Part time travel planner part 1

About 6 weeks ago at a golf outing my cart companion had over 4 hours to pick my mind about Las Vegas. He had never been there and once he discovered that in a past lifetime that I had been a travel agent the questions started to flow like nickel draft beers at the baseball stadium. His wife had a milestone birthday coming up and he wanted to surprise her with a trip to Nevada’s adult version of Disney.

I fielded his questions about air carriers, different departure cities, staying at a strip as compared to downtown hotels, dining experiences even optional sightseeing trips. We had narrowed it down departing from Columbus OH and identified a couple of hotels that would meet their needs. I suggested that a tour operator would probably offer the best package rates and promised to forward some tour operator’s web addresses to him. Search the web then compare your findings with a local travel agent’s package offerings was my parting advice to my friend.

We ran into each other at the grocery store last weekend and he excitedly wanted to share his findings with me. He did his research and decided to be his own travel agent and booked all of his travel requirements himself on the Internet. One website was used to book his air and another for his lodging. Yes he researched the trip with both an agent and a few tour operators but he saved about $40.00 a person by doing it his way.

Curious about the pricing difference I probed a little deeper and discovered a major problem with his flights. He was scheduled departing from Columbus into Chicago’s Midway airport then departing 45 minutes later from Chicago O’Hare airport which is located on the other side of the Windy City.

I explained that they would have to proceed to Midway’s baggage area reclaim the checked luggage, grab a cab for O’Hare then check in for their flights there. Considering the distance to be traveled via auto, Chicago’s traffic and the lengthy security screening lines at O’Hare I wished him luck. Check with your booking source and see if you can change your flight schedule was my other guidance.

After a half dozen or so email messages and a $100.00 per ticket change fee my friend got his flights straightened out. With the vacation back on track he expressed that next time he would most likely use a local travel agent. He felt that a visit to the agent’s office or a phone conversation was worth his time and peace of mind.