If you are like me, you have been inundated by the woes of the travel industry, not only in recent weeks, but over the last year!  The reality of our current worldwide banking crisis and imploding housing bubble have each of us tightening our belts and putting our leisure and business travel on the back burner.  Justifiably so.  If you are like me, you’ve read about scurrilous travel packages, undisclosed nonrefundable and fully unchangeable air fares and hotel deposits: “fire sales” and “deals of a lifetime” and unbeatable internet rates too good to be true.  (Hint: they usually are.  Never ever hit that “send” key in the heat of the moment.  The regrets are too numerous to mention!)  Yet, if you are at all like me, you are value minded and in need of a break from the seemingly inescapable barrage of doom and gloom press currently flooding the airwaves and print media.

Still, if you are at all like me you will continue to travel.  However, you will travel less often and more wisely, demanding more of your travel planner to recharge your batteries and further your businesses with peace of mind.

Your experienced and reputable travel planner has access to the inside scoop, to hotels offering terrific specials (not available to just any travel agent); to airline rates that are the lowest possible completely refundable fares or, at least, fares that are fully changeable for a fee and/or applicable to travel on the same airline at a later date; to vacation packages that celebrate the entire family without tapping into essential assets and college funds; cruises offering more shipboard credits, upgrades and incentives for last minute getaways or celebratory crossings; to brilliant road trip options; to affordable niche adventures, honeymooning memories and fixed income travelers.  Choose wisely, choose a planner who will spend the time to discover your needs and wants, who will go the distance to create a journey full of lasting memories through uncompromising service, who wants your repeat business, who is willing to spend as long as it takes to create your affordable dream come true.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions, to challenge your planner to uncompromisingly tailor your travel just for you, to consider the long term possibilities and economics of travel in 2009.

Expect your travel planner to deserve your business.  And when they succeed, reward them with yet an other extraordinary travel challenge!

Susan Quillin