Iranian Travel Agents - a directory of Iranian Travel Agents in the U.S.

FAQ about contact	best viewed with

a nationwide directory of top notch iranian-american travel agents

:: Travel Agent Search

by name

by location

Enter the first few letters of the first or last name

:: What's New

Travel Employment Rebounds in December, Ends 2011 on High Note Monday, January 09, 2012
"December was a good month for the travel industry. After falling two of the three prior months, employment in the travel industry rebounded in December and rose by 7,000 to a level of 7,528,000.

Hotel websites vs. online travel agencies Tuesday, November 03, 2009
The old standard of making a reservation directly with a provider to avoid OTA booking fees is no longer airtight, but neither is it entirely wrong. Concludes USA TODAY after testing rates for a weekend stay in October booked via OTAs and hotels directly.

A smorgasbord of themes for travelers Friday, October 30, 2009
By Arline and Sam Bleecker, Chicago Tribune

more »

:: Message from the Editor

Traveling to Iran? Europe? Taking a cruise? There are many reasons to use a good travel agent for your next trip :
1. Convenient One-Stop Shopping
Travel agents can handle every aspect of your trip from airline tickets to lodging, ground transportation, activities, tours and more.
2. Consumer Advocate
If you should have a problem during your trip, travel agents can act on your behalf to see that proper restitutions are made.
3. Expert Guidance
Travel agents are experts in helping travelers get where they need to go and in helping to create possibilities most people never would have dreamed were possible.
4. Save Time
Avoid the headaches and let the travel agents call around and do all the time consuming work of planning a complex itinerary.
5. Choice
Travel agents offer you an array of options and price quotes from a variety of travel suppliers, giving you the upper hand when making your final travel decisions.
6. Less Stress
Planning a trip can be stressful. There are so many options and details to worry about. Travel agents do the work, resulting in less stress for you.
7. Updated Information
Travel agents are constantly communicating with the travel community, thus giving you the most up to date info on airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, travel visas, and other travel services to consider as you plan your trip.
8. Customer Service
Travel agents offer that “personal touch” to your travel planning experience- Offering help and advice that a website cannot provide.
9. Travel Documentation
Travel agents can help you to prepare and organize any necessary documents that you may need in order to travel outside of the country. They can direct you to your local passport office, and they know where you need a visa, as well as any other documentation that you might need along the way.
10. Travel Expertise
Many travel agents are considered experts in the area you are traveling to and have probably already been to your chosen destination.

:: Travel Agent Spotlight

Soheila Jaster
Strawberry Point, IA
Booking travel arrangements can be a mystery to some of us. Should I use a travel agent? Is there really a difference between using an agent and booking it myself? What information do I need to know? All of these are valid questions to those of us who are new to booking these services or simply looking for a better way.

I sat down with Soheila Jaster, a professional Travel Agent with over 10 years of experience, to get the real deal on travel arrangements.
Q. Explain the difference between using a travel agent and booking your own travel.

A. The difference is experience. There is no substitute for a good travel agent; however you must know your travel priorities; whether it be cost, routing, seat preference, etc. Travel agents no longer make commissions once offered by all airlines, therefore they must charge for their professional services. Large companies usually have in-house travel specialists who have travel agent backgrounds, though up-and-coming companies can still benefit from using outside travel agencies. The Internet has a lot to offer but it is also time consuming and for the discerning traveling executive, not cost effective.
Q. What is key in organizing travel?

A. Knowledge is key for properly organizing travel. Flying into the closest airport for a meeting may not be the best option if one has too many connections. Residing in the closest hotel to the meeting could be in a bad neighborhood. Travel agents know the ins and outs of all this stuff. Travel agents also usually have upgrade coupons and get the best rates on rental cars.
Q. What is your process for organizing travel arrangements?

A. I have always used a client profile which includes these preferences:

First class vs. coach
Aisle vs. window
Cheap vs. direct
King bed vs. two doubles/queens
Mid-size car vs. full/luxury
Smoking room vs. non

I save each of these profiles so that I never have to ask their preferences again.

As far as organization, I almost always begin with booking the flight first. With no plane tickets, there is no trip. With flights, hotels and cars, you're always at an advantage the earlier you book them simply because of availability.
Q. What advice would you give to office professionals that are booking travel without an agent?

A. Know the executive who is traveling. Ask him/her questions before you get started. An office professional booking travel should know:

All frequent flyer numbers and who might be using them for travel. Keep up with mileage and benefits.
All hotel and car companies also have programs. Make sure they are signed up and their numbers are in their reservations.
If your boss is a Gold Member and entitled to a curb-side pickup, don't forget their status number. Your boss will likely be a little miffed at having to travel 10 miles off the terminal for his/her pickup otherwise.

Q. Explain the cost of services in using a travel agent and where you make your commission.

A. Depending on the complexity of the trip, Travel Agents charge around $30.00 per ticket. Of course, this includes your hotel and car rental reservations. Airlines no longer pay agents commission for their services but hotels and car companies still reward 5 to 10% of the total cost.

:: Other professions/establishments

:: Search by State

""Hitler didn't travel. Stalin didn't travel. Saddam Hussein never traveled. They didn't want to have their orthodoxy challenged.""

-Howard Gardner

:: Get listed now. It's FREE!
FAQ

If you are a Travel Agent, simply submit the form below to get listed:

Name

Business

Address

Phone --

Email