Money Matters
Money Matters
Inside the World of Travel Planning: Expert Tips for Your Next Adventure
Travel experts Cindy Chambers and Tutti Bonacarso from Pearson's Travel share insider tips on planning dream vacations while maximizing value and avoiding common pitfalls.
• Benefits of using a travel agency include personalized service, passport verification, and having a local contact instead of navigating frustrating 1-800 numbers
• Popular 2025 destinations include Italy, London, Scotland, Croatia, and river cruises in Europe
• Book trips from two months to two years in advance—earlier booking allows for monthly payments and better availability
• Common travel mistakes include overplanning and not allowing enough relaxation time
• Travel myths debunked: solo travel can be safe for women, booking on Tuesdays isn't always cheapest
• Travel insurance is essential for international trips—covers medical emergencies, evacuations, and trip interruptions
• Budget travel tips: consider national parks, use public transportation, and book directly with hotels for special discounts
• Watch for travel scams like "too good to be true" deals and suspicious communications after online searches
To book your next adventure with Pearson's Travel, call 225-926-3752 Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 5:30, or stop by their office on Jefferson.
Have an idea for a show or a question for Kim? Send us a text message
Welcome to Money Matters, the podcast that focuses on how to use the money you have, make the money you need and save the money you want – brought to you by Neighbors Federal Credit Union.
The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.
Welcome to Money Matters, the podcast that focuses on how to use the money you have, make the money you need and save the money you want. Now here is your host, ms Kim.
Speaker 2:Chapman, welcome to another edition of Money Matters. Today, we're going to talk about one of my absolute favorite things to do, and that is travel. I think that's actually one of the motivations I get up and come to work, and so, whether you are dreaming of some luxury travel around the world, or if you're looking for some tips on how to do it yourself because I've had to do both of them we're going to have some experts here with us to show us the best way to book your travel. So with me here today, from Pearson's Travel, is Ms Cindy Chambers and Ms Tutti Bonacarso. Did I say that right?
Speaker 3:Yes, Thank you, ladies.
Speaker 2:Look, I told them. I said this is my favorite subject so hopefully we can get through and not be here for two or three days. We can wrap this up in about 45 minutes because I love travel, love to talk about travel. So tell us a little bit about your experience. I mean Pearson's is a local travel agency here. I know the name. Most of our listeners probably know the name. We see it passing up the street on Jefferson all the time. So how did you get started in this business and tell us you know a little bit about your backgrounds.
Speaker 4:I actually started at Pearson's Luggage and in 1981, mr Pearson decided to open a travel agency and I was there. So I just kind of moved over to the side and started working in the agency business. We hired one person that was moving back into Baton Rouge who had been in the business forever, and so she was kind of my teacher Back in those days. We had to handwrite tickets. There was no computers to do all the tickets and everything else for you. So it's been quite a ride, with all the different things happening and changes, but it's been wonderful. It's a fun business, very fun.
Speaker 2:And Tutti just has a nice travel ring to it. Tell us about your background.
Speaker 3:Well, believe it or not, about 40 years ago I went on my first cruise and I fell in love with cruising and when I came back I decided that I wanted to get into travel and basically that's how I started off and I did a lot of group travels for church groups and organizations and I just love it. I love planning trips for people and making their dreams come true.
Speaker 2:I can agree with you there and I've done it both. I've done it with the travel agency, I've done the DIY. But what is going to be the biggest advantage of using a travel agent?
Speaker 4:You have us, you have a local person. We still have a storefront so you can call and say I need to come talk to you. We make sure that your passports are correct and have the six-month time limit on it and we just kind of we're there to double-check everything for you. You know just another face and somebody that you can contact locally. You know just another face and somebody that you can contact locally, not a 1-800 number that stays busy and you have to keep transferring here and there and hoping you get to talk to somebody.
Speaker 2:Definitely understand the frustrations with that.
Speaker 4:Can working with a travel agency actually save you any money? Yes and no. I mean we get all the same rates that everybody else gets. We belong to a consortium called Virtuoso, and it's a group of travel agencies, and what they do for us is they might put together some different trips or different possibilities where you can get onboard credits or an extra tour or you know. So there'll be something added to your package where, if you just book it on your own, you might not get that.
