BCers Visit Italy, Switzerland & France; Pt 1: The Travel Agent In My World

MY WORLD consists of recovering from an illness that appeared soon after my husband and I returned from our vacation to Europe. As my health improves, I look forward to sharing details about our journey and the fascinating places we visited. Meanwhile, I begin with the pre-trip.

Booking our first trip to Europe was exciting, puzzling and a little scary. When you don’t know what to expect, even the most common travel destinations can be intimidating. We relied on personal stories, online information, advertising and our BCAA recommended travel agent when deciding on a bus tour with Insight Vacations to Italy, Switzerland & France this October.

The initial friendly manner drew me in but once the deal was struck and deposits made, my travel agent’s impatience and abrupt manner were unmistakable when at some point he said, “How about not wasting our time … if you’re not serious about taking a trip?!” I suppose he thought I was waffling but I was actually confused due to the fluidity of the situation.

Not only had the original Insight travel dates changed, the cost had increased and the flight details to Europe became different. Our travel agent came to understand that although we were traveling economy, location of the seating for a long flight was still important to us, particularly since my husband needed more leg room and would have difficulty in tight quarters.

Before setting off on a journey the link between you and your destination is often the representative behind the travel agency door. That person is sometimes selling insurance on commission or could have other agendas unknown to you. His/her travel expertise, ethical standards and ability to explain complicated issues can aid in making your holiday great or a disaster, especially if you're new to traveling overseas or have special needs.

I was emotionally attached to the trip and our money had been taken when all the Insight changes were being relayed to me by the travel agent who tried to be helpful in the end. I relied on efficiency and timely coordination between the travel agent, Insight and Lufthansa to produce the promised airplane seating which were in rows of two rather than four or more for the long return flight home. Unfortunately, according to Insight our travel agent must have received the itinerary some two weeks before my husband and I actually had it in hand to see that the wrong seats had been booked.

Lufthansa pointed to Insight Vacations, saying Insight delayed confirming the expected seats and that is why they were no longer available. Because of our misplaced trust in all these agencies and the late date, it became virtually impossible to find two standalone seats or to cancel the trip. Our travel insurance with its many exclusions would definitely not cover this situation. Another bogus seating reservation was made that seemed acceptable but turned out to be the worst seats possible and included a sick child nearby.

Despite the problems, we are thrilled to have joined the throng on European soil and to touch historical icons such as the Trevi Fountain in Rome pictured here. I learned in hindsight, however, that travelers need to follow up with all parties immediately to ensure what was promised has been implemented. But as my next article will show ... even this isn't a sure thing when booking on a Lufthansa plane that has no intention of getting off the ground!

Mix ups and discomforts are common when traveling great distances. But it would have been nice if my fictional character, Penelope Puddle, could have tapped her "magic" umbrella and landed us in Europe by simply saying "puddle-poof". I thought of Penelope when I saw a bold orange umbrella waving at us from a street in Rome as if to say, hooray, you made it!

Online travelers can explore the globe from home at My World.