The Great Escape: Travel Agents Give Hot Tips for Getting Out Of the Cold

This is a hectic time of year for travel agents as Door County residents seek a reprieve from the cold.

 

Longtime travel agent Jill Lhost, who started in the travel industry when she was only 20 years old, said winter in Door County was unique while she was running her travel agency, Bay Shore Travel, in Sister Bay.

 

“When weather was at its worst, we would have our busiest days,” Lhost said. “During our biggest snowstorm, it was almost comical because I would never want to be closed on a snow day.”

 

For many full-time residents serving the needs of vacationers coming to Door County, Lhost said winter is the time those people can get away. Retirees who settle in Door County also often have winter travel as part of their plan. Most have traveled extensively and use travel agents to plan complicated trips with multiple facets that include several modes of transportation, drivers and housing arrangements, she said.

 

“The majority of what I did was booking international travel in Europe, Asia and the South Pacific,” Lhost said. “Customized work�"China, Russia, etc.”

 

Although many travelers now book their own airline flights, Lhost said lengthy and international excursions still are normally booked through a travel agent. She made the difficult decision to close her agency Dec. 31 and retire so she and her husband, Lee, can take extended vacations of their own. She refers many of her clients to Vicki Davis Ries, who owns Any Path to Travel at 26 S. Third Ave. in Sturgeon Bay.

 

Ries was so swamped this week she declined a sit-down interview but said that isn’t due to the weather; this is her regular busy season. Ries started working in the travel industry in 1990 and bought the agency from her mother, Patricia Barlament, in 2007.

               

With Lhost retiring and Travel Leaders moving from Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay four years ago, Any Path to Travel is now the only brick-and-mortar travel agency left in Door County.

 

Ries has two consultants: Carrie Malvitz, who specializes in trips to Hawaii, and Kathy Heilmann, who has taken classes in travel to Australia and New Zealand. Ries plans everything from Disney to African safaris.

 

“People are returning from the Internet to using travel agents,” Ries said. “We’re giving more value for their money. They know they can trust us�"we’re insured, bonded and licensed, and we take care of all the details and documents. And we’re working for our clients�"not the airlines or a tour company, so we are an unbiased source of information.”

 

But the cold has made the peak travel season even busier, according to Nancy DeBauche, manager of Travel Leaders. DeBauche, who said 90 percent of her business is done by phone, continues to serve clients and advertise in Door County.

 

“Business has picked up by about 10-15 percent in January,” she said. “The temperatures have played a big role in people wanting to leave and not stay in the United States. And they are vacationing longer simply because it got so cold so early.”

 

The cold has equally gripped other parts of the U.S. with unseasonably cold weather in places like Florida and the Carolinas, so most sun-seekers are traveling farther south, she said.

 

It’s also busier because an extra month of travel is possible this year with Easter falling on April 20 and people booking for spring break, DeBauche said. Last year with an early Easter, most winter travel was already wrapped up in March.

 

Snarls at airports and highways, like the ones that occurred during the freak winter weather down South this week, are another reason she said many prefer to use travel agents to book their trips.

 

“This last week, how many flights were canceled? When you’re booking online, who do you turn to? You can try calling the airlines,” she said. “I’ve had people calling me telling me they are waiting 1½ hours to talk to someone. We can rebook immediately.”

Atlanta �" where officials were caught off guard by icy conditions �" is a common hub for those flights traveling on to Mexico, DeBauche said. Her clients all made it to their destinations. But other unexpected problems may pop up just before or during travel.

 

“What if you fall on the ice just before you leave or have another health concern?” she said. “Will your travel insurance cover it and how will you get your money back if you can’t go?”

 

All three travel experts recommended travel insurance.

 

Travel agents also deal with reputable companies that stand behind their tours where some online deals do not always turn out to be what they seem, or people unwittingly make mistakes, DeBauche said. It’s a balance of both time and money.

 

“It’s simple peace of mind and the expertise of dealing with someone who has traveled there and knows your destinations and can give you tips on various areas,” she said. “You may get a discounted fare, but if you don’t look closely, you may not realize you’re not getting there until the next day and then you’ve lost a day of vacation. That’s worth something.”

 

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