Featured Vendor: Matrix Global Travel
Don’t be cheated out of memorable lifetime experiences. Often many travelers unknowingly do this when they don’t use a travel agent.
In true Jeopardy style, let’s begin with the answer. The answer is V. Gail Simpson, the owner of Matrix Global Travel. The question is, name someone every traveler should contact before they travel?
What exactly are we talking about? Well, the easiest way to answer that question is to reference the words directly from V. Gail Simpson who began the interview by stating, “I’m available to anyone, anywhere in the world who wants to book travel”.
This one statement summed it up even before the interview began. It would soon be discovered that Simpson provides her clients with much more than just travel booking. She creates memorable lifetime experiences. Actually, she could be given the title Memorable Once in a Lifetime Experiences Travel Agent, but that would be a bit too much to put on a business card. Seriously, she helps fulfill many client’s dreams through travel and adventure.
So exactly who is V. Gail Simpson?
After serving many years as a successful clinical social worker, North Carolina native Simpson, decided to build a business around her passion for helping others and travel. As a proud graduate from the University of Michigan with a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work (MSW), Simpson is also a Certified Facilitator from Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurial Training and Development, a trainer with Michigan Small Business and Technology Development, as well as an adjunct professor.
After retiring from social work, she was finally able to indulge in her favorite past-time activity of travel. On one of her trips back to her home town to visit family, her nephew introduced her to the idea of turning her passion for travel into a business.
“This was a travel agency ownership opportunity where I could travel, earn extra income, save money, as well as share the opportunity with others. So, I got really excited about this!” said Simpson.
After doing some due diligence, she recognized that this was an opportunity that she could not afford to let pass her by.
Simpson continued, “This was never anything in my wildest dreams. Other than to get on an airplane or a cruise ship and go somewhere, that was the only thing I thought of travel. Never did I think that I would be the person booking travel, not just for me but for other people and actually making money from it.”
Simpson’s agency helps others find the perfect place for special events, meeting space, adventure, or a romantic getaway. Her clients receive a customized destination travel planner designed to create a lifetime of memories while also providing access to exclusive venues, perks, upgrades, and discounts.
She specializes in group travel for corporate meetings, group getaways, church retreats, sports teams, fraternities/sororities, family reunions in addition to destination weddings and honeymoons.
Travel: A benefit for the business
Being the owner of a travel agency has its benefits, of which Simpson has been fortunate to be able to take advantage of.
“This has opened so many doors. I have traveled to Jamaica, to the Bahamas several times, and some of the Caribbean Islands. I was planning on booking a trip to the Dominican Republic. I’ve been to Hawaii several times.”
In fact, Simpson had recently returned from a last-minute trip to Maui to take advantage of a special travel perk. This is just one of the many benefits of being in the industry.
Simpson spends a good deal of time in Fort Lauderdale and Miami since this is where the cruise ship’s ports are located. Often, she goes on ship inspections and various cruises. She does this to have a first-hand account of the cruise lines but also to ensure that she recommends ships that provide the best experiences for her clientele. Additionally, she shared that all of her vendors have been vetted.
Simpson stated that she also likes to take road trips.
“I’ll get in the car and drive to various places and stay in certain hotels so I can check out the hotel,” Simpson said.
Many travelers may not think to use a travel agent for a road trip, but for those who do, they know that they have access to resources that the average person may not have in their reach.
Why should a traveler use a travel agent on a road trip?
A travel agent can help book a hotel in addition to finding special discounts that may or may not be announced to the public. Also, a travel agent can plan memorable once in a lifetime excursions and special events.
Simpson recalled a client who recently traveled to Chicago.
“They wanted to drive so I put them in a hotel downtown on the lake. I also booked some of their activities,” said Simpson.
She continued, “I’m not just booking travel for someone to just fly somewhere. I book travel by whatever means you want to go; whether it’s by car, rail, air, ship, and riverboat. We are not hampered by any means of travel”.
Some of the rail excursions include travel on the New England coastline. Likewise, the riverboat adventures sail the Mississippi River. These are a few travel ideas that Simpson provides to her customers.
She continued, “We have full-service entertainment. During the season for NBA basketball games, people want tickets to the games, as well as to the college March Madness games. We can get people tickets for those.”
