Your Travel Concierge, at Your Service

Travel Concierge, Geri Wagner, standing on a stone river in the Falkland Islands

Here's what a sister travel consultant wrote recently. I couldn't have said it better myself. I too have found that people who travel are very willing to have an experienced person handle their travel arrangements and not just the package deals from vendors like Apple Vacations, or Funjet Vacations or a cruise on NCL. I can "work" for you, whether it's a private booking for a condominium for the family's post holiday gathering, a hostel in Alaska for a backpacking trip, or a special night at a lodge in Volcano National Park. If you're too busy, or you just don't like the "computer thing," you can always call me, your Travel Concierge, and I'll do the legwork for you. Read on:

"What I'm finding is that the world is becoming smaller and smaller. Booking with a local tour operator can be as easy as an e-mail and a bank transfer. My seasoned traveler clients are happy that they don't have to be locked in to an air/hotel/tour package. They can be in command of their own itineraries.I now charge multiple service charges for coordinating all the components of their trips: $25 per person ticketing fee, $25 for setting up local transfers, $75 for arranging a private guide, and the list goes on. Don't get me wrong, I love getting those big commission checks from cruise companies and tour operators. But, even when booking packages, I tack on service charges for booking extra nights or side trips.

In the end, my time is being paid for regardless of how much a trip costs or if the company pays a commission. It's a win-win situation. I never say, "No, I can't book that for you," because I know I'll get paid for my services. And, my clients feel safe knowing that all of their bookings are under one roof. When it comes to making changes on their itineraries, they are happy that I will take care of it and that I will also adjust all the other elements of the trip that are affected. Cancel a car rental, adjust dates on a hotel, add transfers - these changes mean more service fees. But, my customers don't mind it at all. In view of how difficult they perceive it is to make changes, they often offer to pay me right off the bat.

I've had wonderful luck locating local tour operators such as China Highlights in Bejiing, Backpacker's Travel in Istanbul, Julie's Taxi in Bangkok. I save their home pages in "my favorites" in Internet Explorer. It's simple and effective. I can access their information in seconds and see whether they can provide the service my client is looking for. No more bulging filing cabinets. My clients may even have my agency's home page saved on their computers – I hope so. That makes it easy for them to find my information and be reminded of what I can do for them.

It's interesting to work with travel companies around the world. They can answer so many of the questions that my clients ask me about their region that I rarely have to call tourist boards any more or tell my customers to "look it up in the guide book." This gives me peace of mind that, even though there's a big world out there, someone with a name and an e-mail address is ready to handle the business I send them. I used to worry about not getting paid a commission for booking local services. Not any more. My niche as a "travel concierge" is blooming, and I love it. It's a big world out there that's getting smaller and smaller!" -- Diana Monaco