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Nov. 21, 2023 - Doug Collins Podcast
26:50
Yes, travel agents still exist!
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You want to listen to a podcast?
By who?
Georgia GOP Congressman Doug Collins.
How is it?
The greatest thing I have ever heard in my whole life.
I could not believe my ears.
In this house, wherever the rules are disregarded, chaos and mob rule.
It has been said today, where is bravery?
I'll tell you where bravery is found and courage is found.
It's found in this minority who has lived through the last year of nothing but rules being broken, people being put down, questions not being answered, and this majority say, be damned with anything else.
We're going to impeach and do whatever we want to do.
Why?
Because we won an election.
I guarantee you, one day you'll be back in the minority and it ain't gonna be that fun.
Hey, everybody.
Welcome back to the Doug Collins Podcast.
Glad to have you with us.
I am excited about today.
We're going to talk about something that I like to do, that I love to do, with a very special person in my life.
And you hear me talk about my bride, Lisa, all the time.
And she does travel.
She taught for 31 years in the school system, and now she has been doing a lot of different things, but she's settled on...
Helping people with travel needs.
And this is a pretty amazing thing.
And we're just gonna have a conversation here after the break about what it is going on with travel.
You know, getting on planes, going to these resorts and cruises, and is this more expensive than I can afford?
What you're gonna find out is amazing what you can do.
And by the way, travel agents still exist.
That's what you're going to find out today after the break.
Got a lot of things going on this week, but I just want to have this break.
Holidays are upon us.
We're getting ready for next, as many of you are preparing for winter, but then getting ready for next spring and summer and getting trips ready.
This will be just a good time for us to talk about, you know, getting so planned and just what fun you can have on a family vacation.
So this is it here after the break.
We're going to talk to Miss Lisa Collins, one of my favorite going to be podcasts.
We're excited about this.
We'll see you right after the break.
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All right.
We're back here after the break, and I am pleased, as I said on the intro to the show today, I am pleased to have my absolute best half of my life, the person that I've been married to for 35 years.
She is an amazing wife and mother, but she has been a teacher, For 30-something years in the school system here in Georgia, and after she retired, besides running all of us here in the world and keeping Cree straight, as you've met Cree many times here on the podcast, she does travel.
And it was sort of interesting.
She and I just sort of discovered this after we had a friend, you know, set us up on a cruise and get it all packaged.
And they said, hey, how would you like to do this?
And Lisa said, this might be something I want to do.
So Lisa, for your first official time on the podcast, welcome to the podcast.
Glad to be here.
Thanks, Deb.
Well, it's good.
Well, I'm glad you're here.
Look, so there is such a thing as a travel agent now.
I mean, you know, you go in now and everybody says they just go on their computer and do it themselves, but you're a travel agent just like sort of the old travel agents, aren't you?
Absolutely, yes.
After COVID and travel all shut down, people started getting back out and traveling again, so there's definitely been a boom in the travel industry.
You know, you don't have to have a travel agent, do you?
But what, you know, what do you do as a travel agent that could help maybe somebody who's listening to the podcast who's thinking, you know, hey, I see all these ads for Expedia and all these others.
What does a travel agent give you, Lisa, that maybe doing it yourself doesn't?
Well, the biggest thing is that I take away all the stress.
I make sure that I find out all the information and it doesn't cost anybody any money working with me as part of Travelmation.
But the biggest thing is that I do a lot with you, all the planning, but I'm the one searching.
I'm the one looking for those best deals.
So if something goes wrong, they call you.
Yes.
Now that's pretty cool.
I like that.
Well, we'll get back into Travelmation here, but you work for a company called Travelmation, which is a large group that works with a lot of different travel destinations and everything else from cruises to Walt Disney to all-inclusives and everything, don't they?
Yes.
Anywhere, everywhere, there's nothing that's not within our reach.
Well, before we get into actually people doing this, people today, and you mentioned COVID, and I appreciate you doing that, because people beforehand were traveling.
COVID sort of shut a lot of that down.
