3 Most Common Mistakes Travelers Make:

Or Why You Should Trust a Professional Travel Consultant to

Assist With Your Trip Planning Needs

Mistake #1 – Booking a trip on the internet because “I Can Do It Myself”.

Yes you can.  The internet is the greatest library resource in the world and although making travel arrangements might be something accessible and what you might do every now and then, for a professional travel consultant it is a full-time occupation and one that is usually borne out of a passion and wanderlust for travel and cultural experiences.  The scope of what a dynamic travel consultant can do to create and enhance a trip is extraordinary.  What do we do as consultants?  We listen. We confer with you about your interests, hobbies and personal tastes. We ask details about your previous travels to give us a greater understanding of what you may have liked and what you didn’t, to better prepare our personal suggestions and recommendations. The more we know about what excites you in travel, the more insightful and personalized your travel experience will be. We create complete itineraries, including those that require the most detailed travel planning and arrangements. We do this with an expertise that is developed from experience and passion and we execute superior results in the most cost-effective manner. We attend seminars and ongoing training about destinations and travel suppliers to always be in the know.  We travel the world with our clients in mind, and chances are we have personal first-hand knowledge of the places you want to visit. 

Mistake #2 - Booking a trip on the internet because you think doing it yourself gets you a better deal than a professional travel agent can get.

This myth gets my top prize for what the internet has presented in duping the consumer to believe.  The fact is the benefit of working with an experienced, reliable travel professional will only ENHANCE your travel experience in every respect. Speaking for our agency, not only can we obtain the most competitive rates, we often find additional savings through our contracts, programs and affiliations and provide many benefits one would not get booking on their own, as we do cost and value comparisons from all our technology, supplier and personal resources to save clients time and money. Perks to our travelers vary depending on the trip type but can include complimentary hotel upgrades, free breakfasts, onboard cruise credits, free pre-or-post cruise hotel stays, special car rental rates, savings on select air travel and so much more.  With global relationships, clout and buying power with travel suppliers worldwide, all of those benefits are passed on to the client to create an experience that far surpasses what the consumer would obtain by booking themselves in cyberspace. With our vast relationships with resorts and hotels worldwide, our clients are recognized by hotel managers who take extra care just knowing they are valued clients of Leaders In Travel.

Mistake #3 - Booking a trip on the internet thinking you’ll never have problems where you’d need live help and an advocate to assist you. 

While we all hope to believe that “nothing will happen to me” and smooth sailing will always be in store, life happens and issues arise that make us change our plans, cause delays, work related issues, weather, emergency, medical and so on.  Your travel consultant is about SERVICE.  First and foremost, our #1 goal at Leaders In Travel, is to exceed client expectations each and every day.  I cannot express the countless “Thank You’s” we as travel consultants receive from appreciative clients who we help assist get to their destinations as quickly as possible during weather problems, while others may be stuck at the airports for extended periods of time.  Or when clients may have an emergency need to cancel or change plans and are within certain penalty periods and we their advocate go to bat often getting the kind of results they could not get on their own.  We’ve gotten calls for help from travelers who made the mistake of booking on the internet what they thought was a “luxury” hotel from its photos or from what they read in one of those “opinion type sites” - only to find out it was in actuality a dive when they went to check in.  You really never know what you are getting into with the internet.  Some sites that look reputable might not be so after all as scams abound.  Then what do you do?  What you can trust in with confidence is that from the initial booking process, while you are away and well after your welcome home, a professional travel consultant is there for you every step of the way to consult, plan, guide, enlighten, provide value and access, troubleshoot and help resolve any and all matters on behalf of a valued client. 

Have you been to Avenue Q?

Eight years into its run with a 2004 Best Musical Tony Award, a stint in London, Las Vegas, on tour worldwide and a journey from its origins off-Broadway, then to Broadway, and now back to off-Broadway, Avenue Q remains one of the most entertaining, witty, fun-filled shows in town.

With theater my greatest passion, along with travel, I am usually attending a show a couple of nights a week. Last Wednesday I made a return visit to Avenue Q (which I first saw in previews July 2003), now comfortably settled at its home at one of my favorite theatre spaces, New World Stages.  If you haven't seen this wicked little musical, which, in fact, beat "Wicked" in the Tony race for best musical, you are SO missing out on a fantastic evening.

This amazingly talented cast performs their roles and masterful puppetry in a seamless blend.  Avenue Q is the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q; still, the neighbors seem nice. There's Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fianceé Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his roommate Rod - a Republican investment banker who seems to have some sort of secret; an Internet addict called Trekkie Monster (with one of the show's most hilarious musical numbers); and a very cute kindergarten teaching assistant named Kate. And would you believe the building's superintendent is Gary Coleman?!? (Yes, that Gary Coleman.) Together, Princeton and his newfound friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life.  It's a laugh-out-loud, raunchy, riotous and endearing journey you take with these characters ...with catchy, bouncy tunes and brilliant lyrics that will live on in your memory long after leaving the theater.   See the show and you'll certainly know what I mean.  

My partner Alan and I met the cast following the show...check out some of the pics and vid clip below.

To my readers, use this exclusive code AQBLOG12 to get tickets for as low as $55!  Valid through 5/26/11.   Don't miss it - you'll be glad you went.   New World Stages is located 340 West 50th Street, New York.  Go to the box office or call Telecharge at 212-239-6200.

Rod, Jonathan Root (who plays him) and me

My partner Alan, with Trekkie Monster

Food Network + Travel = Delicious Fun Not to Miss

One of the most exciting opportunities our agency is presenting is our second Food Network-At-Sea fun-filled adventure coming up this fall.  As part of Leaders In Travel's "Signature Collection" of culinary, special interest and dream-filled vacations, we're thrilled to bring our clients the unique opportunity to travel with everyone's favorite guilty pleasure pastime - Food Network - and provide exclusive access to authentic and engaging Food Network travel experiences on land and at sea.  These itineraries offer By- Invitation-Only events such as one-of-a-kind classes led by Chefs from Food Network Kitchens, cooking demonstrations by Food Network stars, private parties and VIP opportunities to explore local culinary scenes around the world, and much more.

Our next Food Network cruise, featuring celebrity chef, Anne Burrell, is an 11-night Mediterranean and Transatlantic voyage aboard the fabulous new Celebrity Silhouette, October 22, 2011.   It's sailing from Rome to Cape Liberty (Bayonne), NJ - Celebrity's New York home port.  More info can be found on the home page of our website, http://www.leadersintravel.com/ or by clicking this link.   Check out the video of what a Food Network travel experience is like.  This clip below was taken from last summer's voyage with Iron Chef Cat Cora.  Be prepared - you might get hungry just watching it!

Flying Can Be Fun

As I tend to get bored and restless on flights, I usually end up hanging out in the galley chatting up a storm with the flight attendants for much of my sky time.  For some reason it is flight crew who most often tell me that I resemble Anderson Cooper.  I don’t receive that compliment so much on the ground, but up in the air, it’s a pretty regular thing - maybe it’s the altitude!  Being friendly and bearing what some may view as resemblance to Mr. Cooper also seems to have its perks.   On a recent flight while flying in coach, I ordered wine as I usually do en-flight in any cabin class.  Now the wine in coach is never better than a below average jug wine at best, but my galley girlfriends wouldn’t have me drinking that standard fare.  They snuck two prime bottles out from first class - one to keep re-filling my glass with and the other to take home as a gift. Thank you Anderson Cooper.