Speaker 2:So I know definitely one of the benefits, of course, pearson's is that you're a local. Somebody can walk into that storefront. But what should a consumer look for if they're trying to pick a travel agent, whether that you know, maybe they're outside of the Baton Rouge area and they can't come in and visit you, lovely ladies? What should they be looking for in terms of selecting a travel agency?
Speaker 3:Okay, Well, first of all, when you start to look for a travel agency or a travel agent, you should maybe ask your friends or family for a referral. You also should go on their website, see their credentials. Are they a member of the Better Business Bureau? Also, do they have what they call an IATAN license that each travel agency has to have to operate as a travel agency? And just look at the reviews to operate as a travel agency and just look at the reviews. And that's the first thing that you should do when you start to look into a travel agency.
Speaker 2:All right. So what are the popular places for 2025?
Speaker 4:right now, and I know they're going to be different. You have a family, you have a couples and then you need the couple. You know the whole package. We're still doing a lot with Italy, london, scotland, croatia is something that has popped up. I think a lot of people went and visited, you know, got off a cruise ship and visited and then decided they needed to go back. Just, we do a lot of the Caribbean. It all depends upon how many people are going and, um, if do they want to go see history or whatever greek isles is so very popular right now? Um, what else?
Speaker 3:oh, and number one river cruisesises. Everyone is booking a river cruise to Europe. I mean, they also have river cruises too, down to Mississippi, but I mean nothing against Mississippi, you know when you can go to Europe for the same price. So river cruises are very, very popular, especially for the senior age group, and people are leaning towards smaller cruise ships, less passengers. They want more personal service and they're willing to pay that amount.
Speaker 2:So you mentioned the seniors love the cruises. What are you seeing for millennials, gen Zs, in terms of travel.
Speaker 4:It depends upon again, it depends upon again. They've got tour companies that do biking and hiking. So if they're very, go and relax. After you know being so confined to the workplace and you know using that brain too much, they can just go relax. But they still love the cruises too. They still love the cruises.
Speaker 2:So a lot of times we overlook things right here in our backyard. What are some of the hidden treasures right here in Louisiana that somebody may not be aware of? That's a great place to book a travel to.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we were talking about this the other day. To me, natchitoches, a lot of people. I mean, there's so much that Natchitoches has to offer.
Speaker 2:Meat pies and Christmas right.
Speaker 3:Yes, and history. And it's just Cindy and I both love Natchitoches. Also, Avery Island is a great trip if you want to do just a one-day trip.
Speaker 2:Get that hot sauce.
Speaker 3:One-day trip. The other was, you know, and our state parks. People forget about how nice our state parks are. Now, since COVID is over with, they have refurbished a lot of the cabins over the water and it's just a quick trip and you can camp, you can fish and it's just some wonderful opportunities for, you know, families to take advantage of.
Speaker 2:What are some of the most common mistakes consumers make when they're booking their own travel? Trying to do too much. Trying to do too much, so explain that a little bit more.
Speaker 4:They'll book instead of relaxing time. They will be booked for tours from the time they get up in the morning until the time they lay their head back down, and it's just a lot and it's not relaxing. You just don't have time to see everything. It's great to stay busy because you might not ever go back to that place, but again, it's supposed to be a vacation, so don't try and cram so much into it.
Speaker 2:I've been so guilty of that. There was a time, before I knew better, I would travel and I'd have to have an itinerary Right and it would be from sunup to sundown. I mean we would use every bit of those 24 hours and we'd be exhausted to sundown. I mean we would use every bit of those 24 hours and we'd be exhausted.
Speaker 2:And I think after one of my trips where I booked our flights at six o'clock in the morning and my family and friends that were traveling with me, I got some really, really shady looks when we were in the airport at four or five o'clock in the morning and I think I learned, and I was even wore out after that particular trip. So I've kind of learned to scale back a little bit. So I agree with you in that sometimes we try and pack so much in that. So let's talk about preparation for that trip. Just for starters. How far in advance does somebody plan a trip?
