CHECKING IN WITH ... BACK BAY TRAVEL:

The holidays are over, you’re back to the daily grind, and your mind wanders to .... Hawaii! Then your fingers hovering over the keyboard wander to Priceline. Well, hold on there, partner. If you want the works you might want to consider a travel agent. This week, we check in with Andy Paliobagis at Back Bay Travel in Costa Mesa.

Does business really slow down now that the holidays are over? Is it a great time to book a trip because there are shorter lines at airport security?

Actually, our business increases after the first week of January.

The holiday months of November and December are our down time. People are busy with holiday planing, parties, shopping and family time. In January, business travel picks up with a fury and our leisure clients begin thinking about spring and summer vacations.

Are you getting a lot of eleventh-hour requests for help booking travel to Washington, DC, for President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration? I mean, is that even still possible?

I think we had one client who needed assistance with flights and hotel accommodations in Washington DC. Over the years the inauguration has never been a high-demand travel destination for our office. The Olympics has been a destination event where our services have been utilized.

How has the Internet changed your business? I imagine with so many people booking flights, etc., through online services like Priceline and whatnot that it’s cut in to your market.

The Internet has in many instances helped our business with more current information and access to vendors where in pre-Internet times those details would be very difficult to obtain.

We have lost some business to the Internet with clients needing simple round-trip flights for personal travel. When travel plans begin to get more extensive and costly our clients prefer to rely on our services.

In most cases we are able to obtain better pricing and the security that are available in the event there should be any unforeseen problems.

Why would you say it’s worth it to hire a travel agent as opposed to winging it on Google, Orbitz and a prayer?

Our worth is gauged in many ways.

Our corporate clients rely on our service to control costs by finding the lowest prices and making sure travelers comply with written travel policy.

By requiring all business travel to be booked through our agency we become the responsible party in compliance with travel policy as well as offer the ability to generate travel expense reports that help in budgeting.

Our leisure travelers benefit in our destination knowledge as well as more competitive pricing, especially international air where we have access to wholesalers with drastically reduced pricing.

Hawaii is our top destination.

We work with a vendor who has tremendous buying power with regard to negotiated airline ticket prices, car rentals and hotel accommodations.

This affords us the ability to offer lower pricing to our clients.

And because of the relationships built between our agency, our Hawaii vendor and all the hotels, airlines and car rental companies our clients receive top service.

The most important reason our clients utilize our service is for the peace of mind of knowing that we are available to make sure their vacation is a time for fun and relaxation.

With so many individuals involved in a single travel experience, things sometimes go wrong and we go the extra mile to make sure the fun and relaxation doesn’t end.

How do you see the travel industry changing in the next five years?

I see fewer airlines and vendors where only the most financially stable will survive.

Travel will continue to be essential to business relationships as well as a vacation well deserved.

What are some of the more popular new trends in traveling?

We have noticed an increase in extended family vacations where grandparents, siblings and grandchildren vacation together.

Also an increase in vacations where an experience is incorporated with the destination.

Some examples are a walking tour of Tuscany or attending a cooking school in Vietnam.

OK, are Somali pirates really that much of a threat? Defense Secretary Robert Gates quipped, “this isn’t rocket science” as he advised cruise ships to hit the gas and pull up the ladders when they see a pirate.

What’s wrong with a little adventure? I have heard stories of current-day pirates but I am sure the cruise ships have everything under control.

Remember, this is your vacation — a time for rest and relaxation.