Presentation is Everything!

Liz Hough on

 Do you have a favorite travel supplier?

 

Even before I became a travel consultant I had my favorite travel suppliers.  I would go to their websites first to check out itineraries and pricing.  If I didn’t find something that appealed to me, I would check out other suppliers.  I do the same thing for my clients.  The suppliers I use must pass a few criteria before I will use them:

 

1.  Customer Service – Let’s be honest, I believe customer service has to be held at a high standard because like any company you deal with if they don’t treat you right then they don’t get my business.

 

2.  Travel Industry Reviews – I do read reviews from various travel societies, associations, and forums.  I also take these reviews with a grain of salt.  I am constantly getting emails from suppliers begging me to vote for this title or that title because if they get the most votes then they will be whatever of the year.  I even get these emails from suppliers I have never even used!  So when a review is a title, I take it with a grain of salt.  When the review is a personal experience from the head of the association, I take it into consideration.

 

3.  Customer Reviews – The best review is a past customer.  People will be honest with you about their experiences with the supplier whether it was good or bad.  I have had a couple of clients tell me their stories about a supplier and after reading other reviews, I will either use them or steer clear of using them.

 

4.  Personal Experience – If I have personally used a supplier and really liked them I will use them over and over again.  I will still consider using them even if I get a negative complaint. The experience I had, was worth it, but some time could have passed and the company may have gone in a new direction.

 

I think that personal experience is the major reason why people use the same travel supplier over and over again.  You really get an all encompassing viewpoint of the company and if it works for you then why change it?  I hear over and over again how Disney Cruise line is one of the best cruises that they have ever taken.  I have clients hear the same from other people.  I have never heard or read a bad thing about the Disney Cruise line either.  Would I consider them one of my preferred suppliers, you bet I do!  I also like when suppliers bundle everything in a neat little package for my clients.  For instance, AmaWaterways sends little zippered travel bags with information books, vouchers, luggage tags, etc.  CIE tours sends backpacks with luggage tags and strap, a rain poncho, ticket wallet, maps, and a phone card.  When a supplier provides little packages like this it give me the impression that they want the customer have the best experience possible starting from the moment they receive the package.  After all the saying goes “Presentation is Everything!”

 

So why am I writing an article about preferred suppliers and presentation?  Well, I recently had some great clients of mine book a tour.  I have heard nothing but great things about this company, which will remain unnamed.  I personally had amazing customer service every time I had called and find their website easy to navigate.  I am really excited for their tour in a couple of months but when I got the supplier’s “neat little package” in the mail I literally said to myself, “Huh, this is it?”  I even called the company to ask if something got lost in the mail because I couldn’t believe that was all that they sent.  I went through my checklist: customer service – great, travel industry reviews – great, customer reviews – great, no personal experience.  Maybe my standards are too high or my expectations are too high?  After all, it is about the experience that they will have on the vacation and the memories of a lifetime that they will craft.  But why do I feel like this supplier fell flat with presenting my clients their vacation?

 

I have met a lot of other travel consultants throughout the years and I hear repeatedly that they only send their clients the final document about 2 to 3 weeks prior to the trip.  To me this is not customer service.  This is the same thing that their clients could do booking their trip on the computer.  On top of that they charge a $250 service for their time.  What time?  What service was provided?  And would you consider this service outstanding?

 

When I started my travel agency I wanted to make sure that everyone received exceptional quality and outstanding service each time they used us. This is the motto of our company and it is on my business cards and the first thing you see on our website.  But like I said earlier on in this article, if you don’t like your customer service experience you tend not to go back!  I didn’t have to take long to figure out what type of service our company would provide, it came rather easy to me.  I had to provide something I myself would use and want to use!  I want our company to make it easier and less stress-full to plan a vacation.  I want our company to do all the work planning and organizing so my clients have more time for stuff that they want to do.  I want our company to provide gadgets and gather final documents so that it makes it easier when my client travels.  Our company has done exactly what we set out to do and our clients love it.  So I guess I am just going to have to deal with the fact that not all travel suppliers hold their standards as high as I hold our company’s.  After all, if the client has a great vacation then that is what matters the most to me.

 

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

Romantic Venice, Italy

Liz Hough on

Italy is one of those places in Europe that is a must see.  I know that a lot of people go to Italy for their first European adventure.  Why not, there are so many great cities to visit.  Venice is one of those great Italian cities and in this article I am going to tell you why.

Our hotel room in Venice

 

Venice is in northern Italy along the Adriatic sea.  Venice consists of the mainland and the historic city.  The historic city has the beautiful canals and endless bridges. If you decide to stay in the historic city you will pay more but it is worth the experience. There is nothing like walking out of your hotel in the morning and seeing the gondolas lined up in the water or seeing the vendors getting ready to open their shops.

