Today’s Internet and online reservation facilities suggest that you can make your own vacation bookings and bypass travel agent fees.
Why wouldn’t you?
Talk to travel manager Rebecca Cunha at Global Travel Limited and you’ll hear valid reasons why not.
An airline’s website will post its own prices, according to Ms. Cunha, but for comparison purposes you have to surf further.
“We can compare one airline to another,” she said.
You can keep your holidays compromise and worry-free by working with Global’s travel agents, or you can do-it-yourself on the ‘book your own travel’ feature on Global’s website.
Yes, you’ll pay a $20 ticketing fee per person, but your reservations are acknowledged within 24 hours and your backup is that same travel expertise and support the agency offers on an in-house basis.
“What you pay for is peace of mind after you start to travel,” Ms. Cunha said. She noted that you could spend hours on a telephone trying to re-book from overseas, as happened recently with the snowstorms in the United States.
Your travel agent, however, will handle the re-bookings for you, including coordinating the changes, where applicable, in hotel, rail, rental car or limo service.
“When you call into our office after hours, there are contact numbers of agents on call who will be able to help you out in the case of an emergency,” Ms. Cunha said.
And that is the only recorded message you will hear.
“We pride ourselves on personal service. We do not have voicemail, so every time you call within business hours, you will speak to a person,” she said.
The locally owned and operated Global Travel Limited has three full-time agents and eight others, who work from home.
“We all have a vast knowledge of travel; no specific specialists, but we all work together so we can pull knowledge from each other of a place we may not be too familiar with,” Ms. Cunha said.
Corporate travel, group travel from parties of 10 to charters of 150, Globus, Tauck and other guided tours, safaris and singles cruises comprise the platforms on which Global operates.
Adventure and extreme travel are other possibilities.
“We can book whatever the client wants,” Ms. Cunha said. “If we don’t know about it already, we can certainly find out about it and book it.”
This is where a combined 30 years travel experience focuses on the client and the client’s pleasure.
And where arrangements include ticketing for the airlines — prices the airlines themselves regulate — Global will secure the necessary visas.
“Sometimes prices vary on availability of flights at time of booking,” Ms. Cunha advised. “Obviously, if a flight is full, you’re going to pay more money for that flight.”
Booking fees also vary. They depend upon the time an agent spends researching and processing your trip. But according to the Global travel manager, the company’s fees are ‘pretty much on par’ with that of other agencies and may even be less in some cases.
“Sometimes the agents take it upon themselves to promote a certain tour,” Ms. Cunha said. “It might have been something they’d done themselves. They’ll have specific knowledge of it, if anybody has specific questions.”
Current promotions include outside agent, Toni Curtis’ July Mediter-ranean cruises from Barcelona and in-house agent, Barbara Bean’s October safaris in South Africa.
For information, email Ms. Curtis at Toni@globaltravelbda.com or call 504-4774, or Ms Bean at Bbeanlowe@yahoo.com or 296-7900.
“We will provide you with the best service and comfort of knowing your trip is booked correctly, with no issues for you,” Ms. Cunha said. “Let us do the research and work for you. You can just relax and enjoy your vacation.”