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Vacation planner
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Vacation planner, good idea?
Yes  
 48%  [ 12 ]
No  
 52%  [ 13 ]
Total Votes : 25



amother


 

Post Thu, Jul 24 2014, 4:25 pm
princessleah wrote:
I think it sounds like a good idea, if you could market yourself to frum people, and provide specifically maybe something like food for vacations there is not a lot available.

Like if you booked a hotel and activities, you could also not only provide info on kosher food, but make them reservations at kosher restaurants, or if there are none, arrange with the hotel-- order the packaged kosher meals from places in New York, etc.
Or make packages of food for people to take with them to places (like boxed lunches, or make a box of staples like bread, cereal, tradition soups, etc.)


exactly what I was planning to do (if asked of course)
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Ashrei




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 24 2014, 10:36 pm
I'm super busy and would pay a nominal fee to outsource that sort of research, especially if it was like," get us to florida for a week for $3k,go!" And esp if I could call while there and count on your advice regarding changes of plans as things happen... I think it's a good idea! I would just call myself a full service travel agent... (except maybe you need somekind of license to officially be called a travel agent)

disclaimer,only read page1 of the thread...now going to sleep...
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MaBelleVie




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 24 2014, 10:47 pm
I have a friend who does this. She markets her service to the frum community and targets one specific popular destination. She is very, very familiar with all the ins and outs of that location, moreso than many locals, so her knowledge is valuable.
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Shira9




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 24 2014, 11:12 pm
My first reaction was - great idea but I wouldn't use it. After reading thru what you'd offer, I say go for it! I love researching online and gathering info but it sure takes an awful amount of time! If I can call s/o and say I wanna take a trip "wherever" and give my kids ages and info on what we enjoy or totally dislike and have them book e/t accordingly, it's a wonderful service! Most travel agents I know wouldn't book a hotel and itinerary for a "local" trip w/o air travel (Lancaster, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, virginia, Maine, etc)
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Mrs Bissli




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 2:31 pm
I would rather call such services as travel concierge rather than travel agent. It sounds much more value-added than just booking flights/hotels/rental cars. I don't think you'll make much commission bundling flights & hotels anymore, especially as so many of you pointed out the pricing and reservation systems are now transparent and available online.

You'll be probably angling for someone who is cash rich but time poor, wants to try something exotic or have very specific requests. You need to be able to make personalised recommendation, not just something you drew from, say Tripadvisor. Some close friends used such services to arrange around-the-world-travel, but such people can be very demanding--they were calling their "concierge" back in NY when the hotel in London didn't have specific rooms they've requested and they overslept and missed the flight connection.
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amother


 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 2:43 pm
Thanks for so much positive feedback! The advertisement is being designed right now!! I'm quite excited.
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Scrabble123




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 2:49 pm
As other's have pointed out, the service you're describing is usually provided by travel agents.

I think that this service is something that may be needed because a lot of people buy their tickets online on their own these days and avoid contacting travel agents.

On the other hand, if someone is booking through a travel agent, your service would not be needed because the travel agencies would handle all of what it is you are planning to do.

I would also not rely too much on a person who is new in the business for this service, especially if you personally are not familiar with the destinations / not in contact with people in those cities and countries. A lot can go wrong without warning (I'm not talking about serious issues, but small, natural ones). Language barriers can create issues. You have to be willing to handle them from afar before and during the trip, and you should know in advance what can and may go wrong during travel. It's not simply planning and booking. Many good travel agencies are affiliated with others in other countries, and so they possess the upper hand in this area.

That being said, there may be a demand for it where you are. Research it & good luck!
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amother


 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 3:30 pm
Scrabble123 wrote:
As other's have pointed out, the service you're describing is usually provided by travel agents.

I think that this service is something that may be needed because a lot of people buy their tickets online on their own these days and avoid contacting travel agents.

On the other hand, if someone is booking through a travel agent, your service would not be needed because the travel agencies would handle all of what it is you are planning to do.

I would also not rely too much on a person who is new in the business for this service, especially if you personally are not familiar with the destinations / not in contact with people in those cities and countries. A lot can go wrong without warning (I'm not talking about serious issues, but small, natural ones). Language barriers can create issues. You have to be willing to handle them from afar before and during the trip, and you should know in advance what can and may go wrong during travel. It's not simply planning and booking. Many good travel agencies are affiliated with others in other countries, and so they possess the upper hand in this area.

That being said, there may be a demand for it where you are. Research it & good luck!



I never saw travel agencies, who would provide such a service, maybe you got me wrong, yes I a willing to contact people in the other country (let's say chabad) to make sure and ask them information, don't worry I will plan very thoroughly!
Thank You for your feedback!
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Scrabble123




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 3:34 pm
amother wrote:
I never saw travel agencies, who would provide such a service, maybe you got me wrong, yes I a willing to contact people in the other country (let's say chabad) to make sure and ask them information, don't worry I will plan very thoroughly!
Thank You for your feedback!