 

Venice has been around for over a thousand years and some of the buildings date back to this time.  The hotels not so much and they are limited on space.  There is a picture of our hotel room and you can see our luggage is against the cabinet and almost touching the bed.  Also, make sure that you if you want your privacy that you book a hotel room with a bathroom en-suite.  Otherwise, you will really get to know your fellow travelers in ways you weren’t expecting!

Piazza San Marco

Our hotel was located just a few steps from Piazza San Marco or as some people call it Saint Mark’s Square.  This square has been famously shown in many movies including one of my favorites The Italian Job.  There are shops, cafes, and alleyways that lead to those beautiful canals all around the Piazza.  Early in the  morning there is nobody around, not even the pigeons.  By lunch time there are swarms of visitors feeding thousands of pigeons that seem to come from the water.  If you are afraid of birds, I would highly recommend staying away from this area from mid-morning to evening.

Also, part of this large Piazza is the astrological clock.  If you enter into the alleyway under the clock it takes you into a labyrinth of shops, markets, cafes, gelato stands, and restaurants.  It feels like it is never ending and one can easily get lost.  Just enjoy the treats that are offered to you along the way.  On of my husband’s favorite stories to tell is that even though we got lost, we always ended up finding the same gelato stand!  He didn’t really complain since he loved the tiramisu flavored gelato and I didn’t mind it too much either.

One of the most eye catching parts of the Piazza is Saint Mark’s Basilica and Saint Mark’s Campanile (the bell tower to Saint Mark’s Basilica).  The bell tower is an iconic symbol of the this historic city along with the winged lions that symbolize Saint Mark, see picture below.

Astrological Clock

Saint Mark’s Basilica is part of the Catholic church and is open for anyone to take a tour.  In the hot summer months when you may be wearing a sleeveless shirt the Basilica requests your shoulders and knees be covered.  If you don’t have something to cover with they will provide you with a cloth.  Once inside you are mesmerized by marble floors, bright mosaics, and a treasury that boosts one of the largest collections of preserved Byzantine objects.  This is a very popular site and lines can be long.  According to the Basilica’s website, the average wait is 45 minutes.  But they do offer reservations so plan in advance!

 

Bridge of Sighs

Right next to the Basilica is another well-known landmark, Doge’s Palace.  I didn’t know what a Doge was until I went to Venice but a Doge is an elected official.  Typically this was the eldest male in the city and the position was a life-long position.   If you were elected you and your family lived in the Doge’s Palace.  Now the Palace was both a home and work area for the elected official.  It also housed the jail from which the infamous Casanova resided until his escape.  Many prisoners walked over the Bridge of Sighs which was given its’ name because it was the prisoners last glimpse of the beautiful Venetian lagoon before going to jail.  For an amazing experience, ask about a private tour!  We had splurged and taken a VIP tour of the palace.  We went into the work chambers of the all the past Doge’s, which is not typically seen by any tour, and we took secret passage ways around the palace.  We even came out of a tour where a tour group was behind the red rope and thought we were famous people.  Very exciting!

 

Rialto Bridge

Venice is definitely known for it’s beautiful and plentiful canals but the main canal is the Grand Canal.  You can walk up and down the canal and enjoy the site of boats, gondoliers, shops, restaurants, and brightly colored buildings.  The Grand Canal is one of the wider canals that originally split Venice into San Marco and San Polo districts.  The bridge that connected these two was the Rialto Bridge.  Even though there are multiple bridges along the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge is the oldest.  Many visitors stop along the bridge to get their photo taken over the canal.  Now I really enjoyed see the Grand Canal but I preferred the more intimate canals through the rest of the city.  They had charm, and honestly were not as polluted as the Grand Canal.  I am not sure if it was the time of year, but there was a lot of food and bottles floating in the water.

 

When it comes to souvenirs in Venice purchasing one of the famous masquerade masks or Venetian masks is a must!  We were told to make sure you ask around which are the authentic shops.  There are a lot of stores that sell beautiful porcelain masks but the authentic ones are made from paper mache.  These stores will also ship them for you so you don’t have to worry about making sure your fragile purchase makes it home in one piece.

 

Whichever cities you choose to see on your trip to Italy make sure that you fit in Venice.  If you decide to take a gondola ride make sure that you have the Euros to pay for it.  They can be quite expensive but it is a great way to see the city.  There are a lot of cafes and restaurants so make sure to ask your concierge which ones they recommend.  Whatever you eat will be the best meal of your life but make sure that you save room for some gelato, preferably the tiramisu flavor.