Speaker 4:We are planning trips anywhere from two years in advance to two months in advance. From two years in advance to two months in advance. If you know in advance that you can go next year at this time, you can go ahead and start booking. You might not be able to book everything because rates might not be out for everything, but most of the cruise and the tourist fares are out there and it just gives you a little opportunity. That you know. If you want to pay monthly, you can, you know, call and say OK, charge me another five thousand dollars on my trip, or two hundred dollars, or you know, whatever the budget is. If you want to go in two months, we have, especially at Christmas time, we get a lot of callins going. Okay, I want to go somewhere for Christmas, and you know it's a rush. But at that point you kind of have to take what is left, what is left, because everything might be booked up. So the further in advance the better.
Speaker 2:So I know that you know the holidays. We have Black Friday and then there's Cyber Monday and I only recently, you know became tuned into Travel Tuesday, in that they're supposed to have some really good discounts on Travel Tuesday. Is there any other time of the year that's a sweet spot? Or is there a sweet spot in terms of, ooh, six months out before your vacation is better than booking a year out? Definitely. I know about the little 21 day rule in terms of the airline. Is there really a sweet spot time that's better than others?
Speaker 4:It really. No, not really, because if there's availability, the cruise lines might decide to go ahead and offer a discount, or the tour companies just to fill it up. But these days everybody is traveling and a lot of the different categories are already filled up a year in advance, so it's possible you might get a discount or something on it, and the tour companies, the cruise lines, they all monthly change whatever their special is.
Speaker 3:And I'd just like to add one of the things that we do at Pearson's Travel. When you book a trip with us if it's with the cruise lines or a tour company if the rates go down and they apply those lower rates to your date of travel and you have not paid your final payment, we can pass those savings on to you as one of our customers. The Internet's not going to do that.
Speaker 3:We always monitor our trips for our clients, because we want to get you the very best rate that we can at Pearson's so that you'll come back and tell others.
Speaker 2:You know it's hard for me to think of why people don't travel, but there's so many different myths about travel out there. For example, I can remember going to New York years ago. All I heard was, oh, new Yorkers are so rude and I was almost a little anxious or apprehensive going because they had me thinking that these people were just going to, like you know, kick you to the curb. And they were the nicest people. They were as nice as we are down here in Louisiana with our Southern hospitality. So what are some other travel myths that are out there that maybe you can debunk at this time?
Speaker 3:Well, one of them is you know, traveling is a solo, especially for ladies. It's unsafe, and that's not true anymore. My daughter's listening. It's unsafe, and that's not true anymore, my daughter's listening. Well, some of the cruise lines now have especially like Norwegian Cruise Line offers a special for solo travelers. Just about on all their ships they have certain cabins designated for solo single travelers and to get to these cabins you have to go through a certain like lounge before you can reach your stateroom. So by going through this lounge every time you go in and out, you get to meet others, and I have a client that travels this way and she she's met more friends and you know they'll end up going to dinner together, they end up doing tours together. So traveling solo is now, you know, um way safer than people think it has been, and I'm sorry to tell you this for your daughter she's just started.
Speaker 2:She loves to travel, of course, and so she's trying to plan a trip for herself. She wants to go to new york and I'm like no, I don't think you should do that one by yourself. But you know, once they hit 18, they think they can do whatever. So, we might have to edit that low.
Speaker 1:You can travel by yourself out.
Speaker 2:So another myth or maybe it's not a myth is that it's cheaper to book on a Tuesday. What do you say about that? Because I know I'm always looking on a Tuesday, so am I wasting my time?
Speaker 4:We talked about that because it started out on Sundays and then it was Tuesdays and then Wednesdays and Thursdays. So you know you can check it every day to see if the fare has dropped. I mean, most people like to go out of town on Thursday, friday and Saturday, so if you can travel on like a Tuesday or a Wednesday, that's usually less expensive.
Speaker 4:Definitely for the hotel stay oh yes, yes, but you know I would just check it for a week or so and see what's going on and if you get a really inexpensive fare, jump on it. If not, you know, after you've checked it for a week to see which day is cheaper than the following week, take that day and see if it's still there and book it.
Speaker 2:So what you're saying is, I should probably do a little bit more work on Tuesdays instead of watching the Travel Network because I definitely have bought into that one. I'll look on Tuesdays, especially Southwest. They always send me a little email on Tuesdays and so you have to kind of watch that. So one of the places that I've actually never done is an all-inclusive resort. What is the deal on that? Is it worth the money?
