Travel Agent of the Day Monday November 19th, 2007 - Loretta Lamberth
11/15/2007 11:11 a.m.
Loretta Lamberth
European Travel Specialist
Loretta 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?
"Over two years."
What inspired you to become a travel agent?
"It sounds so cliché, but my love of travel and being able to offer those experiences and joys to clients motivated me to get started. Travel makes people happy! I was already planning travel for myself, friends, and family as their unofficial travel agent, so I thought- Why not take it from a non-paying hobby to a new career..."
Do you have a passion for travel?
"Most definitely! Especially, travel to Italy and France my two personal favorite vacation destintions. And since I can't be on vacation all the time, planning trips for my clients and talking to them about their trip when they return is almost as good as going myself. Travel just offers people the down-time they need to relax and rejuvenate themselves, have fun, and enjoy their families. It is its own unique form of education. It makes us experience new things we might not try otherwise. Some of my best memories of my daughters are from when they were younger and the vacations we shared."
Did you do anything else before becoming a travel agent?
"Yes, I spent nearly 25 years working in a dental office, the last 13 years registered as a dental hygienist. I keep my license and education current, but really only practice on a fill-in basis, if it happens to work out with my schedule."
Are there any great perks that come with working in this business?
"I get to always be in a permanent vacation state of mind."
What are some of the perks? Any great discounts?
"Occasionally, on rental cars and such."
What about upgrades?
"I wish but not so far. Frankly, I usually travel as myself, not as an agent."
Do you take a lot of vacations?
"Usually one long weekend and another longer trip of about 10 days or so every year. This year was an exception because we stayed home and paid for a wedding instead. The years we have been able to take two big trips have been the best."
Do you go alone or do your friends and family tag along?
"Both. In 2006, just my husband and I traveled south of Rome and spent several days in Sorrento and the region around there. But later that summer, for my youngest daughter's high school graduation trip, we were a party of six - my husband, myself, our youngest daughter and her best friend, and our oldest daughter and her then boyfriend (now husband). We spent eight days in Venice and Paris. That was when I learned firsthand what to do when someone loses a passport AND has brought no back-up copies (my daughter's friend). It was an interesting 48 hours to say the least."
Favorite getaways to head off to on your own?
"If you call a few days in Paris or Florence a getaway, we'll go with that. And even at my age, I won't miss a chance to visit a certain mouse in central Florida. I enjoy a couple days on the beach with a good book, but mostly I want to go sightseeing."
Do you inadvertently work a lot when you are on vacation? - scouting hotels, activities, tours and sites?
"No, I purposely work a lot on vacation. I haven't learned how to NOT check e-mails and phone messages a couple of times a day and make sure I haven't missed anything important in case a client needs me. When you are the one and only owner/manager/employee in a business, you don't really have days off. Every experience I have on vacation is useful in my business somewhere, so I try to make the most of it."
How else do you review hotels that you may not have been to?
"I take TripAdvisor reviews with a grain of salt but it can be useful. Also, some of the hotel systems I use also provide details and reviews. I might also be one of the few agents who reads the guidebooks by Arthur Frommer and Rick Steves just to see what hotels they are recommending each year - because clients certainly read them. And I always keep info from returning clients so I know if a property was really all it was supposed to be. Finally, there are some great travel agent forums out there to ask other agents who may know the hotel personally and I have found they are always happy to share their personal experiences."
How many clients do you have right now?
"240 overall give or take, but I am currently working with about 11 couples and 3 large groups."
Do you work with a partner?
"No"
Office or home?
"Home"
Do you limit how many clients you can work with at one time?
"No"
Do you have your own booking engine on your website for the traveler to use?
"No, even from the beginning it has never been my intention to direct potential clients to "point and click." My business model is based on offering personal customer service, customized itineraries and packages that provide what my clients envision their trips to be, and prompt responses to their inquiries."
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?
"I find it an annoyance, but not a problem. The last thing I want is to be in a bidding war against an invisible online giant, when I am not even sure the client is comparing apples to apples or not."
