There is a feeding frenzy happening in the world of travel. As a travel agent at Monroe Travel Service and suffering through two years of covid, we are thrilled and sincerely appreciate you calling us for your vacation. It is nice to be busy again.
Yet, for those of you who have not planned your summer escape, I am sounding an alarm: you need to be worried. If all continues at this pace, the signs are all there. This summer is going to be one for the books, a real lollapalooza!
Spring break and Easter travel was a wake-up call for the airlines. In fact, they are so excited about what is coming in the way of summer traffic that they increased their schedules and seat inventory for flights between the U.S.and Europe 2 1/2 times. Without a doubt, this increased airlift is great news, but it does not mean all is perfect.
One of our agency’s biggest problems every day evolves around dealing with the airlines.Like so many businesses in the hospitality business, the airlines are still struggling with their comeback from Covid. We are constantly getting airline reservation changes and cancellations, and, of course, we do not want to deal with these changes anymore than you. Still, when an entire industry completely shuts down for a long time, the restart is bound to be a little bumpy. Very much like our local restaurants, everyone from the airlines to the TSA is still experiencing staffing shortages.
Last minute snafus are stressful and covid travel regulations can be challenging, but, from our clients who are starting to return from their journeys, the reports are all positive and worth wading through the problems–especially when you let your travel agent handle it. Patience has always been a virtue, and, today, when there are so many moving pieces involved thanks to covid, it truly pays to have an expert help smooth out the bumps and make sure you are good to go.
So, may I offer some free advice?
There is really no financial benefit to do-it-yourself travel. You will not get a better price dealing directly with a cruise line. When you call a company for a land tour, you will not get a better price than when you book the same trip with a trusted travel advisor–as long as you are comparing apples to apples . It certainly might be worth pausing and investigating if there is a difference as rebating in our industry is considered an unethical practice. If the pricing is the same and it cost you not a penney more to use a travel agent, why ever would you even consider going it alone and possibly putting your investment and/or vacation at risk?
Think about it. If you were wrongfully accused of a crime, would you study up and try to represent yourself in court or find a lawyer ? If you have a toothache, do you go online to learn how to pull your tooth? See what I mean? Planning an international journey, tour or cruise is not like buying a can of Classic Coke at Brookshires, where it tastes the same as the one you buy it at Walmart; there are variables in the world of travel, and, when it comes to spending hard-earned money, expectations matter.
While some are convinced they can do it themselves, the truth is you just don’t know what you don’t know. As travel agents, we do this every day, not just once or twice a year. We have the experience, the industry connections, and the desire to keep you headed in the right direction and with as few bumps in the road as possible. We work hard to deliver the best possible experience, because we want you to use Monroe Travel Service every time you think about vacationing.
Give us a chance to make your travels better, and, by the way, if you are just starting to think about vacations, it might be nice to know where everyone is headed for 2022. Let me share an article from our partners at Allianz Travel Insurance that I found enlightening. First of all, like I said before, Europe travel is over the moon busy. In fact, they reported travel to Europe has skyrocked over 600% from where it was last summer. They know this because they have insured the trips of more than 40,000 travelers who are already planning to travel between Memorial Day and Labor Day this year. Here is this summer’s Top 10 destination choices:
- London
- Paris
- Dublin
- Reykjavik
- Rome
- Edinburgh
- Lisbon
- Athens and Med Cruising
- Barcelona and Med Cruising
- Amsterdam River Cruising
The reality that something as precious as traveling should never be taken for granted when combined with an amazing pent -up demand is why we are going to have an unbelievably delightful, so YES! Popular destinations are filling up quickly. We need to get something booked now, because no matter whether it is being called a lollapalooza, a humdinger, a doozy or a ripsnorter, this summer’s travel season is sure to be exceptional. What a shame it would be to miss out on the joy of traveling our world again.
For more information about our services or our help in booking your next adventure, please call Monroe Travel Service at 318 323 3464 or email us at [email protected] and we will reach out to you.
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