HIGH TOUCH MEETS HIGH TECH

HIGH TOUCH MEETS HIGH TECH Travel advisors offer best of all worlds

HUTTO –– Todd and Katy Robison have turned years of world-travel experience into a business they not only love but live.

Through their travel agency Dream Vacations, they help new and experienced travelers plan the experience they want and provide personal support to make sure the trip goes smoothly.

“We say our business is family-owned and family-inspired because truly travel has been part of my family since before I was born,” Katy Robison said. “My grandparents have always traveled. My parents have visited over 100 countries. It’s been a huge part of our life.”

The couple said a few years ago as they spoke with friends about a second trip to Israel, they suddenly found they were planning a group excursion with 40 people committed.

The Robisons realized they could leverage their in-depth knowledge of traveling the planet into a business.

They looked into Dream Vacations, a top travel advisor network based in Florida, and found a business opportunity that aligned with their view of how travel should work. The company offers proprietary resources geared toward all types of tourists.

It was a good fit, and the Robisons recently celebrated their business opening with a ribbon cutting at the Hutto Area Chamber of Commerce.

“We have all kinds of resources people just wouldn’t have trying to do it themselves on the internet. That’s why we say, ‘We do the work so you can make the memories,’” Todd Robison said.

The Robisons said people would be surprised to find out how much a travel advisor can do for them. They might also be surprised to learn the Robisons’ services are free. Travel agents get paid a commission from the hotels, cruise lines and other destination centers. They sometimes also have special deals to offer.

The customer pays the same amount whether they book themselves or through the Robisons.

“We know how to travel on a budget and we know how to respect everybody’s budget,” Katy Robison said.

Customers also like the fact that if something goes wrong, there’s someone who can help.

Examples cited by Robison included a family needing to return home early due to illness, another customer who was waylaid by a train strike in Europe and a client whose first cruise included help getting packed and a primer on the boarding process.

“If you just book online, you don’t get that personal touch and you don’t have that person that you can call to ask questions. We will hold a customers’ hand the whole way to make sure everything is right,” Robison said.