Travel Agent of the Day - Tuesday October 9th, 2007 - Marilyn B.
10/08/2007 12:10 p.m.
Marilyn B.
Certified Travel Associate (CTA), Destination Specialist (DS), Lifestyle Specialist (LS), Recommend Destination Specialist
We spoke with Marilyn B. in the second installment of our "Travel Agent of the Day" series. Marilyn joined the Tripology network back in July of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com.
How long have you been in the business?
"31 Years"
What inspired you to become a travel agent?
"I love to help people and at the time I did travel it was to help my customers in a hair salon who had nowhere to get travel tickets for trips."
Do you have a passion for travel?
"I have traveled all over the world so I would say yes a true passion. I still have a lot of places to see though."
Did you do anything else before becoming a travel agent?
"Hairdresser"
Are there any great perks that come with working in this business?
"Seeing people enjoy their trips when they are booking and also when they return from the trip with lots of photos."
Any great discounts?
"I have an IATAN card which gives you discounts."
What about upgrades?
"Yes or getting on the last seat as a stand-by."
What are some great contests you can enter as a travel agent?
"Love those cruise contests."
What is the best free vacation you have ever gone on?
"Going to the Caribbean and enjoying all the great scenery."
When you vacation do you tend to go alone or do your friends and family tag along?
"My husband and daughter are usually my travel companions but I also travel with friends. It really depends on where we are headed."
Favorite getaways to head off to on your own?
"Getaways, I would say re the Northwest and Branson."
Do you inadvertently work a lot when you are on vacation? - scouting hotels, activities, tours and sites?
"Yes, I am always looking for new adventures for my clients."
How else do you review hotels that you may not have been to?
"I do extensive research to make sure it is a hotel that I would use before sending a client there, whether it be reading or through internet questions."
How many clients do you have right now?
"500+"
Do you work with a partner?
"Outside agent"
Office or home?
"Home office through sister agency"
Do you limit how many clients you can work with at one time?
"I have people that I hire during the busy season to be able to keep up and give my clients 100% satisfaction."
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?
"Nothing replaces a good travel agent who has their best interests at heart."
If a traveler asks you, "Why should I use a travel agent," how do you respond?
"We offer the best options for you and your trip at no cost to the clients"
Have any travelers given you any horror stories of experiences they had trying to book a trip on their own?
"Way too many, they have even asked us to help them get their money back. Unfortunately, we are unable to help with any trip that we have not booked."
Do you have any tips for the listening travel community?
"Find a travel agent that you can work with and ask many questions. A good agent will tell you if they don't know and they will get back to you after researching for the correct answer to your question."
What's the most exciting trip to book right now for you?
"I prefer resorts"
What would you say is your most popular destination request right now?
"Las Vegas"
Why do you think that is?
"Very affordable, and lots of people can only afford to get away for a few days."
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?
"When we specialize in a special area of travel we are most knowledgeable of what is offered there and what the best options are for the traveler."
What does it mean to be specialized to you?
"Being knowledgeable of what is available in a given area."
Do travelers ask a lot if you have been to where they are trying to book their trip?
"Yes, but that is fine with me."
Does specialization actually mean focusing on a handful of things?
"Not at all."
A popular trip request lately has been for "flight only" quotes. Do you believe that a good agent can up-sell these requests to full trips?
"I have many times. Sometimes the client is really looking for suggestions when they contact you as they don't know what is really out there to do."
How have you gone about doing this?
"Suggestions, suggestions, suggestions!!!"
Have you tried it with our site yet?
"Yes and I sold a $20,000 trip."
If someone were to call you and ask for a once in a lifetime vacation idea, what would you suggest?
"I would ask many questions first so I would know what type of trip they were really looking for."
Funniest thing you have ever been asked?
"Jamaica, single, looking to meet open-minded people...(Hedonism)
Tags: travel agents of the day
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