(April 22, 2008 - Modesto Bee) -- Between airline upheaval, rising prices and the Internet, travel agents might feel as if they need vacations of their own these days.
But going the extra mile for travelers — and finding some niche markets — is keeping vacation planners going in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
The skills of longtime agents were put to the test in the past few weeks, when three airlines filed for bankruptcy and others canceled hundreds of flights because of emergency safety inspections.
“We had quite a few people stranded,” said Joy Swick, manager at Storer Travel in Modesto. “But we were able to reaccommodate many of them.”
Swick and other agents said an experience like that drives many consumers back to travel agencies after dabbling in Internet travel services.
Sites such as Expedia or Travelocity have grown in popularity over the past decade. But woe to the traveler who uses those sites to book a trip and then runs into problems, agents said. read more »
