I. Reading: Weirdest Travel Agent Requests
***Teacher's Copy***
From finding rabbi-impersonating Elvis impersonators to arranging air-conditioned camping in the Sahara—here are some of the crazy things travellers ask of travel agents.
Travelling to Chihuahua, Mexico is a perfectly common request for a travel agent. Travelling with one’s Chihuahua? That’s easy, too. But taking the Chihuahua to Chihuahua, Mexico so he can “discover his roots”?
to
That was the request made of travel agent Steven Greenbaum of Pisa Brothers Travel in New York City, Greenbaum’s been an agent for 29 years, so he’s had his share of strange requests—but this was a new one. He even managed to receive the explanation without laughing. “I’m good at keeping a straight face.”
Most requests that agents handle every day are pretty simple: booking a long weekend in the Bahamas; finding the best animal-spotting retreat in Africa; discovering an affordable-but-luxurious excursion in Europe. But every once in a while, travellers push the boundaries of what’s normal—or even possible.
And it’s often difficult for them to stop from laughing. In fact, that’s what Lynn Garfi of San Diego–based Protravel International had to do when a traveller called and asked for an oceanfront room—normally a no-brainer request—in the decidedly landlocked city of Orlando.
So how do travel agents deal with these odd asks—especially when, in the Orlando case, they can’t be fulfilled? Garfi explains that with these types of requests, the only option is to help the client understand that it simply cannot be done.
Some off-the-wall requests, however, are do-able, no matter how crazy they sound. Take the traveller who wanted to camp in the Sahara Desert in the middle of August...in an air-conditioned tent. Joel Zack, of Heritage Tours in New York City, made it happen. Of course, it took some effort, including buying a huge generator to power the air-conditioner.
But going to extremes is what it takes to become one of the world’s top agents. So we asked some super-agents and their colleagues for the most unusual travel requests they've received over the years. Here are their stories.
The Request: Book a trip with a pet Chihuahua. The destination? Chihuahua, Mexico, of course. The reason? To help the pet discover his roots.
The Agent: Steven Greenbaum, Pisa Brothers Travel, New York City
The Results: “I’m good at keeping a straight face,” Steven informed. “I’ve seen it all.” So, the canine-centric trip was planned with only the dog in mind. Both a pet-friendly flight and hotel were booked, and the dog finally received his opportunity to delve deep into his heritage.
The Request: Transport a bag of the traveller’s own blood to South Africa, in case there was an accident and he needed a blood transfusion.
The Agent: Diane Hilliard, Hilliard & Olander Ltd., Stillwater, Minnesota
The Results: The travel agent, at first, thought it sort of made sense. “But when I realized the logistics, it just didn’t make sense.” After discussing the extensive requirements necessary to haul one’s own blood overseas — namely equipment rental to preserve the blood — the traveller decided to take his chances and travel without it. He survived the trip.
The Request: Book a cruise with a room near the elevators. The reason? The traveller explained that sometimes she drinks too much, and that’s the only way she can find her room at the end of the night.
The Agent: Francine Dumont, Plaza Travel, Encino, California
The Results: Francine explains, “I kept my feelings to myself, but I thought this was really, really strange.” Feelings aside, Francine’s client was given her elevator-adjacent room and was able to spend her trip hitting the bottle with no worries about finding her way back.
The Request: Sneak a Snickers candy bar into a destination spa to fulfill a craving.
The Agent: Heidi Schwartz, Protravel — The Zenith Group, New York City
The Results: The agent purchased a single bite-sized Snickers bar—just enough to take off the edge, and not too much of a rule-breaker during a trip intended to focus on health and wellness—and sent it via FedEx to the client, who was able to satisfy her craving between treatment sessions.
The Request: To book a room in Orlando. A room, that is, with a view of the ocean.
The Agent: Lynn Garfi, Protravel International Inc., San Diego
The Results: As Orlando is a good 40 miles from the coast, this one took a little extra effort. When Garfi said that oceanview rooms weren’t a possibility, the client replied, “That’s not true. I looked it up on a map. Florida is a very skinny state.”
The Request: Get married in Las Vegas. The catch? To be married by an Elvis impersonator impersonating a rabbi. Yes, you read that right.
The Agent: Paul Gilbert, Linden Travel, New York City
The Results: Anything can happen in Vegas. Gilbert — who laughed when the request was made — made several phone calls and managed to track down a few wedding factories that assured him they would be able to procure a kosher King of Rock 'n’ Roll. However, the client eventually cancelled his request.
The Request: To go on a cruise, but due to some gastrointestinal complications, the traveller could only drink green Gatorade.
The Agent: Ellen LeCompte, Sterling Brownell Travel, Richmond, Virginia
The Results: Always wanting to please, this agent gave the ship several weeks' notice and informed them of this special circumstance. Six cases of green Gatorade were flown in, and by the time the client boarded, every bar and restaurant aboard the ship was fully stocked with the fluorescent beverage.
The Request: To camp in the Sahara Desert in the middle of August. The traveller also wanted to make sure his tent was kept nice and cool, to shield him from the desert’s intense summer heat.
