Round ‘em up, head ‘em out, it’s time to dump that tax refund in the desert.
This time of year, folks grab their income tax refunds and zip to Las Vegas as fast as they can stuff a suitcase and book a flight.
Julie Busch / The Herald
Kelly Hanika, owner of Destinations Unlimited Travel and Cruise Co. in Snohomish, said some customers book trips to the gambling mecca to coincide to the minute with the arrival of their check in the mail.
With the advent of Internet sites such as Travelocity, Expedia and Orbitz, trips can instantly be booked online. But for those who want the personal touch – and a depth of expertise that can tell them such things as whether a red Humvee is available to rent at the Las Vegas airport – a good travel agent may be needed.
Hanika’s customers don’t have to visit her office in the boonies. Everything is done by fax, e-mail and phone. She has all the fancy equipment to issue plane tickets, and you’ll never knew whether or not she’s wearing mascara.
You might also speak with another agent for Destinations, and imagine all the workers sitting cozily side by side in an office. Nope, the workers take the calls in their own homes.
My best buddy, Tom Williams of Everett, last year spent a month planning a trip to Long Island, N.Y., for a summer wedding. He explored the Internet for a month but couldn’t find a hotel room from under $250 a night, so he eventually called an agent.
Not only did the travel agent find him a room at a swanky hotel for $129 a night, he got his airfare and rental car in a package that met his financial and vacation needs.
When we hit the Caribbean last May, thank goodness for the Cruise Center in Lynnwood. We could have booked our flight and ship online, but working with the center, we could be sure we got a fun ship because the agents had been on our boat.
We probably drove them bonkers before we left, calling to ask if the captain would sit by us, should we take a jar of peanut butter or where to buy the cheapest silver bracelets.
Patience. The Cruise Center had patience. We had such a marvelous time, we want to cruise again, but we wouldn’t book without an agent. And I wouldn’t care if my agent had hay in her hair.
Hanika runs out in the mornings after her two teenagers leave for Monroe High School to tend the livestock at their farm.
Her workweek goes around the clock. She showed me dozens of pending folders for customers who needed a special hotel room, a particular seat on an airplane or a yellow convertible waiting at the airport.
“There are 15 details for everybody you deal with,” Hanika said. “You have to be on top of it.”
The Ellensburg native owned a travel agency in a strip mall in north Lynnwood from 1985 to 2001.
“I was next to a Safeway store, and anyone could just come in, plop down and ask for information on stuff they couldn’t ever afford while their spouse shopped,” Hanika said.
“I am so much more efficient than I was with a storefront location. I can pop from my airline system to e-mail to the Internet with a click. It’s great.”
When she was technologically able to move into her basement, she found looking at her peaceful back yard much better than staring out at Highway 99. She’s capable of booking a 64-day honeymoon cruise for a couple from the comfort of her basement.
I was amazed at what was available online at her fingertips. An agent can see hundreds of flights or hotels at one glance to find the best deals.
“We are better than the Internet,” she said. “There are many vendors that only wholesale to agents. We find those vendors and work for the clients.”
Hanika, 46, said Disneyland is a great idea if you can go right now. Kids can fly for free and get into the Magic Kingdom for free. She knows which cruise lines hire attentive workers and which Hawaiian hotels are perched on white, sandy beaches. For her next trip, she is going to Cancun, Mexico, with her husband, Dan. Hanika knows a great hotel there that’s only $50 a night.
Folks with lots of time to cruise the Internet can find a deal that suits them. But consider checking the plan with a travel agent before you book. And if your tax refund is in the mail, an agent may tell you which Las Vegas hotel is closest to the airport, for folks in a hurry.
To find the hottest slots, you’re on your own.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
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