How do I help to create your perfect Travel experience?

Why should you use a travel agent when you have AI and the internet?

Of course, you can arrange a trip yourself but arranging a seamless holiday involves much more than simply finding flights and hotels. There are connections to coordinate, timings to consider, transfers to arrange, tours to fit together and countless details that need to work in the right order.

Let me give you an example of a trip I recently organised and show you what went into creating it.

An adventure in South America

I recently helped a client who had never travelled to South America and wanted to make the most of it during a 4-week holiday.

They wanted to see and experience as much of South America as possible, combining some of its great sights and experiences. Their journey would take them through Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Panama, Ecuador and Brazil

The challenge was how to bring it together into one journey that worked seamlessly.

Starting with the experiences

The first thing I did was sit down with my client and really understand what they wanted from the trip.

We discussed the places they were most keen to visit, the experiences that were important to them, how they felt about travelling independently and where a group tour would be suitable.

The essential experiences for them for the trip were seeing Machu Picchu and the Amazon rainforest. I also suggested the Atacama Salt flat in Chile for its incredible scenery, the Iguazu Falls in Argentina the largest waterfall system in the world and a cruise of the San Blas islands off the coast of Panama. I think discussing and presenting different places and experiences they may not have considered is an important reason to use the services of a travel professional.

I developed a possible route and draft itineraries, considering the time they had available and how best to connect the different destinations.

The journey would begin with a flight from the UK to Medellín in Colombia, before continuing to Lima in Peru, where they would then join a small-group tour.

The journey would end with a flight from Rio de Janeiro 4 weeks later

Bringing it all together

I planned and booked the itinerary, including:

• International flights
• Hotels and overnight stays
• Private transfers
• Internal flights in South America
• Small-group tour
• A cruise through the San Blas Islands
• An Amazon rainforest tour

The Itinerary

From Lima in Peru the tour took them to Machu Picchu, through Bolivia and its spectacular salt flats, and onwards to Chile, before flying to Buenos Aires. They then travelled to Iguazu Falls, on the border of Argentina before continuing to São Paulo, Paraty and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

At this point, a friend joined them on the trip. I arranged their flight so they could meet up in Rio before the two of them flew to Panama City.

After an overnight stay, they joined a five-day cruise of the San Blas Islands before travelling back through Colombia and onwards to Quito, Ecuador.

From Quito, they headed into the Amazon rainforest, staying at an Amazon lodge and enjoying excursions along the river, with opportunities to experience the incredible flora and fauna of the Amazon.

Finally, I arranged their return flight from Quito to Rio, an overnight stay in Rio and their flight back to the UK.

The tours I arranged through trusted partner suppliers in South America

I dovetailed the flights, hotels, transfers and tours so that each part of the journey connected with the next.

This is where I believe the value of using a travel professional comes in.

When you are travelling through multiple countries, even a small timing issue can have a knock-on effect. The flights need to connect with the tours. Transfers need to be available when you arrive. Hotel stays need to fit around excursions and departures. Instructions need to be clear, and the travellers need to understand exactly what is happening and when.

It's not simply about booking the individual components of the holiday it’s about making sure the whole journey works.

I hope this gives you an insight into how I can create memorable holidays. Whilst most holidays I arrange don’t involve this many destinations and arrangements, if you have a holiday, you've been dreaming about, I'd love to hear about it and help turn the idea into a reality.

Mark Gibson – Travel Counsellor

Mark.gibson@Travelcounsellors.com

01273 761060