Tales From The Frontlines

Angie Oswald is ready to bare all the details about the times she’s saved the day for intrepid travellers.

“Clients came in wanting to confirm a hotel they researched online for a wedding,” recalls Oswald of Edmonton-based Klondike Travel. “They didn’t realize that the hotel they chose was a naturist lifestyle resort.”

Near au natural clients aside, look no further than the onset of travel restrictions due to the global pandemic for a universal example of travel advisors jumping in to help out clients in need.

“Getting people home in March 2020, even if they did not book with us because they could not get assistance directly from the supplier,” points out Cynthia Collins of CAA in Saint John, N.B. as an example.

Thinking back to the start of travel restrictions, Charrisma Travel’s Shannon Graves from Bolton, Ont., had clients who were travelling across Portugal, Spain and Morocco for two months on an FIT trip when things went from bad to worse during COVID.

“They had just left their rental car in Spain and taken the ferry to Morocco for a three-day stay when COVID hit hard,” she shares. “Spain closed their borders while they were in Morocco leaving them stranded and not able to get back. I had to get them out of Morocco before they went in lockdown as well.”

For the full story, don’t miss the latest issue of TRAVEL COURIER.