Part One: Booking Online vs. A Travel Agent

When we first entered the travel industry, no one booked a vacation on their own. Why? Because all you had to do was call a Travel Agent who hooked you up with the best available deals and took care of all the arrangements. The world changed when Online Travel Sites started popping up creating a discount craze by allowing easy access to travel deals. This craze went on for a few years forcing many Travel Agencies to shut down. Fortunately for us, travelers have now started to realize that you get exactly what you pay for when purchasing Air, Hotel, Car Rentals and so forth, online. The Travel Industry has always been and will always be commission based. We may not be able to directly compete with some of the prices offered Online but we are confident that we deliver way more!

Last year, one of our valued clients was looking for cheap package deals for a family vacation getaway. He was honest in telling us that he ended up purchasing a package online simply because he was getting way more and for a better price. He shared the package details and in all honesty, it truly was an amazing deal- one that was difficult for us to match. We were grateful for his loyalty and were happy to see how excited he was about this trip. Unfortunately, he ended up calling us (almost halfway to his destination) completely angry and desperate. Their first flight was delayed (due to weather) and they ended up missing their connecting flight. They were able to get on the next available flight, but not in time for their Cruise departure. There was another flight that would get them there on time, but their tickets were non-transferable to another Air Line. After being with the Help Desk for over two hours, he had called us hoping to see if there was anything we could do for them. Unfortunately, we couldn’t because we didn’t have access to his file. He and his family ended up paying full price for a cruise they missed. His travel insurance provided limited coverage, it paid for their hotel rooms until they were able to fly back. They had already redeemed their flights. And finally, they lost all their money on the cruise because the terms and conditions for the online site clearly stated that you get zero refunds on “no shows”. What a mess. The worst part is, our client admitted that he went with the online deal because he was saving $30 per person on Air and a total of $200 on the cruise.

We want to save our clients money. But there are times where we can’t. However, in all cases we end up offering you way more than online sites. 

Here is how:

Pros to booking through a Travel Agent

• If you're looking for experience, convenience and personal service.
• You want maximum control over your itinerary.
• If you are going to off the path locals.
• If you are booking a tour or a cruise.
• If you have a complicated itinerary.
• If you want upscale flights and lodging, special amenities or out-of-the-ordinary experiences.
• If you want a customized experience.
• You want to save time on researching.
• You are going somewhere where you’ve never been before.
• You are traveling as a couple, family, or group.
• You are pressed for time or on a tight schedule.
• You want a safe and secure experience with someone to hold accountable in case things go wrong.

Cons to booking through a Travel Agent

•  Having to pay a small Travel Agent Fee

What you don’t know will end up costing you more. Most often, prices differences between Online sites and Travel Agents is the difference between the worst trip ever and one that is seamlessly perfect! Check out Part Two of this article to learn more on hidden costs.

10 Great Reasons For Why You Should Book Your Next Trip To India With Crossways!

Namaste

1. We’ve been in business for over 30 years specializing in leisure and business travel to all over India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and various other destinations.
2. We have long existing relationships with nationwide contacts that allow us to offer competitive pricing essentially delivering more action for your buck.
3. We can customize your trip anyway you like it and offer several price ranges (student budgets, family trips to royal and luxurious getaways)
4. Our itineraries are personalized to your interests and travel needs. If you are passionate about history or spirituality we’ll present you with options and create a historical or spiritual themed itinerary.
5. Our itineraries are flexible, we provide a good balance between free personal time and guided tours.
6. Our guides are carefully selected based on their areas of expertise; they are well educated, well mannered, extremely informative and easy to get along with.
7. Our drivers are safe, reliable, knowledgeable, and great to get along with. They even go out of their way to tell you which areas are safe and schedule rest stops in areas with better washroom facilities and hygienic restaurants.
8. Our hotel choices are carefully selected based on your travel needs, reviewed in terms of services/amenities, and most have been personally inspected by our staff.
9. Our services also include a detailed itinerary, equipped with everything you need to know in terms of traveling to your destination(s). For example, where to exchange your money, how much to tip, expected weather, what you should pack, etc.
10. In case of an emergency or you need to get a hold of us, we have local contacts on location that can assist on all matters. As well, you can contact our main office in Brampton.

We are committed, accountable and reliable. We’ve given you 10 great reasons to book your trip to India with Crossways! Now we want to ask you, how soon can we start planning ? 

A little information about us...

Crossways Travel & Tours Inc & Tropex Vacations is a niche Travel Company that specializes in customized itineraries for individuals and small to large groups. We have been in business for over 30 years and are IATA certified. We also cater to walk in clients and Business/Corporate accounts. We have two convenient locations in Toronto and Brampton (Ontario, Canada). However, our clients are from all over North America!

