Travel Agent of the Day - Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - Kristen Hernandez
11/27/2007 10:11 a.m.
Kristen Hernandez
Honeymoon Specialist
Kristen joined the Tripology network in August of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com.
How long have you been in the business?
"13 years."
What inspired you to become a travel agent?
"When I was growing up in the Bronx, I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see the world. One day my uncle asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I was 19. I had recently seen an ad for travel school but couldn't afford it. I mentioned it to him and he handed me a check on the spot. I had no way of paying him back. He told me the only payment he needed was to see me with a graduation certificate and a great career. Two weeks after I began school, he passed away suddenly of a heart attack. Since then, this is all I've done and I love every second of it. Thank you Uncle Richie!"
Do you have a passion for travel?
"My passion is travel. I can't see myself doing anything else. For me, the most exciting thing is seeing the beautiful things this world has to offer."
Did you do anything else before becoming a travel agent?
"I did everything. I worked at Burger King when I was 14. Then, a supermarket, children's clothing store, and a collection agency. My first travel industry job was delivering tickets, all over Manhattan. My sneakers gained a lot of mileage those days..."
Are there any great perks that come with working in this business?
"There are wonderful perks in this business."
What are some of the perks?
"You can take a cruise for about 35-40 dollars a day. Sometimes, just for the day, you can travel to a luxury resort for about $99 including airfare."
Any great discounts?
"Yes, except for the airlines..."
What about upgrades?
"Sometimes. It depends on space and the gate agent."
Do you take a lot of vacations?
"I used to. Now I travel about once or twice a year."
Do you go alone or do your friends and family tag along?
"I try to take my fiancée with me but my sister usually wins the bid."
Favorite getaways to head off to on your own?
"My favorite, non-travel agent vacation has to be to the Pocono Mountains. We head to the Caesars Resorts on a regular basis."
Do you inadvertently work a lot when you are on vacation? - scouting hotels, activities, tours and sites?
"I do work a lot on vacation. I'm always looking for a new resort just so I can do an inspection and take notes for a future client. Matching a client to the perfect resort is essential to being a great travel agent. The more things you get to see firsthand, the better recommendations you can make. Every person likes different things, so you have to get out there and see what's available. What's right for you may not be right for someone else."
How else do you review hotels that you may not have been to?
"You can't possibly see the entire world, so other ways to review a hotel without being there is to watch available videos, do lots of internet research, speak with hotel representatives, and study brochures and articles."
How many clients do you have right now?
"Thanks to Tripology I now have about 50 clients and it grows every week."
Do you work with a partner?
"I work alone, although I am training my sister."
Office or home?
"I have a home office."
Do you limit how many clients you can work with at one time?
"Because I work alone, I service about five clients at once. Although, I will do my best to never turn anyone away. Personal, professional service is very important to me."
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?
"Those types of websites are not a problem at all. They cannot compete with the level of service, knowledge, and professionalism I offer."
What are you doing to convince travelers that a travel agent is a better option?
"I tell them that people have to know that a computer cannot tell them if a hotel is ridden with critters, if the food is any good, or how incredible a certain cozy little spot might be at the resort they choose. That usually gets their attention."
If a traveler asks you, "Why should I use a travel agent," how do you respond?
"I ask them, 'If something were to go wrong on your perfectly planned vacation, as things sometimes do, who's going to fix it? A computer, or a person you can reach at anytime?' The online websites are all about the cheapest price, regardless of the standards. A travel agent can tell you, in person, the difference between the hotels, the islands, and the activities."
Have any travelers given you any horror stories of experiences they had trying to book a trip on their own?
"Absolutely. I've heard people say that they found the perfect price and then when they got to the resort, it was a dump. No one wants to share their vacation with roaches and crickets. And when you're looking to be on the beach, you don't want to find out it's a lake or you have to take public transportation to get there."
Do you have any tips for the listening travel community?
"For customers- Always use a travel agent. You will thank yourself in the end. Pick who you feel most comfortable speaking to. For travel agents- Sell what you know and keep up the great work!"
What's the most exciting trip to book right now for you?
"I love to book cruises and trips to Hawaii and Alaska. Almost anything is exciting to me though, because the client experiences and I learn."
What would you say is your most popular destination request right now?
"Hawaii"
Why do you think that is?
"It's so exotic and it's also part of the US. There are seven different islands to visit and you'll never get bored. There is something for everyone!"
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?
"Only an agent who is specialized can tell the traveler exactly what to expect and what to look forward to and what to avoid. You cannot buy the information you can get from a specialized travel agent."
What does it mean to be specialized to you?
"Being a specialist in something or some place is very important. There are so many different programs a travel agent can join to broaden their knowledge. It means being the person your client can turn to."
Is it focusing on only 1 thing and traveling there every year?
"This is definitely one of the ways you can specialize. It's very important to visit the places you want to focus on. Landmarks may not change but destinations are constantly changing and our job is to keep up with it. Visiting the place and reading are great ways to accomplish this too."
Do travelers ask a lot if you have been to where they are trying to book their trip?
"Almost every time."
How specialized is too specialized? Is this possible?
"Since people have such diverse likes and wants, there is no such thing as too specialized. I've seen agents who only sell bird watching trips to Costa Rica. Where there's an interest, there's a specialist."
If someone were to call you and ask for a once in a lifetime vacation idea, what would you suggest?
"It's hard to say because my idea of a once in a lifetime vacation is completely different from someone else's. What I would do is ask them questions to find out what they've dreamed of and make that happen for them."
Funniest thing you have ever been asked?
"How often do the trains leave for Hawaii..."
Tags: travel agents of the day
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