What are you doing to convince travelers that a travel agent is a better option?
"Because overall I am trying to cultivate clientele who pretty much have the same lifestyle and goals as I do, it is very productive to appeal to their common sense in the face of busy schedules and reminding them that "cheaper" is NOT the same thing as "value." I let them know that I can distill hours of research into 2 or 3 viable choices for them. I have resources beyond the internet and I am aware of smaller details that need to be dealt with to ensure a stress free trip since I have probably "Been there - Done that." I remind them that there can be a lot of unanswered questions with anonymous online bookings and that I am NOT anonymous. I am there for them, to ensure that every detail is handled the way they prefer and that they have all the information and resources they need to enjoy their trip without the frustration of uneducated choices. I also remind them of the fact that a travel consultant provides personal interaction rather than yet another automated response from a system. Most people would rather deal with a live person than "push 2 for English, push 3 for ..." and so on."
If a traveler asks you, "Why should I use a travel agent," how do you respond?
"I tell them that a good travel consultant (I am trying to get away from the term 'agent') becomes your planning partner and advocate every step of the way helping you to make educated and wise choices. A travel consultant lets you know what to expect at your destination, how to get the most value for your time and money, and will handle the details and logistics that will ensure you have all your bases covered for an enjoyable trip."
Have any travelers given you any horror stories of experiences they had trying to book a trip on their own?
"No, not really. Usually, they are so worried about the 'unknown' and ruining a hard-earned vacation that they prefer to not even risk it, so they call me."
What's the most exciting trip to book right now for you?
"Anything in Europe."
What would you say is your most popular destination request right now?
"Italy, hands down."
Why do you think that is?
"Italy just has such a reputation for beautiful scenery, great food, incomparable art, fashion, and ancient history that it seems to be on everyone's "list" of places to go. There is something for everyone there."
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?
"Everyone can appreciate someone who is a specialist in his/her field because of the first-hand experience that comes with the title (or should come with the title). Travelers feel reassured because their "specialist" has prepared them for little-known facts about the destination that makes their trip flow smoothly and without helpless frustration in what may be a foreign place. People, in general, seek and appreciate the "Been there- Done that" expertise of a specialist."
What does it mean to be specialized to you?
"Having advanced knowledge and experience with a specific destination or travel product. Specialization, in my mind, is educating yourself above the basic or intermediate levels through books, classes, and experiential travel for a certain destination or two that are your primary focus in selling - but it doesn't have to be your only focus. Someone could specialize in Australia, but that doesn't mean they are unqualified to book other destinations. They just happen to know more about Australia than some of their peers and have cultivated the advanced knowledge and experience that keeps them 'in the know.'"
Is it focusing on only 1 thing and traveling there every year?
"No, you can offer many things but be specialized in one or two. And yes, I do think if you are going to specialize you should travel there every year to stay abreast of everything you are trying to sell to your clients."
Do travelers ask a lot if you have been to where they are trying to book their trip?
"Yes, nearly every time."
How specialized is too specialized? Is this possible?
"If people are seeking you out and buying what you are selling, than you can never be too specialized."
If someone were to call you and ask for a once in a lifetime vacation idea, what would you suggest?
"An Antarctic expedition with Lindbald or similar. Just about everywhere else in the world you could probably get to more than 'once in a lifetime' if you had the opportunity, the means, and the inclination. However, I am not sure that is true for Antarctica. I am no expert, but I really sense that tourism here will be severely limited in the future, become much more controversial and regulated, and global warming issues are not helping matters either..."
Funniest thing you have ever been asked?
"I got a phone call a few weeks ago from a bubbly young lady who apparently likes to travel on short notice. She wanted me to get a deal for her to fly from ATL to HNL the following week and stay at a beachfront resort for 7 nights for $500 a person. I accidently laughed out loud on the phone before I could catch myself. I then had to tell her that, 'If I had a 'deal' like that sitting on my shelf in my 'deal closet,' I would be the one going to Hawaii!"
Tags: travel agents of the day
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