Africa Bound
  Lufthansa Airlines will begin new service to Gabon on July 15. Low introductory fares are available for missionary/humanitarian travel through December 3. Contact MTS TRAVEL today, as these special fares must be purchased by August 31.

  MTS TRAVEL has received new missionary contract fares with Kenya Airways. If a cause-related trip to Africa is on your horizon, be sure to check with us. MTS TRAVEL has special fares with Kenya Airways and several other worldwide airlines serving Africa.

 
Secure Flight Program
  Secure Flight is a behind-the-scenes program designed to streamline the identity confirmation process and improve the travel experience for all passengers. Secure Flight will be phased in over the next few months. Moving forward it will be necessary that the name used to make your airline reservation must match the specific ID that you will use at the airport. Beginning August 2009, gender and date of birth information will be required for domestic reservations. MTS TRAVEL will continue to update you on the procedures and next steps in the process to keep you prepared for a smooth check-in.

 Passport Required
  As of June 1, 2009, a passport or passport card is required for re-entry to the U.S. for all air, sea, and land travel. The passport card is valid for all land and sea entries from Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico and Bermuda. The passport card cannot be used for air travel. See www.travel.state.gov/passport for more information.

Call 866 280-2363 or email vacations@mtstravel.com.
 

 

 Article Link

With the advent of the Internet, the airline distribution system changed radically and travel agencies' commissions dropped to zero. Service fees became necessary and ordinary in working with a travel agency. What you may not realize is that the fee-based compensation model favors the consumer. You, the consumer, now pay the travel consultant, not the airline, car company, or hotels. Your fee purchases an advocate (travel consultant) for your interests, not the interests of the vendor paying the highest commissions.

So how do you maximize the relationship and work efficiently with your travel consultant? A few suggestions are listed below. There is no equal to the value of a good (MTS TRAVEL) consultant!

Fees
This is not a forbidden subject. The realities of today's travel market mean that travel agencies must charge fees for many services. Ask about the fee structure. Will the fees be included in the quote? Are there different fees for various services? As the consumer, you are in the position of power; if you don't feel the fees are appropriate, you can seek other options.

Budget
Unless "money is really no object," don't leave your travel consultant without a budget to work with. You will receive targeted options in a timelier manner if your travel consultant knows your spending limits and what flexibility you have in staying within those limits. Before you call, have an amount in mind, and a clear idea of what you are willing to do to stick to that amount; shorten your stay, make more connections, adjust your dates, use a budget hotel.

Shopping
The Internet has trained us to believe that shopping multiple sources at the same time can lead to the best "deal." Online you can look at prices here and there to compare, but you can't reserve until you're ready to pay. But, you think, here's a deal! You can call multiple agencies who will hold multiple itineraries, and you can then just pick the one you want and be sure that the seats, room, car, cabin are waiting for you. Not so. Today's reservation systems are very sophisticated. Airlines, cruise lines, and hotels know when reservations are duplicated. This practice is damaging to your relationship with a travel consultant, and will not result in the best price for you. You are a savvy shopper and you know you have an idea of what is in the market, if the price you are being quoted or the service offered is not acceptable, cancel with one agent before moving to the next. It is common courtesy and will assure that your next request is taken seriously.

Trust
Travel agents are like gardens; they thrive on cultivation. Agents and agencies cultivate relationships with vendors, so they can cultivate relationships with clients. Building and managing a relationship with a travel professional requires that you trust their expertise and advice. Trust that the consultant is working to achieve a balance of cost savings and value for you with profit and problem solving ability for them.

Graduation Day! You've made it! With the completion of Parts 1 and 2 of this series, you are now armed with the information and direction to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with your travel consultant. Your MTS TRAVEL consultant wants to build that relationship of trust with you. Call or email us today!

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