another, and them then trying to find something in their home towns only to come back and say they have to scale back on the Honeymoon because it is so expensive to have a wedding at home. The nice and fun part about Destination Weddings is that everyone involved also gets a great vacation in a place they might not have gone to for years."

What would you say is your most popular destination request right now?
"I've been doing quite a lot of Italy, Greece and France. It seems like travel to France is finally beginning to come back. Destination Weddings are popular in Italy. Honeymoons are popular in Greece and Paris. For others, the luxury resorts in Mexico, especially for West Coast people, are very popular, mostly due to the time zone."

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 think specialization and education are very important. The more you learn the more you can pass on. I have come so far just by doing that. Now I know people in various places who can also take my clients on tours in France and Italy or wherever (Mexico, Caribbean, Hong Kong,) - not necessarily all "tour guides" but also locals who take the time to get to know your clients and treat them very well. These people have all made themselves available, some have even made organizations that they belong to so they can become licensed. For instance, say you go to Europe and there are military men who served in WWII that know the beaches of Normandy, Dunkirk, etc. What more could a person who loves history want?"

What does it mean to be specialized to you?
"Knowing what's in a specific area that you are sending your people to. The tours, the resorts, the hideaways that not everyone knows about. I try to go one step beyond just being specialized and try to find out the "local" fun as well.
 
Do travelers ask a lot if you have been to where they are trying to book their trip?
"Yes, and when I haven't I tell them that. But I can also tell them that I know someone who has or give them names of my people who are there to help them out. Most of the time I can get specialized information even if I haven't been exactly where they want to go."

Does specialization actually mean focusing on a handful of things?
"I don't think so...I know there are some who disagree with me and think that you should only specialize in one or two areas-but people who travel extensively are so globally minded you really need to know more."

If someone were to call you and ask for a once in a lifetime vacation idea, what would you suggest?
"We would talk about what they have done in the past, what they want to accomplish on this "once in a lifetime trip" etc...Lots of questions equals lots of answers to help me make them the best vacation ever."

Funniest thing you have ever been asked?
"Someone once asked me if they could drive from New York to London because they had seen that they could. I had to remind them that they would be driving on water!"

Tags: travel agents of the day

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