Right now, is it safe to say that travel is back to people ready to go and get out again?
Definitely.
People are ready to go out and see the world and realize that they may not have tomorrow.
And so they want to experience all that they can today.
Because we have no promise of tomorrow.
Oh, you know, that's an interesting statement.
I hadn't thought about that, Lisa, as we talk about this.
You know, people, we sort of wait, we sort of wait, we sort of wait, and, you know, we'll do it eventually, do it eventually.
And, you know, you and I both come from small towns in Georgia, and we have been, you know, able to go a lot of places in the world.
But, you know, even we've talked about times where, well, we'll do that later.
What would you say to somebody right now who's maybe thinking about, you know, traveling and they say, well, we'll do it later?
When is later?
Great comment.
Later never gets here.
Yeah.
You think later never gets here, does it?
No.
We always push it off.
So never have enough money, never, you know, and the biggest thing I can say for those people is go ahead and plan it.
Plan it out.
You know, you don't have to pay it all at one time.
You can budget it out over a year.
I mean, you can make reservations up to, you know, through 2025 now in a lot of places.
So you can do 18 months out without any problems.
Well, that is pretty cool.
Well, you and I have had the ability to travel a lot of places, and we have hit a lot of continents.
I think you and I, South America is one we haven't hit yet in Australia.
We're working on that.
Folks, look, I'm married to a travel agent.
I'm trying to figure out where we're going to get to go next in this.
When you went, I got just a question for you.
When you went to Europe, what was it like experiencing?
Because you've been, and correct me if I'm wrong here, but you've been to England, you've been to France, you've been to Germany, you've been to Sweden, you've been to Bratislava, you've been to Czechoslovakia, the old Czechoslovakia, Italy.
What surprised you going to Europe?
If you have somebody out there saying, oh, I could never go to Europe, what would you tell them?
Easiest place to maneuver without a question.
When we...
We went with our oldest son and learning all the transportation.
We never had any issues of going wherever we wanted to go.
Very, very easy to get around.
People were super friendly.
Give it a shot.
Probably easier than going to New York.
Oh, wow.
From your experience, what was one of your favorite things in Europe?
I know there's a lot, but you went to a lot of cities.
From maybe growing up or from not traveling across the pond, so to speak, when you got there, what was like, wow, I'm glad I saw this?
Well, as you said, being a teacher, you read about all this history stuff.
And English has got a ton of history that, you know, actually brings it to the forefront of, yes, this really happened all the way to Churchill and his fingers embedded within his chair.
But yeah, just, you know, when we went to Germany and seeing the two walls, not just the one wall, but the two walls that they would get trapped in, just visualizing it all in person means a lot.
Travel expands your horizons, doesn't it?
Oh, absolutely.
You don't know what's outside of that little bitty town that you talked about, that we grew up in.
The United States is great, but we all have similar cultures.
When you go outside the continental United States, it's different.
Yeah.
Well, you know, one of the things that I think sometimes people fear about traveling to other countries, and we're going to get to some fun trips to the Caribbean here in just a minute, but they're also concerned about, you know, I'm scared to go to France and Germany.
I don't speak French, and I don't speak German, and mi español es muy poco.
You know, my Spanish ain't going to get me anywhere.
But is that a concern for, you know, I mean, I know you should try and learn at least little phrases, but if you go to Europe, one of the things that is pretty interesting to me is you don't have to know the language.
No, you do not.
But now there's so many apps that you can put on your phone to translate.
When I was even in Miami, I had a non-English speaking Uber driver and he had it on his phone, you know, to make sure that he and I were communicating.
And he was translating everything that I was saying so he could understand it and vice versa.
That's pretty cool.
The amazing of the technology you can look in one of these little phones like this nowadays as you get it.
Well, let's come back.
I mean, people want to go everywhere and I've had the ability to go to China and other places like that.
Folks, I'm just going to tell you right now.
Travel is something that expands your horizons.
And I believe one of the reasons that we struggle so much in this world is we don't listen to enough and we don't get outside our little bubble, as Lisa said, was so great.
