The traditional “About” section usually gives the details and facts about what a company does and how they do it.  They may add a little history and highlight things like the number of years in business, the awards and mentions or client lists but it doesn’t express the heart of the business or why they do what they do. 

The facts and details are important and this is the foundation of any business, can they do what they say, do they know how to do it and do they have experience doing it.  The rest, the why and the core values of a company is what separates them from each other.

 
Who a company is and what they do is the sum of 3 parts:

What they do
The service or product they offer and is this something you need or want

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How they do it
The details, experience, and method.

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Why they do it
The heart of the company, the beliefs, values, and motivation

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What Concierge and VIP Travel provides, the mission and goals

We plan and manage vacations that are focused on our client's purpose, the experience they want to have.  Ultimately our clients create the story where they are the star and director and we are the assistants, pull it all together, set the stage and arrange for everything needed so our clients can live their story. 

How it’s done:

We take the time to learn about our clients, understand their needs, what makes them unique and what matters most and build the vacation around this versus the more traditional approach, starting with the vacation type.  Read our Vacation Planner, Where to go page for examples of the difference.

We arrange, manage and take care of every aspect of the vacation making it cohesive, stress-free, and a better overall value.
Experience and expertise mean less potential for problems, an insight that is gained only through decades of experience and connections industry-wide to help if and when a problem or glitch comes up.

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Why

 

the beliefs and values that are the core of Concierge and VIP Travel,  the heart of who we are.  The personal story and message:

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The Beginning:

When I went on my first cruise in 1979, which was also my first “adult vacation”, my life changed dramatically.  It wasn’t just a fun vacation although it was tons of fun, it was experiencing something I had never experienced before as if I was transported into a fantasy world where everything I wanted and needed was instantly available.

Part of my personality is to tell the world or anyone who will listen about whatever I found or tried that worked or was better than anything else.  I spread the word hoping others will get the same benefit or experience I had with no other motivation other than sharing something worthwhile.

Put the two together and when I returned home from my cruise, that’s all I could talk about.  I showed pictures to everyone and went so far as to talk about each day in detail.  I wanted everyone to take a cruise and experience the same thing I did. 

Had I been older and settled in a career this may have been a hobby of mine but I was 18 years old and the idea of a career doing what I was doing for fun was a no-brainer.  I left my job, went to travel school and in early 1980 started working as a travel agent. 

Experience

I have stayed in this business ever since that day, motivated by the same passion, wanting everyone to experience a vacation that had a similar impact. 

 

Over the years I worked in several different aspects of the industry, including working for Carnival Cruise Line, starting just before they grew into the giant they are today.  This growth and being involved in the process gave me enormous insight into the workings and even mindset of a large travel provider/vendor and cruise line. 

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I  consulted with several companies in the mid 90’s who were opening up an online agency and worked for a company helping them develop and operate their online cruise only site and worked with clients directly booking their vacations, mostly cruises.

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Clients and values

Throughout the years I have directly or indirectly been involved with vacation planning.  I have worked with clients all over the U.S. and several countries throughout the world. 

Some of the clients I have worked personally with include:

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• Current U.S. Senators

• A famous Soap Opera actress

• Several published well-known authors

• Doctors, Lawyers, Military leaders, Students, Business owners

• International clients have included

• Heads of State

• Royal Families

• Ambassadors and Embassy staff

Each client may need or want something different and the cost of the vacation varies but what doesn’t change is the basis of our values. 

 

Everyone plans a vacation hoping to experience a break from everyday life and live in a world of fantasy and indulgence.  Everyone wants to feel important and be treated with respect and kindness.  Everyone wants to feel they received a good deal.  Everyone wants to feel the information, guidance, and help they received was truthful and had their best interest in mind.

 

The why:

Over the years the expectations have been lowered and these simple values that used to be standard are now the exception.  Planning vacations has become another stress-filled task we add to all the other things we do.  Instead of planning a vacation and enjoying the anticipation, it’s turned into a treasure hunt with the ultimate prize being the cheapest price.

The personal journey which started in 1979 after my first cruise has come full circle and home again.  My passion is still to share the experience, help others get the same benefits and impact from their vacation and operate with the same values and beliefs I have grown up with and are at the core of who I am.

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