Speaker 4:Well, it does include. It's kind of like the cruise. So it includes all your food and with all inclusive it includes all your alcohol too. So if you like to eat and drink, then it's definitely worth it resort because they said we don't eat that much, so why should we have to pay for all of that? And you know we don't drink either, so you know we're good without any of that. So it depends upon the family.
Speaker 2:Most of the time I think it works out better if you do the all-inclusive. So I've kind of been on both ends of the spectrum. I started out traveling on a budget. Every now and then I like to splurge and do things a little bit nicer. So what are some of the tips that you could offer somebody that wants to travel? What are those budgeting tips that can help them make that vacation nice for themselves or their family? But they have a shoestring budget or just a certain dollar amount that they want to stay in.
Speaker 3:Well, normally, if when someone wants to travel on a budget, they really need to plan their trip like a year in advance so that way they can maybe set up a little travel account, they need to also book their accommodations ahead of time and a lot of time go through the hotel directly because you can get, like, maybe a discount if you're a senior citizen or you know if you know AARP, you know, or military, and while you're on your trip, instead of you know having a driver or taking the train, maybe use a public transportation to take you around. And especially in Europe, instead of going to a restaurant, there's so many little grocery stores or little that you can pick up you know cheese and stuff to make sandwiches, or little city cafes just out on the sidewalk that you can get a really nice, affordable lunch.
Speaker 2:I heard you say sandwich and I just remember being a kid and my dad would load up the ice chest and make the sandwiches before we would hit the road and I dare to say Astro World, but then I'd be aging myself for the audience. I want them to still think I'm 25. What are some other tips or ways to find discounts at hotels and airplane tickets? What are some good ways for them to find discounts?
Speaker 3:airplane tickets. What are some good ways for them to find discounts? A lot of people you know if we're booking your hotel, we'll look at different tour companies or websites like hotelscom or Kayak, or you know we're checking with hotels, but I also check with the hotels directly because a lot of times you can still get a lower rate because there's a promotion that's not being shown on hotels or bookingcom or Travel Velocity and Kayak has really great deals on airline prices too. You know.
Speaker 2:So what would you consider, maybe the most budget-friendly places?
Speaker 4:definitely domestic to travel to.
Speaker 3:Domestic. Right now, for domestic, a lot of people are going to Zion National Park. The parks are very popular this year. If you're doing the parks on your own, then they're very, very affordable, like if you're not doing an escorted tour. That's one of the benefits of going to the national parks. They're very popular this year. I'm drawing a blank all of a sudden, but let's see, also going to like Florida. If you're going to Florida instead of going to Orlando, maybe go to Augusta or Tampa Florida, you know, instead of going to, you know, disney World. You can still get, you know, the beaches and everything like that. Let's see. I'm just driving versus flying.
Speaker 4:Well, we'll save you money. I know a lot of people don't like road trips but you know, just drive over to Texas. I've been researching for a group Fredericksburg and you know the different things that are over there and you know they've got tours that you can do or you can just show up and you know there's this place that has, you know, flowers. It has, you know, flowers, just rows and rows and rows that you can walk through and you know, just look at where you want to go and just take off and go, and you don't have to. You can stay off the interstate at the first hotel you see, and you know, kind of look at the area, make sure it's safe, but you know just, you don't have to stay in the middle of the resort or the middle of the town or something like that.
Speaker 2:That's why they can definitely call experts like you to find those actual places that have those little hidden treasures. And I imagine between the two of you, with all the experience, you've traveled a lot of places. What are some of the most unexpected or unique experiences that either of you have experienced in your years of travel?
Speaker 4:Two years ago I did a trip to Africa and I love animals, so I was really excited about going to see all the animals. But when we got there it was unreal. It was so unreal. The first place we went we were in Uganda and we did the trekking with the gorillas and we had these young boys and girls that would carry our backpacks and our water and everything and give us an extra push up the hill or whatever. But when we got to where the family of gorillas were, we just sat down and they were just like you know, right there, right there in our face, and they were looking at us and we're looking at them and they were just magnificent creatures. And then you know, to do the safaris to actually see all these animals in the wild and stay in the glamping tents because it definitely wasn't camping, you know, it was just the people were wonderful and the scenery, the animals it was more than I even expected it to be.
