2006 - Becoming a Travel Agent

I have many people ask me if becoming a travel agent is lucrative for them at this point in the century. I honestly have to tell them no, unless you have another income to supplement your travel agent career. I also tell them, that it's really not worth getting into if they are just wanting to travel. Many of the discounts travel agents used to get many years ago, are no longer offered. I find that hotel discounts are about the best ones still out there, along with the cruise discounts, however, it's almost worth paying a little extra to ensure that you'll be able to take that cruise for sure (instead of waiting for a guarantee). I certainly don't recommend getting into this business if your number one goal is to travel. I say, be a flight attendant or something like that. For that job, you must go; it's part of the job description. I think you'll get a whole lot more mileage (no pun intended) doing that type of job in the travel industry vs. being a travel agent. When I started, over 20 years ago, I had the opportunity to build up a pretty decent client base, many of whom I still work with to this day, so there is longevity if you are able to sign on with a larger travel agency to get your foot in the door and learn from the best. If you're a people person and enjoy customer service type of work, then you might do well in this business. Sure there will be folks who retire and open new doors for new agents, but for the most part, there are many agents out there who struggle in this industry, who are continually taking pay cuts for one reason or another, many times it's due to larger companies, buying up smaller companies and the smaller companies are then forced to use the new owner's travel agency, thereby creating a job loss for the travel agent. That happens frequently and it's unfortunate for everyone. Many times, the employee's are disappointed by the change of agents too. Many times, clients have come back to me to just say Hello and how much they miss working with me. It really breaks my heart, because I sincerely miss working with them as well. Many times, I've had clients leave their companies, only to continue working with good ole Luanne :-) It's a huge compliment when my clients include me as part of their daily routine and planning of their travel schedules.

Are you happy being a Corporate Travel Agent

I can't imagine myself doing any other job, because I have such a passion for this one. I love being a corporate travel agent and never afraid to learn something new. I look forward to helping people from the simplest of travel arrangements to the more complicated ones. Everything seems to balance itself out, after all is said and done. I never said I was a writer either, but yet, I do have a way of expressing my jovial self even via my emails. You might find that I tend to be very laid back and extremely down to earth, yet professional and honest. I treat everyone the same, from the little old lady who lives on a tight budget, to the government contractor, to the secretary who works for an "important" attorney, to the hairdresser in my town, to the ex NFL football player, to the Senator on Capitol Hill, to the Chief of Police from Anycity, USA and Europe as well. I treat everyone the same, with dignity and respect (did I tell you I was a fan of Dr. Phil lol) . These folks simply need my help in getting one thing off of their to do list for the day and I'm happy to help. Always there with a laugh and/or a smile. Many times, I've even made suggestions which they never even considered, such as: if they're taking a 6am flight out of a city, to stay in a hotel near the airport the night before, return their car the night before, then they have one less thing to fool with and possibly even save a one day rental on their car, depending on what time they picked it up on their arrival date. I'm not afraid to say "ewwwwwwwww, that's gonna cost you ALOT to make that change, but I'll do it for you if you'd like" or "if you stay overnight, even with the hotel cost, you're still saving money" or "are you willing to fly into Boston vs. Providence to save 700.00" (I remember a day when Providence was almost always the cheaper option.) I'm one of those people who are very much into saving the client money and I do the very best that I can.

So give me a call (703) 684-9830 or email me. I'll be happy to set you up with your next corporate travel arrangement. If you enjoy working with me, then I look forward to a long working relationship with you. I will maintain a personal travel profile for you and any special requests you might have. I've very diligent in continuing the search for decent seats, if you're initial seating assignments are not your first preference. So what are you waiting for. I might just be that perfect addition for your company as well, someone who takes good care of your companies travel arrangements. As my Dad used to say "you won't know unless you try, right" :-)

Luanne