You know what, I really, really, really miss my former travel agent! My favorite travel agency had to close down many years ago. My last visit to the shopping center where the travel office was located is now the setting for a specialty food & party store. Barely anyone remembers that a travel agency occupied that space for many years.
But, I will never forget my first experience of Christmas away from home; a young 18 year old college student, separated by thousands of miles. That winter in the early 80's was especially harsh...cold wet snow pelted me whenever I ventured outside. I was desperately homesick. I longed for the balmy breeze of the warm harmatan wind and the noisy gaiety that marks the holiday season in Africa. Although I had been invited to spend the Christmas holiday with my suite-mates family in Freemont, MI, the pain of being apart from my family felt like a cutting emotional shredder. Then my miracle happened...a phone call came from a friend informed me that I'd been given a gift. My ticket would be paid for if I could find a flight out of the country.
Well, it turned out that, unfortunately for me, many people preferred tropical paradise to a harsh winter. Although I spent hours frantically dialing every major airline to try to get a seat....any seat...the answer was always the same. Sorry Ma'am, ALL the flights out of the States have been fully booked for months!
Finally in desperation, I called a travel agent. Fighting tears, I explained how much I missed my family . I now had the money to afford a plane ticket but could not locate any flight. She promised to call me back.
I don't know how she pulled off the miracle, but late that evening, I got the call...she said, "Lola, I've managed to find you the last ticket out of the country!" Even a severe winter snow storm was not going to stop me from being home for Christmas. My joy was boundless. My family didn't even know that I had managed to get a flight out until I arrived home. Talk about a joyous reunion. Now that was priceless!
So how do you place a price tag to Evaluate the gift of that level of commitment to service? The travel agent spent hours searching & calling in favors through her professional network to create a Christmas gift that I remember to this day. I have never forgotten her extraordinary work!
Over the years, travel agents (many of whom are no longer in business) have helped me figure out where to take overseas guests to enjoy Michigan at its best. When we vacationed, I relied on their knowledge & expertise to recommend hotels & activities out of state. When specials became available that they thought we might enjoy, I was given a friendly call.
I couldn't believe it when they informed me that they had to close their doors...they could no longer be competitive. It didn't make sense. What I didn't understand then was the forces at play that convinced millions of us into thinking that machines and computers could accomplish far more efficiently the task of getting you from here to there. The new utopia premised that cost cutting was the only thing that mattered. These same entrepreneurial architects have the same business schematic in mind to overhaul the underpinnings of the real estate industry.
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