Why Book with me? I’m great in a Crisis!
Recently my client, a solo traveller, booked the trip of a lifetime with me, to Vietnam. She wanted to see the sights, enjoy foodie experiences and meet up with a friend while she was in the country. I found the most incredible tour for her; Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh and the Mekong Delta, and built it into her holiday with some solo time at the start and meeting up with her friend at the end.
She nervously set off on her first flight and I kept a close eye. She had no idea I was doing it but I felt that a lady travelling alone from the UK to Asia just needed an extra watchful eye. And then came the email. The internal flight from Ho Chi Minh to meet her friend in ten days was cancelled and the alternative they offered was unsuitable.
I contacted the airline to discuss a refund so I could book her something more suitable. No response. I called. I emailed. My client arrived in Hanoi, wide eyed, excited, apprehensive and tired. She recharged at her hotel then set off exploring. I reached out to my wonderful mentor and Travel Counsellors Duty Office and we agreed to keep contacting the airline but be ready to book an alternative flight, at a cost to Travel Counsellors, if needed.
Five days later, with no response from the airline, my client was living her best life in Hoi An, enjoying her birthday with the strangers who had now become her friends. I emailed her to say that there had been a small problem. Her flight was cancelled but, at no charge to her, we had booked her a new one and her tickets were in her inbox. Any questions, just let me know. She replied “thanks Rachel. I appreciate it” and she carried on enjoying herself.
If she had booked the holiday herself how long would she have spent in her hotel room, trying to call the airline? How many experiences would she have missed? How expensive would that have become? Then trying to find a new flight? How long on hold to her insurance company to see if they’d cover the cost of the new flight? How long would it take to shake it off before she could carry on enjoying her holiday? And would she keep checking her emails, to make sure nothing else went wrong? …“thanks Rachel. I appreciate it”
In a world where climate change has a disruptive impact on travel plans, lets not talk about 2020, and we just can’t plan for cancellations and schedule changes …book your holiday with me, for peace of mind and because I care. I will take care of all the details and any problems so you can just focus on enjoying yourself!