 

 

Venice was my very first European city and I want to say thank you to this beautiful, well-preserved, and romantic city for helping me understand why Life is Better Traveling.

Sailing Away!!!!

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

Is Flying Stressful? 5 Simple Steps to Calming Your Nerves.

Liz Hough on

Most of us love that feeling of soaring above the clouds and seeing how beautiful the sun reflects off of white cotton balls of softness.

All of a sudden you hit some turbulence and you remember that you are sitting in a confined “sardine can.”  So what happens in your brain to allow you to go from feeling like you are at peace to feeling like, “Please Lord, today is not my day.”

 

I always loved to fly even as a little girl.  The idea of going places was so exciting to me.  Flying to me was no different than driving in the car.  Like most people who become nervous about flying, I too had a bad experience.  In 2001, my husband and I were flying back from a trip to Disney World and there were bad thunderstorm all along the east coast.  Well, when you are flying from Florida to North Carolina there was no way of getting around the storm.  We were on a small Midway plane with maybe 25 passengers and the poor flight attendant tried so hard to serve us drinks and pretzels.  About 30 minutes into the flight even she couldn’t stand up.  She took a seat in the back of the plane with arms stretched out holding herself in place.  The good news was we landed and as I took a second to sit at the terminal to catch my breath the pilots come off the plane.  I am assuming or keep telling myself that this was only pilot humor when the one pilot said, “Man, I didn’t think we were going to make it there for a second.”  Instant FEAR OF FLYING!  It took me 4 years before I could get on a plane again.

 

Now luckily for me I did get on a plane again, but that first time was very rough for me and for those who flew with me.  Now being a travel agent you must be thinking I am crazy.  How can she be a travel agent and not like to fly?  Well, we all have parts of our job we aren’t thrilled about but we put our minds to it and it gets done.  And that is exactly what I did, I PUT MY MIND TO IT!  One bad or poor experience and my brain rewired itself into thinking that I didn’t like to fly.  Well, I had to rewire it to think that I can fly and that I will fly.

Waiting for information on flights after bad weather canceled ours.

So how did I do this:

 

Step 1 I Think I Can!:  From the time I booked my flight until the plane landed at the destination, I told myself that I can fly and I will fly.  I have a personal pep talk I give myself but you should find one that works for you.  Convincing yourself from the beginning gives the mindset that YOU CAN!

 

Step 2 Educate Yourself!:  I started to read stuff on the Internet about how planes work.  I don’t fully understand how my car works and I drive that every day but I do have a basic understanding of it. Even though I am not personally flying the plane, it is good to know what is going on.  There are a lot of noises too so I was curious what they were from.  I also read that turbulence in an airplane is like hitting pot holes in a car.  The planes are built to move along with the wind and pockets of air.  As my questions were answered, I started to realize that planes are extremely sturdy and noisy.

 

Step 3 Draw Yourself a Picture!:  About a month before I got on the plane, I started to picture myself in my seat.  I prefer the window seat because I love looking at the land.  I picture myself sitting in my seat whiles other are boarding, making noise putting their suitcases above me, having the screaming kid sitting near me, which now a days they are sitting with me, staring at the person who looks more nervous than me to fly, etc.  There are many scenarios you can picture but picturing them in a safe environment makes you FEEL safe.  So once you get on that plane you have that same feeling.  Again, mindset.

 

Step 4 Meet New People!:  I love meeting new people.  So as soon as I get on the plane I like to say hello to the flight attendants.  Ask them how they are doing, where they have been, are they almost done for the day is one of my husband’s favorite questions, and sometime we even talk about their families.  This is a more recent conversation topic since I board with two little ones and people love to tell me about their experiences flying with their kids.  It is great as it keeps my mind from thinking of flying.  Maya Angelou said that “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”   The flight attendants may not remember our conversation but every time I have flown they remember me and I get extra pretzels or even the can of soda with the drink.

 

Step 5 Rituals!:  So right before take-off I have a little ritual that my grandmother used to do every time she got into a car or a plane.  She would do her cross.  I find myself doing it not only to myself but to my husband and kids.  My husband and I also like to make sure that we kiss right before we take off, another ritual.  I have heard of a lot of amazing rituals that people do to make themselves feel better.  When they tell me they usually laugh like it may be a bit silly, but if it makes you feel good and helps calm your nerves then do it.  There are more people on that plane who have rituals then don’t.

 

I have come a long way since that flight in 2001.  I have rewired my brain and now the only time I get nervous is during turbulence, even if they are the pot holes of the skies.  Hopefully some of these tips will come in handy the next time you set foot a plane for your next journey.

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

 

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