Speaker 2:So you mentioned glamping. Do people use travel agencies to put together glamping trips? Yeah, yeah, I've never done one. I've done the camping, I have a son and so we've done the. Boy Scouts and we've slept on the ground, but I think I'd like to try out glamping just once. But I want to talk a little bit. You know I was trying to quiet down travel by yourself. Travel today definitely has changed compared to 20, 30, 40 years ago. Technology, ai there are so many different scams in every field.
Speaker 2:And so travel definitely is not exempt from that. What are some of the common travel scams that consumers should be aware of?
Speaker 3:scams that consumers should be aware of. Well, if it says, you know, buy one, get one free, basically it's not true, it's the regular price and they're just splitting in half. So a lot of people don't realize that when they see that being advertised, If it's extremely inexpensive, then whoa there's you know, the red flags, the bells should be.
Speaker 3:Red flags. So if you, you know, see something like that on the Internet, before you send any money you need to check that hotel, you need to check with the airlines to make sure you know you're getting what you think you're paying for, and then look at the ratings of that company you know to see, you know, and the reviews before you give your money to them. So just be very careful. You know, I'm not saying the internet, everything on the internet is not. Internet is not legit, but there are a lot of scams out there and you just have to be very, very careful.
Speaker 2:So, other than the too good to be true, are there any other red flags that you can think of that consumers should be on the watch for?
Speaker 4:If somebody contacts you right after you Google something, that could be a really big red flag. I mean, they're getting into our computers and phones and everything we Google and everything we search and all of a sudden you're getting an email from somebody saying I saw you looking for this. You know I can do it cheaper or, you know, be a little weary.
Speaker 2:Yeah, be definitely a little weary. So let's talk a little bit about travel insurance. Is it something that you recommend? Is it worth the money?
Speaker 4:Yes, yes, definitely, definitely, and they've got so many. You know the cruise lines and the tour companies all have their policies, and now some of them. If you cancel for not a valid reason, not a covered reason, you can still get at least 80 percent of your trip back for future cruise or future tour or something like that. But yeah, you definitely need insurance If you're going to Europe. Your health insurance is not going to cover you over there, so you're going to have to out of insurance is not going to cover you over there, so you're going to have to out-of-pocket. You know, whatever goes on With the insurance, you've got medical insurance with you. If, the day before somebody in your family passes away, it's terrible to say but it does happen that is a covered reason and you're going to get your money back. You know it's just yeah, it is expensive, but it is worth it.
Speaker 2:It's definitely worth it once you find out that you need it. So you mentioned something I heard you say about your insurance won't cover you when you travel abroad. And I actually think about that because I did travel abroad somewhere in the midst of COVID and I remember having to call my doctor because it was during the time that if you tested positive they would make you stay an extra 10 days and while I would love to, probably couldn't afford to. So I called my doctor to say, hey, I think if you were medically, if you had to stay there medically, there were some little conditions. I had to call my doctor and say, hey, what's going to happen in all these different cases? So, maybe something not as extreme as COVID, what are maybe some other little things like you mentioned? Your insurance may not cover you there that people don't necessarily think about before traveling, which is something they may want to look into before they book a trip.
Speaker 3:Well, one of the things about the insurance is, if your flight's delayed and if it's because of bad weather and you have to spend the night, the airline is not going to put you up.
Speaker 2:Wait, a minute. You're not going to put me up at the Hilton. I don't want to sleep in an airport.
Speaker 3:The airlines will only put you in a hotel if it's due to mechanical problems or it's their fault. You know they don't have a crew. So, with that being said, with this trip cancellation insurance, you have like an amount it's usually like $150 per person per day that will cover your hotel, your meals and any other expense that you have. So you would just save your receipt and then, when you came back, you would file a claim and get reimbursed. The most important thing that it covers is if you're over there and you have to be medically evacuated. That starts around what 50,000.
Speaker 1:So you know it covers for medical evacuation.
Speaker 3:Also, if you're on a trip and you receive a phone call that someone has passed away and you need to come back for a death or medical, you would pay for your airline ticket to come back. You would get reimbursed for the cost of your ticket and for the portion of your trip you didn't use. So I mean, it's like we tell people if you buy a new car, you're not going to drive it out. You know the dealership without insurance, so why wouldn't you insure your trip? You know.