But let's get it back to what people do a lot of here in the United States.
They like to go to the beach.
They like to go to the mountains and ski.
They like to go to the all-inclusives.
But you got, in y'all's portfolio, y'all do, of course, Disney, you do cruises, you do all-inclusives.
Help me out here a little bit because there's a lot of brands that y'all work with, not just the big brand Sandals and Beaches and all.
There's others that you work with.
Sort of give me a breakdown if somebody's looking at a cruise in a destination like a Sandals or something.
What's the big difference there?
Well, there's more commonalities than there are differences in those two.
One's on water and one's on land, but they're both all-inclusive between those resorts and stuff.
There are some...
Extras on a cruise, like your drink packages and stuff, whereas sandals are mostly all-inclusive.
Everything including your drink packages are there.
Gratuities are paid at both places up front, so you don't even have to get your wallet out.
You know, that's probably the biggest reason to go either on a cruise or to an all-inclusive, whether it be sandals or any of the other resorts in Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Aruba, is that you can find them and you know Eat when you want to, drink when you want to, and never have to get out your wallet.
Well, let's talk about cruises for a minute, because you and I have been on cruises together, and we've actually taken our whole family on a cruise years ago.
And we have a special needs daughter, and she's in a wheelchair.
What about for the people who listen to this podcast?
I know you just got a certification in dealing with accessibility and all on cruises.
Maybe you're a little bit older and you're scared about walking around, or maybe you have a walker, or Or even if you have a disability where you can't get out of a wheelchair, do cruises and things like that?
Could somebody still do a cruise if they're not able to walk real well?
Absolutely.
The biggest thing is that you need to plan ahead and go ahead and get it because sometimes those suites are taken a lot quicker and sometimes they're not valid.
So we have to actually call it in and verify that they do need an accessibility room.
There's not that many on the ship.
There are getting to be more.
Some ships are more accessible than others, but the customer service is a great person to get to know so that they'll be able to make room for you at dinner time, whenever you want to go.
The hallways, everything can be made and different routes to go through and make sure that you know you are if you're not able to physically walk.
The other thing though, there are other Disabilities that, you know, people need to consider.
Autism is on the rise, as many of us know.
So they are, you know, let us know or let me know what your disability is.
You know, it may be sensory to music and loud noises or the lights flickering that causes, you know...
The sensitivities.
I can't think of the epilepsy type, you know, when the flickering lights, you know, and those are the plays or those are the shows that people don't need to go to.
And they need, you know, an advantage so that they can plan out their itinerary ahead of time.
So, yeah, if there are many different disabilities, they're not just walking, hearing.
Like I said, you know, just emotional.
And they will even allow emotional dogs on the ships.
But, of course, they all have to have the correct paperwork to go along with it.
I can't take Cree.
No, no Cree can't go, but she would want to.
Well, I mean, that's pretty cool.
Now, interestingly enough, so one of the things I've heard this question before from people, are all cruises the same?
I mean, because you think about this as, you know, you got all these different outfits, Royal Caribbean, Virgin, Carnival, everybody.
Are they all the same or do they have, some of them have more emphasis to one group or another?
They are very much different in the clientele and what they offer.
There are some cruises that cater more to the younger generation and those with kids that have more the roller coasters even on the ships and more they have the kids clubs that your kids can go to just like the one as you said when we took it the whole family all three kids could go to a separate section and be with people their own age.
Then there are other cruises that are more For the middle of the road, I guess you could say, that have the nightlife and then, you know, you've got the one that we're getting ready to go on that's just all adults.
You have to be an adult.
No kids are allowed whatsoever.
And then let's not forget about river cruises.
River cruises hold less than 200 people.
So river cruises, you know, are a little bit more on the luxury side, bigger suites, things on this line.
So yes, they are all similar in some ways, but then they're all different.
You also need to remember that when you go on a cruise, if budget is a factor, there are ways that you can cut down and adjust your budget between the state rooms that you choose to the times that you go and how far in advance you plan it.
