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The Runway
Trader and the Travel Agent
Imagine
you’re a travel agent. And a client shows up on your stoop one day
and asks you to find the wildest, woolliest adventure travel
destinations in the world that can also demonstrate the dependable
reach of the World Wide Web so he can trade stocks on his way
to kingdom come.
Where would
you send this nomadic neophyte?
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Hiking to
base camp on Mount Everest?
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Pedaling
in the ruggedly charming outposts of Greece?
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Taking a
Kenyan tent safari?
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Sailing
bareboat in Belize and its endless maze of cays, coves, and
atolls?
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Canoeing
the white water of the Tuichi River in Bolivia?
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To a psychiatric mental
asylum in Geneve?
Well, I am
admittedly that neophyte and I have no idea where the travel agent
I eventually select will choose to send me. (Well, I'm NOT going
to that Swiss nut house no matter how appropriate it might be ).
In the meantime, I'm looking for an agent because:
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I can save
money: A strong working relationship with your travel agent
and the latest in computer reservations technology help you get
the most up-to-date information on how to get you the best
value.
Traveler
Advocates – Your best interests are (hopefully) their
priority. Many are members of The American Society of Travel
Agents (ASTA) and are encouraged to adhere to a strict Code of
Ethics.
Convenience
– Travel agents across the country and throughout the world
can provide one-stop shopping for all travel arrangements.
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Service –
Good travel agents are knowledgeable and active in the industry.
They have access to training and resource materials that help
them plan a better itinerary that you could.
Agents
Will Go the Extra Mile – Or course, what I want most is
a travel agent who will work for you and will do everything they
can to meet my travel needs.
Naturally, I'm
hoping I'll wind up with an agent who's as smart about travel
accommodations as he or she is about being a laptop-toting road warrior. But,
rather than booking my own flights and hotels, I'm going to rely
on someone who's smarter that I am (that shouldn't be too
difficult).
Well, that's the hope.
Whether or not I actually get that is a pending story. I'll talk
to you soon. Meantime, here are a few of the best (I think) travel agents
I'll be in touch with:
BootsnAll Travel
Boundless Journeys
Gap Adventures
I Explore
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