Speaker 2:So if I'm going to call a travel agency, what information should I have available before I pick up the phone or contact you via text or email? What information should I have available for you? And then, what should I expect from my travel agent?
Speaker 3:First of all, I would say your dates, Because people will call, and maybe where you would like to go, Because we'll get phone calls. I want to go someplace, I don't know where. I don't have any dates, Well, okay, but we need your dates or your interests. If you don't have a destination, you know what are you interested in, and by using us and kind of giving us this information and we'll find out your likes and dislike and we'll you know, we'll customize a trip for you to your likings. But we really need, you know that to me, those, because we get those phone calls all the time. We just have to have a little bit of information.
Speaker 4:And the other thing we'll say, okay, well, what type of budget are you working with? And a lot, you know. A lot of times you don't know, because how much does it really cost to go to Europe? But they'll say, unlimited, I'm good, ok, whatever. And then so you put them in the nice four or five-star hotels and it's kind of like they freak out because it's so expensive. So you, you know, you can always say three, three and a half star hotel is good for me. I don't need first class. On the airline tickets. You know, just as much information as you can give us is wonderful.
Speaker 2:I definitely like to do a little research before I travel to a destination. Thank goodness for the Internet. I remember years ago there will be the books I think it was at Forbes, so are there any particular resources that you recommend for travelers to look? I actually now go on YouTube, which I absolutely love because they'll definitely be a little bit more up to date in terms of what's happening in that particular region. What would you recommend a traveler do their research in terms of looking up a possible destination?
Speaker 4:You can just Google the country or Google the particular city that you want to go to and see what is out there. You can also go on to, just to get ideas, some of the tour companies and they'll have like an itinerary. No, you don't want to go with a tour company, you want to do it more on your own. You don't want to get up at 6 o'clock every morning and have your bags out. But they have an itinerary with pretty much the most popular places that everybody wants to visit, so you can kind of look at theirs and go. Well, you know I'm really not interested in going to that museum, but I like this one down here and just to see the different offerings that they have.
Speaker 2:So is there such a thing as a trip being too small to call a travel agency? Maybe I just want to book a nice getaway weekend to New Orleans. Is that something that you would say you don't even need a travel agency for? Or can I find value in calling a travel agency for maybe a weekend getaway?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean, we book hotel rooms in New Orleans all the time and sometimes, you know, depending upon where you want to stay, using our consortium that we belong to, you might get a free dinner or you might get a spa credit. Or, you know, depending upon where you're staying or what you want to do, you know, depending upon where you're staying or what you want to do, you know a lot of those managers from those hotels come up and visit and you know we're running low on this time of the month or whatever and help us out. But yeah, I mean, you know we're here to help, even if it's just a little weekend getaway.
Speaker 2:And I'm going to take a stab and make an assumption Is Disney one of the most requested travel destinations? No, no. So tell me, enlighten me. What is the most requested travel destination?
Speaker 4:I think right now it's Europe and river cruising or cruising the national parks. I mean we do some Disney, but Disney for us has gotten to be something that everybody pretty much books on their own, because they've been there 10 times already and they know what they want to do, and so yeah, Would you recommend somebody doing Disney with a travel agent for the first time, because I imagine it can be overwhelming because there's so many different parks.
Speaker 4:Disney is so overwhelming because you have the meal packages, you have all the different parks, you have all the different hotels and you know which one does this and which one can I get on the tram and ride in. And so, yeah, if you've never been, I would definitely use a travel agent.
Speaker 2:And I think I've got one other question, because I told you we could be here. So, of course, hotels you mentioned three-star, four-star, five-star. Is there really a big difference in between the star ratings? How much value should we put in those ratings when we're looking at reviews or just looking at the hotel rating? Am I going to get a lot more if I pay the money for a five star than if I get a three star?
Speaker 4:Again, it kind of depends. If it's a five star and they're part of our consortium, then yeah, we can get you some different little upgrades and some specials and everything. But I mean there's a lot of times the three and a half star hotels are as good as some of the four star hotels. So I don't.