The further out you plan, the cheaper it's gonna be.
Yeah, I was pretty amazed at the fact, and for those of you out there looking, you know, and maybe some of you get vacations and you don't have to take a vacation typically in the summertime, but that may be good because really the cruise industry and some of the Caribbean stuff, their actual busy time is from November to May, isn't it?
Yes, and that's when it's still really hot.
So, you know, but like you said, most people, if they have kids, cannot go during that time and it's holiday season.
But, you know, there are a lot of people that like to have the ability to get out and go whenever.
And if you can go on the spur of the moment, there's lots of deals, you know, for the weekend getaways and things along that line.
But, yeah, you can travel anywhere at any point in time.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming is a very popular place lately that people want to go.
As well as Europe.
So, you know, it's just wherever you want to go, when you want to go, and let's plan it.
Well, and I think that's the biggest issue here is it doesn't matter.
You don't have to go to the beach in the summer.
You can actually, and I love how you mentioned Jackson Hole.
You mentioned skis in Denver.
I know you just booked a couple of trips to Denver.
You booked some stuff to Boston.
You know, people like to go see the leaves.
They like to go snow skiing.
So that's something you can do as well for them, correct?
Yes.
Like I said, it needs to be the more, it's just not Denver.
It's like if you're going to go snow skiing, Then you actually need to go to a ski resort to stay, not stay in Denver, unless you just want to travel.
You know, the more knowledge I know, the better I can meet your needs.
There's just a lot to it.
And, you know, I can't read your mind, but most of the time, unfortunately, people are a little bit hesitant to share exactly what they want.
They think that, you know, okay, if you go to Denver, everybody goes to ski.
That's not true.
I've been to Colorado before.
Yeah, Denver's a whole different city.
Believe me, it's got enough there for Denver to go through.
But you get out to the Colorado Springs.
You go out in Breckenridge.
You get out into the other places in Colorado.
But also, Utah is a great ski.
I mean, Park City and everything we've been to before as well.
Amazing skiing in those areas.
300 inches of snow a year in these places as you go.
Well, one of the things is, now, I also hear this a lot.
You know, on a cruise or in these all-inclusive sandals doors in the Mexican coast, the Caribbean, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, all these as well.
How's the food?
How's the food?
Yeah.
For someone that is not a foodie, try it.
You need to.
The food is good.
You can go.
They've got different types of cuisine on the ships as well as on the resorts.
You know, you choose what you want to eat.
If you don't like it, if you're an all-inclusive, get something else.
You know, so the food is good.
The drinks are good.
It's just all, you know, the proportions may not be as big as you would like, so order another one, you know, or come back again because, you know, they don't want to waste any more food, especially if you're dying in I have a dining reservation.
If you're at the buffets, then you can eat whatever you want, as much as you want.
So you've got the different opportunities, whether it's a sit-down, a reservation, or you can go to the buffets, or you can just go get a hamburger.
And you don't have to spend a king's ransom to go on these and get the food and other stuff.
You can make it where you still get these food, you get the food options and others, but you don't have to go buy a big drink package or buy an extra package for food or anything else like this all the time, do you?
No.
It comes with drinks, the cruises.
They usually come with your normal, your sodas and your waters and things like this, but if you want specialty Drinks like your Starbucks-type coffee, or you want special teas, or even if you want alcoholic beverages, then yes, they do charge.
You buy a package, and so different cruises do things differently.
And the fact that in some cruises, everybody in the stateroom has to buy a drink package, whether it's the soda package or the alcoholic package.
And then they make sure they card everybody so that nobody under the legal age is drinking.
Yeah, but also I know that Miss Lisa, and this is the part of being in love with this woman for well over 35 years, there's those little things they have going out there, like if you go to some of the sandals or you go on to the cruises, you have these things called Bob Marley's and Purple Hazes, these frozen little fruity drinks that they bring to you as well.
And the difference in that would be like the sandals and all inclusives, they cover all of that basically in their drink package, food prices, all included, not like the cruises, which do that a little differently, correct?
