This essay is based on a conversation with Jason Poole, a Nashville, Tenn.-based travel agent specializing in cruises and European travel. This has been edited for length and clarity.
I have a passion for travel. I joke that I vacation in Nashville, Tenn., where I live, but my real home is at the airport, on a cruise ship, or in some European city.
I’ve always found using a travel agent helpful, especially when I was in a different career and too busy to book my own trips. My travel agent always told me that he thought I would be great at it, and after turning him down several times, I joined his team. We now have a Cruise Planners franchise together and I have been an agent for seven years.
I love helping people experience things for the first time.
Cruising is my personal passion. See the article : These are the best states for a healthy lifestyle. I have found that the most successful travel agents discover a niche – so my areas are all-inclusive resorts, cruises and European land tours.
I love helping people experience something for the first time. I tell my clients that I can be as hands-on as you want me to be. Some of my clients are veterans who don’t need my help booking a flight or hotel.
At the same time, I also have a family of three who just returned from their first trip to Europe and wanted help with everything. I loved creating their itinerary from flights to transfers to tours and excursions to help them get the perfect vacation that fits their budget.
I do not charge my client fees. I am 100% free. I make my money from resorts, cruise lines and hotels that pay me a commission for bringing clients. I am also often able to get clients lower rates than resort or cruise websites, as well as free amenities.
I get so many offers for familiarization trips, I have to turn them down all the time
Being part of the cruise planner’s millionaire club – meaning I make over a million dollars a year in sales – resorts and cruise lines always want me to do introductory cruises. I get so many offers that I have to turn them down all the time. To see also : United States Provides Emergency Humanitarian Aid in Response to Floods and Disasters in Bangladesh | Advertising | US Agency for International Development. I pay for personal trips out of pocket and they make me an expert on cruise lines and resorts.
Most of my business comes from word of mouth and referrals. Booking is easy, but I don’t want to book – I want clients who work with me because they want a boutique service. You can call me, email me, text me, Facebook me, even Instagram me – my phone is glued to my hip. You can email sites like Expedia but you get a response within weeks compared to hours for me.
This is important right now because travel is in a state we’ve never seen before. Some people call it a revenge trip, but I hate that phrase because it sounds so negative. We see people traveling more and people spending more; a person who used to fly economy now flies business or first class.
Now people are searching for great travel agents – especially those with authority
When I started, I often had to convince people of the benefits of using a travel agent. I’d tell people at cocktail parties that I’m a travel agent and I’d always get the same response, “They’re still around?” The internet has completely changed travel. On the same subject : The Video Game Treatment – Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta – Podcast on CNN Audio. People thought that since they could book things online, they didn’t need a travel agent.
But now people are looking for great travel agents – especially ones that have authority over the resorts, cruise ships and cities they want to see.
I think the pandemic taught us that life is short. This has helped people see the value of travel agencies and want to travel more. Even in my travels, I find myself focusing more on new destinations and new experiences.
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