A great deal of our success is due to our loyal and satisfied customers. We are extremely thankful to our  clients, corporate partners and Airline partners!

Our expertise is travel within India. We offer extremely competitive rates and a one of a kind experience. Our agents in India are dedicated, committed, reliable and extremely knowledgeable. We are with you each step of the way as you get see India and experience it from within.

We are also qualified and experienced in travel to North, Central & South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Over the past 30 years we have customized, coordinated, executed, and delivered the following:

~ Destination Weddings
~ Conferences (Doctors, Radiologists, etc.)
~ Spiritual Retreats (including pilgrimages)
~ Youth Tours
~ Luxury Retreats (customized to various budgets)
~ Yoga Retreats (Ashrams, temples etc)
~ Spa Retreats (some of the World's best destination spas)
~ Safari Excursion
~ Honeymoon packages (customized)
~ Adventure tours (hiking, trekking, water rafting, backpacking, camping etc.)
~ Bachelor/Bachelorette Destination Parties (includes travel, accommodation and transportation only)
~ School Trips
~ Architecture themed retreat
~ Kama Sutra themed retreats
... and much more!

For more information and travel inquiries please feel free to contact us directly.

General Travel Inquiries:
p. 905 452 0010
e. info@crossways-travel.com

Customized Tours and Packages:
p. 1 800 588 1688 (Toll Free)
e. rashmi@crossways-travel.com

For Customer Testimonials and company updates please
follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/crosswaystravel
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We look forward to serving you.

Sarika & Mital's 14 Day India Adventure

14 Day Customized Youth Tour Haridwar/Rishikesh/Mussoorie/Delhi/Agra/Jaipur/Aurangabad/Mumbai 

Dear Rashmi,

I wanted to take a moment to thank you so very much for organizing my trip to Northern India. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime and all the kudos go to you and your team.

I'm amazed by your ability to take our unique circumstances, our crazy ideas and your expert knowledge to put together an itinerary that was truly customized to us. You gave us exactly what we asked for - history, religion, culture, adventure sports, spirituality, natural and man made wonders and a whole lot of shopping.

I'm normally the person that plans our travels with my nose in all the travel books and hundreds of printouts detailing our itinerary. I've now realized that I have wasted hours worrying and missing out on experiences when I should have just left everything in your capable hands.

Our previous itineraries were so structured that being even an hour late would cause chaos in re-planning and would inevitably mean stress. But with your company the adjustments would be completed seamlessly behind the scenes by your very professional onsite staff without compromising the sights.

I had no need for the heavy cumbersome travel books on this trip. The tour guides were well educated and their knowledge ten times exceeded anything I could read about in the books.

Thank you for the personal service and personal touch you added to our trip. I'm in love with India and am looking forward to planning a return to see Southern India with your company.

With many thanks,

Mital Patel

Dear Rashmi,

I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to you and your staff for organizing our recent trip. India has left us speechless, so I am not even sure where to begin but I will try my best!

When we first approached you, we had a million and one places we wanted to visit within India but with limited time and a budget. We felt that you were the perfect fit for us because of your experience in the travel industry and specialization in tourism to India. You were kind, patient and understanding. You listened to all of our ideas and made some very great suggestions. We loved that you were able to customize our trip while taking into consideration our budget and time. I don’t know how you did it, but you did it so  perfectly given the tight timeline. You came up with exactly what we wanted – a little bit of Eat, Pray, Love, a dash of adventure, a splash of royalty, a pinch of history and monuments, topped off with some great shopping and the hustle & bustle of Mumbai and Dehli!

We loved that you sat down with us to walk through our itinerary, addressed our questions and concerns as well shared your experiences and provided a whole bunch of traveling tips to India. Our travel arrangements, ground transportation, accommodations, tour guides, private drivers and the works were all arranged and seamlessly carried out with little or no problems! Our tour guides were all very helpful, extremely knowledgeable, accommodating and great company. I highly recommend the tour guides in Delhi and Aurangabad! They were outstanding and went out of their way to shine. The drivers you selected for us were safe, knowledgeable, and also great company. They knew where to stop for clean washrooms and would advise us of our surroundings... which made us feel safe. The hotels you recommended were also amazing! Even though we were on a budget you went beyond our expectations and found us places that were conveniently located, within our budget, clean and comfortable. Your attention to details, creativity and coordination are impeccable.

Overall, the many people we met through your company made us feel safe and welcomed. The hotel staff, drivers, tour guides and your agent in India were all very friendly, accommodating, and knowledgeable. I’ve been to India many times and I’ve never quite had an experience like this one. You went beyond our expectations and delivered a trip of a lifetime!

I thank you from the bottom of my heart and look forward to traveling with you again!

Sarika