That is correct and everything.
So it doesn't matter what you drink.
Well, as we look at this, and hopefully we'll talk more about this as we go forward, some of the big things I've heard from you so far is, number one, plan ahead.
The further out you can plan, the better off you are for prices and everything else.
What would you also recommend?
Is there a place that people can go, they want to get in touch with you, and they have an idea about what they want to do.
What do you offer maybe through a website or something where they can go and get you the information that you need to help them?
My Facebook page and my Instagram both have links that they can click on and fill out some information or they can just email me and, you know, we can get started from there.
Easy to find without any problem whatsoever.
And, you know, we just got to get started.
And, you know, most people say, well, I'm not in a hurry.
Then all of a sudden they want to do it.
Well, you need to go ahead and make those decisions and plan it.
But, you know, you do need to fill out the forms.
You do need to give me as much information as I Let me know if you're celebrating anything special so that you can have the best trip.
And also give you a budget, right?
Yes, that is part of it.
And it's either with or without airfare.
And that's some things that people don't remember is that sometimes your flights cost almost as much as the trip itself.
And for some folks like me, and folks like me who travel a lot who have miles, you can help them understand it's better sometimes for them to use that in a different way to maybe help cut costs, right?
Yes, and sometimes, you know, we can book the flights, but you're absolutely right.
Sometimes it's easier for them to use the miles so that, you know, the flight's not an issue at all.
But other times, you know, we can always add the trip for your miles, but yes, flights are expensive.
Okay, I have a question.
I heard this the other day.
Somebody was telling them what you did, and they said, but I don't want to pay for a tribal agent.
Do they have to pay for you, Lisa?
Well, there are some travel agencies that do charge a fee for our planning service.
Okay?
We at Travelmation that I'm affiliated with, we do not charge for our services.
They are parts, you know, that they may add an extra amount to do it.
Like some people that I do know in some sections of Travel industry, you know, yes, we'll be glad to take care of all this for an extra 50 bucks, you know, or something.
But I myself do not charge anything.
I get all of my revenue from the vendors.
They just want their numbers to rise.
So they pay us to book trips.
So is there any reason for somebody and their wife and their husband to be over their computer going to five different websites and looking at the best values and saying, well, I went directly to Royal Caribbean and I got this.
You can get them the same thing, if not better, and they don't have any of that stress.
That is true.
And that was proven this year when I had a friend that was booking actually a cruise on another ship.
And they were going through it and I was going through it at the same time.
And at the end, we did not have the same numbers.
But then I found out they clicked on one discount and I had clicked on the other.
And so we figured out and then it was identical.
But the biggest thing I can tell is for all those people that you just talked about that are what I consider OCD, they're going to do it themselves.
And so don't waste someone else's time, mine or anybody else's.
If you're going to go behind me and make sure that this is the cheapest thing.
The cheapest is not always the best, and that's what some people don't look at.
They don't look at the ratings of the hotels or the resorts or any reviews or anything along this line.
Their bottom line is the price.
And if it's all about the price and not the memories, you might want to rethink where you're going.
Outstanding.
The best advice I've heard.
All right.
How do they get in touch with you?
What's the Facebook page?
What's the email address?
We'll put this, by the way, folks, on the podcast, I'm going to put this in the liner notes as well.
But how would they get in touch with you, Lise?
My email is lisacollins at travelmation, and that is with an M dot net.
And then, like I said, you can find me at Lisa Jordan Collins on Instagram as well as on Facebook.
Outstanding.
Folks, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go traveling.
Of course, I have the benefit of traveling with this beautiful lady anywhere I go.
So, folks, get with her, call her, you know, email her.
Go to Lisa Jordan Collins on Instagram.
Go to the email address again.
LisaCollins at TravelMation.net.
Get her there.
Send her a direct message.
Shoot her an email.
Fill out those forms on Linktree.
She can get you set up.
Now's the time to start planning for that trip that you've been putting off for a long time.
Don't let the thinking of what all could come We'll see you on
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