The World According to Judi

“Customer service, that’s what sets us apart!” This is Judi’s mantra. It has many permutations, but that is the bottom line. “You want to book a ticket with miles? No problem!” Not many agents will say that. Try getting a garden gnome to handle that request! You will just get a blank stare, but that is pretty much what you always get with internet travel sites! “I’m at Heathrow and my flight to Paris is cancelled!” I actually answered that call at 4:00 am Phoenix time while Judi was in Australia! More on that in a later post.

She has been teaching me her very successful system of holding hands and guiding clients through every phase of their journey. It all starts with an idea or a desire. “I need a vacation. I always wanted to go to Italy…” We don’t sell travel. We are Yentas. We are MATCHMAKERS connecting client dreams, desires and wishes with travel realities. We don’t work for the vendors, we work for the clients. If we can fulfill dreams, wishes and desires within a reasonable budget we have a loyal customer. If we can do this AND head off problems, or resolve the inevitable glitches that come with traveling; we are heroes!

I am Ferret Watch Me Dig

Back in a past career I was “The Cool Teacher.” I had done a writing exercise with my students at Carl Hayden High School that asked them to describe themselves as an animal of their choosing. A few minutes before the bell, they started describing each other as animals; “She’s a fox!” and “Gordo is a pig!” and “Carlos is a python!” The class clown stood up and said, “Mr. Lewis is a weasel! He has that long skinny face like a weasel!” The class cracked up. I had to admit he had a darn good point! I did offer a correction, and a teaching moment, however. “I am a FERRET!” I bet most of those kids now know what a ferret is and how to use it as a colloquial verb. Even if they don’t remember why MacBeth killed his Dad, they learned something in Senior English!

I am proud to be a ferret! I dig deep for information on a daily basis. As a stock trader and analyst I had been doing research most of my adult life. Instead of probing for which company has the best growth prospects, I now look for which resort or cruise will best meet the needs of a given client. This is what brings the most enjoyment in my new career: helping people find exactly what the want out of their travel experience. Sometimes it is the resort on the most beautiful beach. Often it’s finding the cruise itinerary that takes them where they’ve never been. It can be helping select the hotel whose décor or services delight the senses. Whenever I hear “I loved…” in a trip report, I get a warm fuzzy feeling!

Flash Forward to the Present: “Castello di Septe was a real winner!”

When I first started with Judi, we began planning an Italy trip for a delightful family with roots there. They wanted an overview including the big three; Rome, Florence and Venice. They agreed to try Perugia, which is Judi’s home away from home in Umbria. They had one unusual, but important requirement: visit the town where their family had come from. This town was high in the mountains not far from the Adriatic coast. There really isn’t much around that part of Italy. I set about finding a decent hotel from which they could visit this small town daily. Zip. Zilch. Nada!

I googled, trip advisored, asked around and still nothing decent could be found. Judi had a book of small inns and dining establishments in Italy. The entries only mentioned what town they were in, so it was find an inn and find the town on a map. This town was so isolated that not much was coming up. Then I found Castello di Septe. Judging from the map, it was less than an hour drive away. The book described it favorably. I was able to find some glowing reviews on the internet. We contacted them by email and booked 5 rooms (almost half the inn).

When one of the clients called from Italy with a question, we asked how was the Castello di Septe? “Oh, that was a real winner!” came the reply. This is what it’s all about for me! Helping make travel dreams into realities and fond memories is what makes being a travel consultant fun. Later I heard all about what a great trip it was. With all the marvels of Italian history and all the charm of the lovely urban hotels, it was the small town the family had roots in and the charming inn we found nearby that created the most memorable time!

Next Time: I thought I was Good With Computers.