Good advice is hard to come by……….

Good advice is hard to come by……….

Last Sunday night we all went out for dinner to celebrate Mother’s Day. It was me, my husband, my in-laws and my 93 year old grandmother (and you think you had it rough). My grandmother ordered a double Jack Daniels Manhattan for dinner. My Mother-in-law (who does not have the internet by the way) asked our waitress, “What should I order?” The waitress who was totally in the weeds, kindly replied, “Everything is great”. Then my Mother in-law asked, “What would you order if you were me?”
Does she really think she has the same taste buds as our 18 year old waitress with 20 piercings and pink hair?

I ask for advice also. Last week I tested the sales woman at Macy’s. I squeezed into a pair of jeans that were obviously too tight (but the size I wanted to buy). I asked her if they fit right, and without hesitation she said, “That is the way these jeans are supposed to fit”. I literally could not breathe, and I had an indentation on my finger forcing the zipper up, but if the trained sales woman says to buy them. Then I should buy them, right?

I do have a point here and that is, be careful what you ask, and more importantly, who you ask, especially when planning a vacation. It is ok that my mother-in-law ordered salmon because our waitress doesn’t eat meat, and the fact that I wasted another $40 on clothes that were too small, is just another day in my life. However, if you are spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a vacation, please ask the right questions to the right people.

I noticed lately that our competition has added a banner that offers “expert travel advice” from one of their “agents”. First of all, they are there to sell you a trip, so if you ask if the hotel is nice, what do you think they are going to say?
Second, they are reading from a script. The script that was written by, guess who? Somebody who wants to sell you a trip.
The third thing is, that in order to keep their costs down and profits up, these online booking engines, outsource their customer service to 3rd world countries. What kind of travel advice do you really think you are going to get?

Every day someone asks me, “Where would you go if you were me?” Great question! The only problem is that I am not you. We are all so different!
If you need advice, Vacation Travel Mart is your best bet. Not only are our prices the lowest, but we do know all of our destinations and resorts (mostly from first-hand experience and many years in the business).

My advice to you is very simple: Help us help you make the most of your vacation. A man called on Friday and I asked him where he wanted to go. He said, “you’re the travel expert, you tell me where I should go!”.
I asked, “When do you want to go?”
Him: Anytime.
Me:Any place in particular
Him: Nope, just someplace really nice, all-inclusive, oceanfront, and inexpensive.
Me: For how long?
Him: I don’t care…5 nights, a week. How long should I go?
Me: Well, do you have a budget.
Him: (proudly) We can go up to $1,000…for both of us.
My advice: Get a nice tent and visit the local KOA.
What I actually said was: “I’m sorry but I don’t have anything for you”.
Him: “I thought you said you were an expert?”
Me: “An expert, but not a magician”.