Monday Minute: Crystal Shields of Travel Best Bets

The Monday Minute is a weekly feature in PAX that highlights the movers, shakers, leaders and rule breakers of Canada's travel advisor community. Wanna be profiled? Wanna nominate someone? Email newsroom@paxglobalmedia.com!

Name: Crystal Shields

Business: Travel Best Bets

Where do you live? Burnaby, BC

How long have you been a travel advisor? More than eight years

What is your speciality?

FIT itineraries. My expertise spans ocean and river cruises, rail tours, adventure travel, long-stay holidays, and multi-family vacations. I tailor each journey to my clients unique preferences and parameters.

What inspired you to become a travel advisor?

My path to becoming a travel advisor was deeply personal. When my five-year-old son was undergoing cancer treatment, our family faced unique travel challenges. Ensuring his safety and well-being during our trips required meticulous planning and extensive research, which ignited my passion for travel planning. I discovered the Travel Best Bets Connected Agents program in what felt like a full-circle moment, and I jumped at the opportunity.

What’s the first trip you ever took?

I went to Disneyland as a very small child. Since then, it has become an almost-yearly tradition for my family, friends who are like family, and tons of clients. We love everything Disney! I’ve been to all the parks in Disneyland and Disney World. I have an excellent understanding of how tiring it can be and how important it is to have a plan.

What travel trends are you seeing these days?

My clients want to go to new destinations and explore! I’m booking a lot of self-drive vacations in the U.K., packaged European itineraries, European Cruises and FITs to Italy.

Of all the bookings you’ve made, which itinerary are you most proud of?

One of my most memorable bookings involved a European FIT for a couple and her elderly mother. It was a pre-cruise stay in Europe, a cruise and then a self-drive in the UK. Then of course a railway strike and heat wave hit them while they were away! We talked in advance about the pending strike and we went through a lot of different scenarios of what ifs. I was able to walk them through different options and the “here’s what I would do scenarios” and put them at ease. This also resulted in a wonderful email sent to my managers and agency owner, complimenting my services.

Funnily enough. I booked another U.K. self-drive for three people, answered all their questions before and they also sent an email to my managers and owner. I feel I have a ton of value to add to my client’s trips.

What’s the most memorable trip you ever took?

An Adventures by Disney FAM with AmaWaterways on the Danube for a Christmas market cruise with only travel advisors on board. My husband and I were very fortunate to do the pre-cruise stay in Budapest and the post-cruise stay in Prague. This was my very first river cruise and I learned so much! We were treated exactly as their full-paying passengers would be treated and it was phenomenal.

Where do you see your business one year from now?

I want to travel and see as much as I can so I have firsthand experiences to share with my clients.

What are your future goals?

I’m a top sales producer with Travel Best Bets and I’d like to keep my status.

What’s one new skill you’ve acquired recently?

I bought Travefy to create my itineraries and am using ChatGPT a lot for streamlining my travel research.

What’s one thing you would change about the travel industry?

I wish all travel agents could experience products at a lower cost. I think immersing yourself in product knowledge is great but the first-hand experience is priceless.

What’s the secret to being successful in this business?

Being knowledgeable and available.

What is your motto?

You never know what tomorrow will bring.

What is your number one piece of advice to other travel advisors?

Spend some money on travel to acquire firsthand experiences. Read everything you can about travel that interests you.

Where are you travelling next?

This month I am leading a group of eight on an Adventures by Disney tour in Italy, complemented by a seven-night pre-stay on the Amalfi Coast and five nights in Paris post-tour. In July, I am attending the Canadian Open tennis tournament in Toronto. In August I am embarking on another Adventures by Disney trip to the UK with my best friend. In November I am exploring new resorts in Los Cabos or Puerto Vallarta with my husband. Then in December I am visiting with family in Jamaica.

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