Insights from a "Traveled" Agent

Getting back to the Good Old Days

Many of you "young folks" probably don't remember the days when people used only the corner hardware store or the supermarket down the street or the record store on the corner to buy what you had a need or maybe just a hankering for. Now we have Super Walmart and Target, Home Depot and Lowes, grocery stores as big as movie theaters with everything from soup to the latest best sellers. There is a lot to be said for these places but every single time I go inside one I say the same thing to myself. "Goodness, what I wouldn't give for a store small enough and caring enough to offer something we don't have much anymore and that is SERVICE. With a smile even!"

These conglomerates have a good variety of products and the prices have to stay competitive and it can be fast (until you get to the check out counter) but why is there NEVER anyone to help you? Even if there were someone to answer a question, the answer is always the same: "If we have it Mam, it will be on the shelf." They don't know anything about the products and they could really care less if you get what you need as long as they get paid for working 8 hours that day. There are exceptions but you know for the most part it's true!

Something that makes me literally laugh out loud are the "Self Check out" counters where you don't need any people. OK, they are fast but if they don't need any people, why is it that so many of them are CLOSED???? This is hysterical. They should all be open shouldn't they? That is so bizarre!

This story does have a point. It has to do with service, experience and working with people who care. People who can recommend places for your hard earned vacations because they have been there and continue to go back-- People who will share experiences, information, photographs and their hard-earned knowledge from years and years in business.

HINT HINT

To Have or Not to Have . . . A Passport!

If the passport laws and changes have confused you, you are not alone. So let me clarify it for you.

If you are cruising in 2007 from a U.S. port city and returning to a U.S. port city, and your cruise includes ports of call in the Western Hemisphere (Canada, Mexico the Caribbean or Bermuda), you do not need a passport in 2007. However, if you are flying outside the country to embark on your cruise or you fly home from a non U.S. port, you do have to have a passport now. Please remember, however, that even if you cruise without a passport in the Western Hemisphere and something occurred which would require you to disembark the ship and fly home from a city outside the U.S. even in the Western Hemisphere, you would NOT be able to fly home without a passport.

The U.S. government has not yet issued a final deadline regarding the travel document deadlines for cruises within the Western Hemisphere in 2008 but you can expect the law to state that you will have to have a passport by spring or summer of 2008.

Regarding air travel inside the Western Hemisphere, which includes Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda they previously stated that effective in 2007, a valid passport would be required. However, the record-breaking demand for passports was just too much for the Passport Agencies to contend with so the law has been amended as follows: 

• From now until September 30, 2007, U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda who have applied for but not yet received passports can temporarily enter and depart the U.S. by air without a passport.
• To do so, a U.S. citizen MUST HAVE a government issued photo ID and Dept. of State official proof of application for their passport.
• Adults who have applied for but not yet received their passports should present the government issued photo ID and an official proof of application from the U.S. Dept of State. Children under the age of 16 years traveling with their parents or legal guardian will be permitted to travel with the child's proof of application as well.
• The Dept of State official proof of passport application can be obtained by going on line to www.travel.state.gov however, the latest post on this site indicates that it is taking up to two weeks just to get the official application receipt. So PLEASE don't think you can apply for your passport today, get a receipt the next day and travel within two to three weeks. It is NOT going to happen.
• Those without the official receipt and the other documentation noted above will in no way be allowed to travel.
• Also, please remember this exemption is only good through September 30. Effective October 1st, you will have to have your passport.
• For any travel outside the Western Hemisphere, the regular passport rules that have always been in existence still apply and you will have to have a passport. This exemption is only for the Western Hemisphere and only until September 30, 2007.

Folks, it goes without saying, the best way and the safest way to travel is with a valid passport. In 2008 you will have to have them to travel anywhere outside of the U.S. and since it is taking months to get them I highly recommend you apply now if you do not have one. They are good for ten years and they will enable you to take advantage of good pricing on many type of travel all over the world. You can download passport applications from my website, www.eaglesnestvacations.com  Just click on "Travel Tools" on the title bar, then "Passports" and follow the instructions.

I would greatly appreciate your comments on this post!

Thanks so much.

Diane

Who Needs a Travel Agent?

Has it hit you yet how impersonal everything in business is these days? How many times have you said to yourself that you aren't going to shop at a specific store anymore because there is never anyone to help you except at the cashier's counter? Of course there's help there! After standing in a que line for 20 minutes, they are there to "ring up" your sale. I will gladly pay extra to have some service!

The Internet is great but there are so many drawbacks--namely there is NO service! There is no one to give advice, answer questions or make recommendations based on what is important to you. Granted, some of these companies have a number to call but let's face it people, they are ORDER TAKERS! Just ask one of them if they have been on this cruise or that ship or to this resort or that destination. Overwhelmingly the response will be "No." So it never ceases to amaze me why anyone would want to book their hard earned, often costly vacations with some unknown entity on the world wide web!

Most of the time when people think their Internet travel package or cruise price is better it is not. Often times extra taxes, fees, island departure taxes and service charges are not included in that "low price" shown on the Internet. Plus when these companies-- which include the cruise lines themselves if you book directly with them-- have a "good price" on the Internet, they are selling what THEY want to get rid of. Are they going to tell you this may not be a comfortable stateroom on a ship or this resort doesn't have many of the amenities that are important to you? Of course not.

At Eagle's Nest Vacation & Travel, you have the FREE advice, experience, attentiveness and support that a good agent can provide.When you book with my company you will know exactly what your trip is going to cost you; what is included and what is not. Plus you have the benefit of my travel experiences, which are vast. I travel often to many places to inspect and experience the service at resorts and cruise ships. I share my personal photos with my potential clients and my repeat clients and I share my advice and reviews on resorts, cruise ships and destinations.

Most importantly, I am your advocate! I take care of you from the time you book your vacation until you return home from your trip. I even check prices AFTER you have booked to see if the rates have decreased and if they did I work hand over fist to secure the better rate for you. How many Internet booking companies do you know who will do that? NONE! Once they have your money the deal is done. They are in business for the one time deal. They really could care less about repeat business or building a relationship with people.

I have many suppliers who offer the same or similar packages so I always check with all of them. I don't just have one favorite supplier that I use. I use whatever reputable supplier gives me the best rate for my clients. Yes, there are times when Internet pricing may be less. If you want a cookie cutter vacation go ahead and book online. But you will never beat the service and experiences from a professional travel agent, so even if you don't call Eagle's Nest, (what a silly idea! :o)  please call an agent!

Have a great summer!

Diane Blaisdell, Owner

Eagle's Nest Vacation & Travel

www.eaglesnestvacations.com