What does that mean for you?  Well, most importantly, since we work from home, we are much easier to touch bases with.  We are not 9-5 travel agents. It is not unusual to be working late into an evening helping to put a package together for our clients. We are travel agents who love to travel and love to share our adventures with our friends and to help them find great deals on travel too. We really enjoy helping friends enjoy more travel. We especially love cruises, therefore we prefer to book river cruises and ocean cruises, but assist our clients with other types of trips too.

Why cruises? Because for most travelers, you get more bang for your buck from a cruise than you do from almost any other type of travel. This is especially true when you understand where the cruise companies make their money and then chose to not part with your precious dollars on things that may be less expensive if you make different choices. Ocean going cruises really make their money on excursions, gambling and drinks. You start out believing that you know the cost of your trip, only to be surprised on how much you have racked up in other on-board expenses. With river cruises, there are very few add on costs to deal with so you know how much the trip will cost before you leave home. Sort of like an all-inclusive resort vacation.

Taking a cruise is generally more relaxing than rushing from one place to another on a bus tour or even a vacation that you may set up yourself. No hassle with rental cars, hotel reservations, etc… The cruise company will take care of everything from the time you get on the airplane until the time you arrive back home at your local airport.

Yes, you can go online and book your own travel but who has your back when things don’t work out? If you really want to enjoy a vacation, you don’t want to have to worry.  It is our job to do the worrying.  It is your job to have fun.

Does it cost more money to use a travel agent to book a cruise?  No.  If you book direct with the cruise line, for example, they keep the commission.  They don’t discount the trip for you. Any discount you will see offered by the cruise line will also be available from your travel agent.  Additionally, travel agent companies often set up trips, and book blocks of cabins a year in advance, so that you can enjoy the trip at cheaper rates because they have already locked in the lower price.

As for discounts on airfare, you need to know up front, that most travel agents cannot save you anything on air travel, unless it is being sold as part of a larger vacation package.  So, if you just want to fly up to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving, the rate we get will be the same as you can get online, and it will probably me much more convenient for you to book it yourself, especially if you are using your miles to book rather than dollars to book it.

A little side note about this website/blog. You will notice, as you visit this site, that I am a visual person so I have scoured the internet to add links to videos which make it easy to better prepare yourself for travel.  This website was not built to be a portal for booking travel, although I do have several links that will allow you to book your own tours and excursions, air and car rentals. Help yourself if you wish, but know that we are here to answer your questions.

You will notice on the Destinations page that I have provided info on some of our favorite destinations. Check them out.

This site was built to give you a window into travel ideas and to experience our travels, but we believe that the best way to help our friends is to talk with them to find out what they want, then we do the research for them, and ultimately book the travel for them.

So, when you are ready for that vacation, give us a call. To stay up-to-date with travel bargains, make sure to follow us on Facebook and on this blog.

Jack & Tracey Edwards, Jack’s Travel Tips

Jack & Tracey Edwards
(916) 240-9302 for Jack
(916) 826-9325 for Tracey
(916) 683-7048 Fax

Outside Travel Agents

CA 2055171-40