Focus becomes Attention. What you pay Attention to shapes your Experiences. And Experiences are much more likely to be remembered fondly and provide a sense of Happiness.
Some people travel to foreign lands in search of bargains or unique gifts. Some people travel half way around the world to lay on a beach which is not much different from the one much closer. One assumes they are seeking the Experience inherent in travel.
That is what an International Travel Consultant can do for you. To help you find those unique experiences that you will remember and talk about forever. But this is not your father’s travel agent.
With today’s breadth of information available on the internet, the trip to Las Vegas for a week at one hotel is pretty much a do-it-yourself (DIY) adventure on the internet. You can make your own trade-offs between price and convenience, and read to your heart’s content about the amenities one hotel offers over another. And you book both your airfare and hotel online, probably getting as good a price as any travel agent.
But when you begin to complicate the scenario above with either the addition of many more people or multiple locations on the same trip, then the trip planning takes on a new dimension. I have coordinated trips with up to a dozen friends, but have never been responsible for the booking of each person’s requirements. And I routinely plan as many as couple dozen stops on a single trip, with planes, trains and automobiles, but just for my wife and myself. If someone has put you in charge of getting an extended family reunion with 20 kids, parents and grandparents, moving among even 3 or 4 locations, then you may be in need of an international travel consultant.
And particularly if your are interested in providing that unique experience that the whole family will talk about for the rest of their lives: perhaps an international travel consultant would be the right path for you.
An example of what an international travel consultant might do:
- Arrange the flights for your group of 6 good friends to Rome from multiple points in US
- Arrange transportation from the airport to a hotel in Rome
- Provide a guide with a van to transport the 6 of you on a one day orientation tour of Rome
- Arranging for hotel rooms (having offered you a variety of prices and experiences) and then leave you on your own in Rome for 2-3 days,
- Arrange transportation and a hotel in Naples
- Arrange a dinner at the most amazing restaurant in Naples
- Arranging a van to take you on a guided tour of the Amalfi Coast
- Arrange an internal flight from Sorrento to Florence (Firenze)
- Arrange orientation tour of Firenze
- Leave you on your own in Firenze for 2-3 days
- Arrange a visit to a fine Chianti winery, including dinner with the winery owner, your 6 friends and several of the winery owner’s friends, for a memorable feast to complete your trip
- Then arrange your trip home.
Could I have done that on my own? Maybe, but with a lot of effort and more coordination of 6 people than I would normally enjoy. Could I have found the amazing restaurant in Naples. Probably yes, but with a lot of searching. And the dinner with the wine maker and his friends? Not likely, as I don’t have the contacts.
Will you pay more than I typically do for a two week trip. Probably, although depending on the size of your group, and the “smallness” of the places you want to visit, an international travel consultant might be able to get you a better deal. And the primary reason that your bill might be a bit higher, is that you are buying some unforgettable experiences. And we all know that great experiences lead to more happiness.
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