Speaker 3:And you're. You really you don't want to go below a three and a half star hotel because their ratings on their hotels are different than ours. You know Hotels are different than ours. You know, as far as you know, the way we rate our hotels. But you can. You know most hotels in Europe that we sell, I would have to say, are four stores and they're centrally located and a lot of times you can get when you have a travel agent working on your trip. We can a lot of times find a five-store hotel at a three-store price for you. I don't know that sounds good.
Speaker 2:Now I know there's a lot that you do do, so I do have to ask now, with there's so many changes especially Southwest just mentioned that they're going to stop giving you free luggage those two bags for free Can you show me how to pack now in just a carry-on? Can I call my travel agent and figure out how to make that happen? Come on, we're trying to get you some definite business the right answer.
Speaker 4:Call Cindy Me personally. No, I can't do it. I've tried and it just doesn't work for me because I want to take too much. But I do have customers that do it. I mean, all the hotels will have, or most of them have, the laundromats, or you can send it out to the dry cleaners. Same thing with the cruise ships. So you know, if you want to bring one pair of black pants and one pair of navy blue pants and not 10 pair of shoes, then then it can. It can definitely be done. It can definitely be done.
Speaker 2:Are there any travel essentials that you think every person should travel with? You should never go on a trip without.
Speaker 3:I personally love the air tags because it helps you can see where your luggage is, you know if it gets delayed where it's delayed at and someone was talking this morning about putting one on their husband so he could find them in the airport, you know. So that's gotten to be very, very popular with travelers. You know, especially because there's so many delays with your flights and with your luggage, at least you'll have a little advantage to know where it's at if it's on its way to meet you. That's what I would have to say for me.
Speaker 4:Yeah, definitely. I mean, you know, back when we had the luggage store, we sold so many different items for security, like the money belts, the ones that go around your neck, or the bags now that have the wires in them that you know somebody can't walk up and cut and take from you. So security security stuff.
Speaker 2:So, since it was Pearson's luggage before, any tips you can share with us on picking out luggage?
Speaker 4:I have Briggs and Riley and I love it. You know everybody's different when it comes to picking out the luggage. I like the expandable cases because I can go with it being smushed down and small and then on the way back make it larger, you know, to bring all my goodies back.
Speaker 2:So I've been doing it wrong. I take mine larger when I go and then I just bring extra bags with me just in case I do it and I use the soft side and I've been wanting to transition to the hard. But it's like I like those little extra pockets. It just feels like it's a bonus travel section and I'm just not quite ready to give that up. So any final thoughts or any final tips, advice you want to give to our travelers before we wrap up?
Speaker 3:agent to give us a call and you know we're here to make you know. To us, booking a trip is like making your dreams come true, so we want to do that. We enjoy what we do. We will do everything possible to get you the most for your money and we're always there If you have a problem. We have people calling you know at two and three o'clock in the morning. They're stuck in the airport. Even though we can't help you, we're there to at least comfort you or do our best let you vent.
Speaker 2:And how can they reach you, ladies? How can they reach pearson's?
Speaker 4:well cell phone numbers if it's two o'clock in the morning, if it's two o'clock in the morning we'll give you 2d cell number um, but our office number is 225-926-3752. We're there monday through friday, 8 30 to 5 30 um. Somebody's in the office, um we're answering the phones. So, yeah, come by say hi or give us a call. We'd love to help you well, ladies, thank you.
Speaker 2:So thank you so much. We're going to turn the mics off and see if we can book my next trip while I have you here, but thank you so much. So, no matter where you want to travel, you've got some tips here for DIY. You definitely have some information on if you need to be able to use a travel agent, so we'll just leave you with happy travels.
Speaker 1:It's time for blueprint building blocks small changes that lead to big financial wins.
Speaker 2:Let's stack up for success. Do your research. Whether you book on your own or use a consultant, always compare prices and read reviews to get the best bang for your buck. Plan ahead. The best travel deals go to those who book early. You can set travel alerts and track prices. You want to be budget savvy. Use those points, discounts and off-peak travel dates to stretch your dollar. And, of course, you want to stay safe. Be aware of travel scams and always book through reputable sites or consultants.
Speaker 1:That's a wrap on today's Blueprint Building Blocks. Stay on track with your financial journey. Subscribe to the Money Matters podcast and visit neighborsfcuorg slash financial wellness for more tools to help you build a strong financial future.
