Introduction
For me, the experience of traveling has always been great. I have visited almost all of the Australia with my family and every time I did that, the experience was nothing short of fantastic. This year as well, we decided to refresh our minds through traveling, but this time we decided to go somewhere out of Australia. We were not sure where to visit. After talking to my friends the two most appealing options to me were either taking a 3-week coach tour of Europe or spend 7-10 days at any beach resort in Asia Pacific Region. Since the planning for the trip seems like a daunting task , we decided to take services of travel agents as we had heard that they offer different packages to destinations around the world at a reasonable price, taking the hassles of visa, booking and traveling away and offering full opportunity to enjoy the trip (Plawin 2003). Our plan was to enjoy holidays when my university was closed, which gave us dates between 21st of September 2009 to 5th October 2009. We also had another option for a date which anything after 30th of November. We visited two travel agents in Sydney area and had good consultations with them. In the lines below a brief account of our consultation with them is provided.
The Consultation
- First Travel Agent
- Name JetSet PennantHill
- Address 82 Yarrara Road, Pennant Hills, Sydney, NSW 2120 Australia
- Travel Compensation Fund License No 2TA 5514
- Travel Agent License No 2TA5514
- The Choices Offered By the Consultant
The consultant at JetSet PennantHill offered us a number of packages for visiting Bali or Europe. However, the best one she offered was traveling to Italy and Germany for 3 weeks. For Italy, the package offered by the consultant offered trips and stays at Rome, Venice, Florence and Pompeii. For Germany, we were offered visits to Frankfurt, Rothenberg, Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Lucerne. It also included trip to Mount Pilatus and Marienplatz. All accommodation was in premium hotels which included selected meals as well. All travel was through luxury coaches along with Tour Director and complimentary transfers.
Preferred Airline of the Consultant/Agent
Air Pacific seemed to be the preferred airline of the consultant as it was mentioned in the details of the packages.
Knowledge of the Consultant
The consultant’s knowledge about the destination and details of the package was excellent. The consultant had a good conversation with us about the exotic beauty and weather of Fiji, Hawaii, Tahiti and Polynesia and we are also given information about the how culture and customs as well as tips on shopping. We were also told about the excellent water sports facilities at the hotels we would be staying in as well the fantastic Fijian cuisine that would be served to us.
Use of Internet by the Consultant
The consultant used the internet to show the photos of our accommodation and the location that we would be visiting on the tour.He also used the Internet to search for answers to our visa queries as well as information on travel advisory for Pacific Islands.
Travel Advice Offered by the Consultant
The consultant at Hills Travel Centre answered our queries regarding the visas very thoroughly. He gave us a complete picture of issues related to visa application and told us that all the things will be taken care of by the company till our departure from Sydney. He also informed us about the Australian government’s advisory on the H1N1 pandemic. The consultant also presented to us various travel insurance options offered by Travelsense American Express to suit our needs. His advice on the foreign exchange was to carry Travellers Cheques, since they offered a much more secure way to carry money and can be cashed free.
Recommendation of Internet
According to the consultant, the best way to get information about anything is to use the Internet. He told us to look for more information about issues related to traveling to Pacific islands such as jet lag and free guides which would be very helpful in enhancing our holiday experience.
Overall Assessment
. The consultant offered us comprehensive advice on the packages that were on offer as well as on the issues that were related to the traveling, accommodation, and living experience in Pacific Island. He also advised us on visas, foreign exchange, and well as culture and delicacies that we should look out for, when on pacific Island. Overall the consultation offered to us at Hills Travel Centre was very comprehensive. (Todd and Rice 2003).
References
Plawin, P 2003, Careers for Travel Buffs & Other Restless Type, McGraw-Hill Professional, New York, New York.
Todd, G & Rice, S 2003, A Guide to Becoming A Travel Professional, Cengage Learning, Florence, Kentucky.