THE new year is upon us, and everyone is making plans, whether it is the inevitable post-Christmas diet, the new relationship, the career change, or the holiday? Sometimes though, those expectations fail to translate into reality.
Now, I’m in no position to advise anyone on diet, relationships or career choices, but I can contribute when it comes to your holiday plans in 2017.
Until such time as your computer or smartphone develops the ability to talk to you, and hold a rational discussion, your local travel agent is probably still the best place to begin. As it says on the wall at Baileys Travel, “everything starts with a conversation’.
There are many ways to start the process, but we prefer to begin with the “why’? In other words, what is the reason for the holiday? Everything flows from this. Is it a special birthday? An anniversary? A celebration? A retirement trip perhaps, or something on your bucket list? Whatever the reason, your choices and decisions are informed by the “why’.
There is also the “when’, the “how long’, the “who with’ and the “how much’ to consider, but these are arguably secondary to the “why’. Bear in mind that the most precious commodity in life, and the only thing you can’t get a refund for, is time. Getting things right, so you don’t waste time, is a key consideration, so using some of that time to talk things through is an investment which should deliver the best outcome.
At most travel agents, and in particular, the independent travel agent, you will discover a world of choice and possibilities, dealing with people who do this for a living, so tap into their knowledge and experience to help you with your planning.
At Baileys Travel, we studiously avoid the use of the C-word. For us, the C-word stands for cheap, whereas we prefer the V-word, which stands for value. Cheap and cheerful is often cheap and nasty and the C-word and V-word should never be confused. That’s not to say that price is unimportant, but price should be a consequence of your informed choices and decisions. Sure, if the price ends up outside your budget, we need to do some adjusting, but better to start from a value-driven perspective than a price.
So, find your local independent travel agent, get down there, and start the conversation. If there’s tea and biscuits on offer, as there always is at Baileys, then all the better. The more you put into the groundwork, the more advice you receive along the way, the better the outcome and the more successful the holiday.
Great Expectations are all well and good, but Great Outcomes are even better.
Happy New Year to you all!
Contact Baileys Travel on 01933 441919, email or visit the website www.baileystravel.co.uk