I have travelled and planned with travel agencies that provide such services.
I didn't realize that you are already advertising so good luck & I hope you are successful!
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amother


 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 3:42 pm
Scrabble123 wrote:
I have travelled and planned with travel agencies that provide such services.
I didn't realize that you are already advertising so good luck & I hope you are successful!



No problem, thank you!
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self-actualization




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 3:46 pm
How are you going to get paid? I think that professional travel agencies get paid by the airlines and hotels. I have used travel agencies and have not paid an out-of-pocket fee.
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Mrs Bissli




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 3:47 pm
amother wrote:
I never saw travel agencies, who would provide such a service, maybe you got me wrong, yes I a willing to contact people in the other country (let's say chabad) to make sure and ask them information, don't worry I will plan very thoroughly!
Thank You for your feedback!


Chabad is a good source of information especially for overseas, but please please do understand it's probably not fair to ask them to be your "local agents" or load them with sightseeing questions.
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amother


 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 3:50 pm
Mrs Bissli wrote:
Chabad is a good source of information especially for overseas, but please please do understand it's probably not fair to ask them to be your "local agents" or load them with sightseeing questions.


No!!! No, sightseeing questions, questions about kosher food, restaurants, minyanim.
I know it's provided on their websites, but I will call them to check if the information is still up to date, to prevent disappointments
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amother


 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 3:56 pm
self-actualization wrote:
How are you going to get paid? I think that professional travel agencies get paid by the airlines and hotels. I have used travel agencies and have not paid an out-of-pocket fee.


I'm not focusing on flight's and hotels, while I will be able to book them aswell ( if requested), I'm focusing more on the planning of the vacation in detail ( whatever people request).

I will take an additional sum for my work.
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Mrs Bissli




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 4:09 pm
OP, fair enough.

I recently had to look after relatives from overseas. The kind of things they needed help arranging were:

- accommodation
- how much money to get, better to get before they leave or once they arrive, exchange leftover
foreign currency
- where to find foods
- pick-ups/drop-offs from/to airports
- local train and subway information
- tourist attractions (specifics like how to get there, if it's crowded/long queues, how much time to allow,
"Is attraction A worth visiting more than attraction B? " Can octogenarian manage Museum C?")
- theatre tickets
- LOADS of questions about "how do we get from Point X to Point Y?"
- Shopping advice (like "my friend got this nice lipstick/bathgel last time she was in Europe 5 years ago,
where can I get the same one? It's in lavender and pink packaging, but she doesn't know the brand...")
- good places to take photo shoots
- IT and phone related stuff: "Does my cellular phone work overseas? What networks, do I need SIMs?",
"where can I print out XYZ?"
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amother


 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 4:13 pm
Mrs Bissli wrote:
OP, fair enough.

I recently had to look after relatives from overseas. The kind of things they needed help arranging were:

- accommodation
- how much money to get, better to get before they leave or once they arrive, exchange leftover
foreign currency
- where to find foods
- pick-ups/drop-offs from/to airports
- local train and subway information
- tourist attractions (specifics like how to get there, if it's crowded/long queues, how much time to allow,
"Is attraction A worth visiting more than attraction B? " Can octogenarian manage Museum C?")
- theatre tickets
- LOADS of questions about "how do we get from Point X to Point Y?"
- Shopping advice (like "my friend got this nice lipstick/bathgel last time she was in Europe 5 years ago,
where can I get the same one? It's in lavender and pink packaging, but she doesn't know the brand...")
- good places to take photo shoots
- IT and phone related stuff: "Does my cellular phone work overseas? What networks, do I need SIMs?",
"where can I print out XYZ?"



EXACTLY what I'm going to organize!!
I know it's alot of stress, but I'm prepared!
And I'm going to print them out everything before! Wink
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Ashrei




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 10:57 pm
Last piece of advice (maybe): what will you do for a safety net? I can't say how many times I've called ppl to try to plan something and the info I received wasn't spot on (due to last minute changes, etc) I would just have friendly disclaimer at least, or make contingency plans part of your routine...

In any case, I'm excited for you OP, I hope you pm me when you're public, I'll want to hold onto your contact info :-)
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causemommysaid




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 11:06 pm
If the price were reasonable then maybe I would pay for it.

That would mean booking everything and being super organized about it.

flights, shuttles, rental cars, hotels, activities, restaurants etc.

it also means being available if something goes wrong and a client needs help.

it means physically handing them/or mailing hard copies of all itineraries along with very easy instructions and directions for everything. It means giving a list of documents needed for each location your going to.

an all inclusive packing list depending on the itinerary.

local jewish attractions- mikvah, kosher food, minyanim etc.

these are things not offered by travel agents. if you can do all that then people will probably pay for it.
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Lady Bug




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 29 2014, 11:22 pm
I saw someone advertising this service in the mishpacha or Ami last week. Was that you?
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amother


 

Post Wed, Jul 30 2014, 3:18 am
Lady Bug wrote:
I saw someone advertising this service in the mishpacha or Ami last week. Was that you?


No, I'm not in the US. I would like to start local, maybe expand later, if it will be going well.
Thanks everyone.
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