Do you remember travel agents? When was the last time you actually used one? When I think of travel agencies, I picture a room buzzing with people on the phone, chatting into their headsets and tapping away on their keyboard while they feverishly try to plan and book trips for their clients. As you probably have heard, travel agencies are not what they used to be – most of us don’t use them as often when we can book flights, hotels even package deals all on the web.
Yes, travel is literally at our fingertips, but sometimes it is nice to still be able to tap into the knowledge and experience of a seasoned professional who can help us put together the trip of a lifetime (or of the year or whatever). Even more important is that they think outside of the box and they know the places and things that are just coming into the picture – for me, I want adventure, excitement, unique experiences – travel that taps into my inner spirit and helps it sing.
Thankfully, there are a few such travel agencies that fit the bill.
Black Tomato - I just found the coolest travel service that I had never heard of. If you know Daily Candy – a must-have daily guide for women that lets us know of the latest in fashion, food, nightlife, friends and travel. Apparently, they started their own travel agency called Black Tomato out of the UK that is designed to bring people “cutting edge” travel packages anywhere in the world. From what I can tell, they are the real deal – their team has been all over the world scoping out the best of the best when it comes to getting the most out of your travels. Exciting and dynamic experiences that really touch at the core of who we are as spirited travelers. Just from browsing their site – and the features they offer like a panic button when you are looking for inspiration and videos from actual trips to really give you a visual of what your experience can be. They seem to be very focused on service as well from beginning to the end of your trip with every delivering a “back to reality package” for when you return home.
Unique Travel Concepts located out of La Mesa, California. I love this site because it is simple and easy to maneuver through and they focus on certain areas of the world. While they may not focus on “cutting edge” trips, they do offer comprehensive trip planning that is custom for what you want and what you need. One thing I thought was extremely cool (and I wish I had known about this when I was getting married), they offer wedding registries for couples who would like to register for their honeymoon or another dream trip. Very creative and very smart!
And of course there are your Orbitz, Expedia and the Travelocities of the web world if you want to plan the basics of your trip and then create your own path once you are there!
Either way, get yourself online and start looking for that trip of a lifetime – it could just be a few clicks away!
Monica Rohleder
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