The Agent: Joel Zack, Heritage Tours, New York City
The Results: Temperatures in the Sahara that time of year can easily exceed 54 C°, so to fulfill this request, the agent had to purchase a massive generator from nearby Casablanca. It was used to power an air-conditioning unit that had to remain full blast at all times, because the cool air easily escaped through the tent’s walls.
Job of the Future: Space Travel Agent
Craig Curran has been a successful travel agent for thirty years by always keeping ahead of emerging trends. One of them, thanks to Virgin Galactic, is space tourism. Now, instead of selling airline tickets to Paris, he’s selling suborbital flight tickets to space.
II. Vocabulary & Definitions
1. weird
strikingly odd or unusual
Reading: The weirdest thing he saw on his trip was a pond filled with so many fish that it looked like you could walk on them.
2. camp
temporary lodgings in the country for travellers or vacationers
They stayed in the mountain camp for one week before returning from their summer vacation.
3. explanation
the act of explaining; making something plain or intelligible
He even managed to receive the explanation without laughing.
4. retreat
a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet
A spot under a shady tree might be your favourite retreat from the sun, or your bedroom in the basement may serve as a retreat from your siblings.
5. luxurious
displaying luxury and furnishing gratification to the senses
The client asked the travel agent to find an affordable-but-luxurious
excursion in Europe.
6. opportunity
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
Both a pet-friendly flight and hotel were booked, and the dog finally received his opportunity to delve deep into his heritage.
7. accident
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
The client wanted to transport a bag of the his own blood to South Africa, in case there was an accident and he needed a blood transfusion.
8. haul
pull or drag with effort
After discussing the extensive requirements necessary to haul one’s own blood overseas — namely equipment rental to preserve the blood — the traveller decided to take his chances and travel without it.
9. overseas
have in mind as a purpose
The trip’s intended focus was on health and wellness, but the traveller gained five kilograms.
11. coast
the shore of a sea or ocean
Orlando is a good 40 miles (64 kilometres) from the coast of the Atlantic.
12. track down
pursue and find
Gilbert — who laughed when the request was made — made several phone calls and managed to track down a few wedding factories that assured him they would be able to procure a kosher King of Rock 'n’ Roll.
13. cancel
(of events) no longer planned or scheduled
However, the client eventually cancelled his request.
14. notice
a written or printed announcement; a warning or notification
Always wanting to please, this agent gave the ship several weeks’ notice and informed them of this special circumstance.
15. aboard
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
By the time the client boarded, every bar and restaurant aboard the ship was fully stocked with the beverage.
16. temperature
the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment
Temperatures in the Sahara that time of year can easily exceed 54 C°.
17. successful
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
A successful businessperson knows the importance of what working for the community really means.
18. trend
a general tendency to change
Craig Curran has been a successful travel agent for thirty years by always keeping ahead of emerging trends.
19. board
the act of passengers and crew getting aboard a ship or aircraft
We boarded the flight in Paris.
20. exceed
be or do something to a greater degree
Our manager trained us to always try to exceed our customers' expectations.
III. Exercise: Match the Definitions
Use: accident, cancel, coast, overseas & track down
1. ________________: beyond or across the sea
(overseas)
2. ________________: pursue and find
(track down)
3. ________________: (of events) no longer planned or scheduled
(cancel)
4. ________________: an unfortunate mishap; especially one
causing damage or injury
(accident)
5. ________________: the shore of a sea or ocean
(coast)
IV. Exercise: Fill in the Gaps/Blanks
Use the following words: boarded, camp, exceed,
intended, notice, successful, temperatures & trends
1. Always wanting to please, this agent gave the ship several
weeks’ ______________________ and informed them of this
special circumstance.
(notice)
2. A __________________________________ businessperson knows
the importance of what working for the community really means.
(successful)
3. _______________________ in the Sahara that time of year can
easily exceed 54 C°.
(temperatures)
4. He has been a successful travel agent for thirty years by always
keeping ahead of emerging __________________.
(trends)
5. Our manager trained us to always try to ___________________
our customers' expectations.
(exceed)
6. We __________________ boarded the flight in Paris.
(boarded)
7. The trip’s __________________ focus was on health and wellness,
but the traveller gained five kilograms.
(intended)
8. They stayed in the mountain __________________ for one week
before returning from their summer vacation.
(camp)
V. Exercise: Match the Picture
Use: air-conditioner, candy bar, elevator, generator & tent
_______________________
(generator)
________ _____________________
(air-conditioner)
______________ ___________
(candy bar)
______________
(tent)
______________________
(elevator)
VI. Listening: Weirdest Travel Agent Requests
How to Become a Travel Agent
http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Travel-Agent-Online
(1:29)
How to Be Your Own Travel Agent
http://www.howcast.com/videos/421365-How-to-Be-Your-Own-Travel-Agent
(1:52)
VII. Just for Fun
ISAAC THE BEST TOUR GUIDE IN THE WORLD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD6pZnEcDQo&feature=endscreen&NR=1
(1:21)
THE BEST TOUR GUIDE IN THE WORLD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GofuxDv1McQ
(2:05)J
Monty Python – Travel agent sketch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz2LaJOVAiA
(5:16)