Published: October 22, 2009 10:06 pm      

Travel agent enjoys helping make memories

Just stepping into the Advantage Travel’s office on Sam Houston Avenue, one can easily see how much travel agent Laura Floyd loves her job.

A bulletin board full of photos from satisfied customers overflow to her desk area, where souvenirs and other marks of appreciation for successful trips are on display.

“Customers bring things in to me all the time after their trips,” she said. “Some of them haven’t even made it home yet — they stop here first to thank me for their great vacation.

For Floyd, that level of customer satisfaction is what her job is all about — giving clients the best vacation for the best value possible, wherever the destination.

Floyd got her start in the travel business 22 years ago, when in 1987, she began working for the Travel N More agency, which has since closed its doors.

She received most of her training there before opening Advantage Travel in 2002.

“When I got into the business, I fell in love with it,” Floyd said. “I like planning adventures and helping families make memories, then having them come back and show me pictures.

“It just makes me feel so good.”

Her main job as a travel agent, Floyd says, is to take away the mystery of traveling and to give customers a care-free vacation they can get excited about.

“This is my eighth year at this location,” she said. “And it has never been boring. I have clients that have been all around the world, and some who have never left Walker County before.

“Most of my business is done through word of mouth,” she said. “To me, that is the greatest compliment — that our customers refer us to their friends and family.”

In the technological age where personal service is often lacking, Floyd and employee Jackie Rivas, provide that face-to-face interaction that so many customers are seeking when planning a trip.

“And unlike so many web-based travel services, who may focus more on select providers, a travel agent has access to everything,” Floyd said. “We are unbiased and able to look at every airline, car company, hotel and resort.

“We can totally cater their trip to them personally,” she added. “From passports to roses in the hotel rooms — we can do it all.”

Despite the struggling economy Floyd says she continues to have bookings, with some of the more popular trips including Alaskan cruises and Canadian rail trips.

“I haven’t really noticed a big downturn here,” she said. “People are still traveling, they are just being more thrifty about it.”

Because the travel business is ever-changing, Floyd is continuously educating herself on those changes taking place.

“Education in the industry is updated bi-annually, sometime more,” she said. “And there are certifications required of a travel agent, one of the main one being the ARC, or Airlines Reporting Corporation, certification.

“Being ARC certified allows a travel agent to do in 10 minutes what might take the average person two hours to do at home,” she said. “We have access to all the airlines and cruiselines, working directly with them.”

In owning her own travel agency, Floyd feels she has come full circle — taking lessons learned from the industry, business and clients and using them to continuously improve her business.

“I cherish the lessons I have learned from clients the most, though,” she said. “The main ones being, when a customer comes in, do not assume anything, do not be surprised and never say never.”

The lessons learned seem to have brought her far, as customers continue to return to her agency again and again to book their vacations.

“One of the coolest things about this job, is that whenever I am out in public, people seem to come out of the woodwork to thank me,” she said. “It is so amazing.”

Floyd takes about three trips a year herself, with her personal favorite destinations including Maine and the Cayman Islands.

“We can book trips as far as a year ahead, and we do have payment plans,” she said. “Any vacation is affordable if you plan it.”

Floyd moved to Huntsville in 1980 to attend Sam Houston State University, where she met and married her husband, Ricky, who is the service advisor for Team Dodge.

The couple have two sons — Dylan, 20, who works at Team Dodge; and Dallas, 15, a sophomore at Huntsville High School. Floyd’s five dogs also occupy much of her free time, she said.

Advantage Travel is located at 2128 Sam Houston Avenue, Suite E, in Huntsville. Call (936) 291-8030 for more information.