Cars, travel and occasions · 10 guides
Travel Agent: problems and fixes, explained by Dusty
Dusty Rodgers is the only travel agent member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- When plans fall apart mid-trip: travel insurance, cancellations and who actually fixes it Something will eventually go wrong on a trip. Here is what to do in the first hour, how travel insurance fits in, and how I plan trips so a bad day abroad stays a bad day rather than a ruined trip. What to do first, and where insurance fitsThe first hour after something goes wrongWhat I do when a client's trip changesTravel insurance, in plain terms
- What a luxury travel advisor costs in Dallas, and what the fee actually buys Planning fees and trip costs are two different numbers. Here is what I charge for each level of help, when the fee goes up, and what actually moves the price of a luxury trip. The short answer: planning fees and the trip are two separate numbersWhat each level of help includesWhen the fee goes up, and whyWhat actually moves the price of the trip
- Travel advisors cost more than booking online, and other myths worth retiring Most of what people believe about travel advisors comes from a time before the internet or from one bad experience. Here are the myths I hear most, and what is actually true. The myth people ask about mostMyth one, looked at closely: the fee makes the trip more expensiveMyth two: the internet made travel advisors obsoleteMyth three: you need a huge trip to bother with an advisor
- Is this trip too complicated to plan yourself? Eight signs it has crossed the line Some trips are easy to book yourself and some quietly turn into a part-time job. Here are the eight signs I look for, and the trips I would honestly tell you to plan on your own. The quick test before you open another browser tabThe eight signs I look forWhen the people are the complicationWhen the route is the complication
- How far ahead to plan a luxury trip abroad, and what happens in the months before you fly The best rooms, connecting suites and private guides go first, and passports and health visits have their own clocks. Here is how I think about timing a luxury trip abroad, phase by phase. Start earlier than feels necessary, and treat 60 days as the warning lineWhy the good things disappear firstPhase one: as soon as the trip becomes realPhase two: design, then book in the right order
- Flying abroad from DFW with the family: the paperwork and prep Dallas travelers miss Most travel problems start at home, weeks before the flight. Here is the checklist I walk Dallas families through before an international trip, from children's passports to the house you leave behind. The checklist in one paragraphPassports cause more trouble than anything elseEntry rules belong to every country on the routeREAL ID and the domestic leg nobody thinks about
- Cruise or land trip for three generations: how to decide which one fits your family A ship unpacks once and keeps everyone fed; a land trip gives depth and control. Here is how I help families with grandparents, parents and children decide which one fits their group. The honest answer depends on four things about your groupWhat a ship does well for a mixed-age groupWhere cruises let families downWhat a land trip does better
- Booking the luxury hotel yourself: what you get, what you give up, and the middle path You can absolutely book a five-star hotel yourself. Here is what you may be leaving on the table when you do, how to compare rates honestly, and the ways to keep control and still get the perks. Yes, you can, but the perks depend on how you bookThree ways to book the same roomWhat partner amenities usually look likeThe self-book option most people do not know exists
- Before you hire a travel advisor: the questions that separate planners from order-takers Anyone can call themselves a travel advisor. These are the questions I would ask if I were hiring one, what good answers sound like, and the warning signs worth walking away from. The five questions that tell you the mostWhat kind of traveler is your sweet spot?How do you handle a group whose needs pull in different directions?How are you paid, and what will I owe you?
- Three generations, one trip, nobody can agree: how a milestone family trip gets planned Dad is retiring, Mom wants everyone in Ireland, your brother has two toddlers and your teenager wants nothing to do with a bus tour. Here is how a trip for three generations actually gets built so that everyone comes home glad they went. The group chat has forty messages and no decisionsWhy trips for several generations go wrongSettle these questions before anyone looks at a hotelWhen you can plan it yourself, and when an advisor earns the seat