Simpson even shared that when Michelle Obama was on her speaking tour, she was able to secure tickets for her clients who wanted to go to this popular event.
“I have at my fingertips, an eight trillion-dollar business, where I can provide mostly anything that anybody wants, anywhere in the world.”
“When I book travel for people, one of the first things that I ask them is what do you like to do when you travel,” she said.
Similarly, like many popular online travel agencies, she also offers simple click-and-book services for items like airline tickets. However, for the traveler who is looking for something special, she can help create memories large and small.
Other benefits of using a travel agent versus planning it yourself, is, to put it bluntly, many travel agents generally know more than the casual occasional travelers.
“The benefit of using me as a travel agent is because I am knowledgeable about destinations, as well as, what extra levels of service a client can receive,” said Simpson.
She gave an example of a client who previously booked with an airline from Vancouver in British Columbia to Lumpur in Malaysia. Unfortunately, on the day of the client’s flight, the airline had labor-relation issues resulting in many of the airline employees going on strike. This, of course, is any traveler’s worst nightmare.
To make matters worse, this client was traveling to an important business meeting that he could not afford to miss. Additionally, the client required specific seating arrangements.
So, what was the solution to this quandary? The answer again was V. Gail Simpson. Simpson was able not only to reroute his air travel plans permitting him to make it to his business meeting on time, but she was also able to make sure that he had his desired seating preference.
“Anytime any of my clients have any snags in their travel, they can pick up the phone and call me. Anytime anyone is leaving out of the country, I make sure they have my phone number and the business developer’s number for the vendor I have used. I equip my clients because we never know what might come up.”
To go one step further to protect her client’s interests, for those clients who are traveling outside of the country, she makes sure to include travel insurance in their package through one of her many insurance partners. Travel insurance can range from last-minute emergency trip cancellations to medical/sickness travel insurance. Her main concern is to protect her client and their financial investment.
Destination Weddings, Honeymoons, and Romantic Travel
Simpson is excited to book special milestone travel packages, like destination weddings and honeymoons. Generally, she coordinates honeymoon packages with the groom, but on some occasions, she meets with the couple together. It is important to her that she completely understands what the client is looking for in a honeymoon retreat.
Whether the couple is looking for a reclusive beachfront or an adventure-filled voyage, after completing her research, her goal is to tap into her resources and build a package that exceeds their expectations.
“I do special things for my customers. Once we get everything ready to go, I reach out to the hotel or resort and tell them to make sure to put flowers in the room, or chocolate on the bed, or something special like a bottle of Champaign. This is my way of saying thank you for this opportunity.”
Destination Weddings
She shared another story about her recent destination wedding client who hired her to plan their wedding in Los Cabos, Mexico. She explained that when planning a destination wedding, she works with the hotel or resort’s onsite coordinator to make sure that all aspects of the wedding are addressed. This is extremely valuable if the couple does not have a personal wedding coordinator.
Suggestions for travel planning destination weddings
When asked if she had any recommendations for her travel clients, especially for the destination wedding clients, she suggested that they should read her tip sheet. She indicated that she gives her clients a tip-sheet that is filled with proactive safety recommendations. Additionally, she includes the latest travel advisory news from the State Department, in addition to listing other practical safety measures. Her goal is to make sure that her travelers are well informed so that they won’t be blind-sided.
“While travel outside of our country is exciting and you can have lots of great fun, you still have to be cautious. I put together a little tip sheet. Part of my tip-sheet is to ask what would you do if you were at home in terms of protecting your home? Don’t be the Kim Kardashian and tell everybody in the world where you are.”
This, of course, was a reference to the well-publicized incident when Kardashian was robbed in Paris after flaunting her jewels on Instagram while traveling. Following practical suggestions like delaying publishing social media posts of your travels can help prevent avoidable mishaps.
Other recommendations include tips such as:
· Make sure that the traveler’s passports are secure.
· Make a copy of your travel documents before you leave and leave it with someone that you trust.
· Consider downloading a tracking application to your cell phone in case of emergencies.
Make Money from Travel
Simpson shared that couples who are planning a destination wedding can make money from their own wedding while taking advantage of travel discounts. This can be done by simply signing up as a travel agent through her business. In the case of a new agent recruit who is planning on having a destination wedding for themselves, they can handle all of the travel bookings for their guests who plan to attend the wedding. The couple can make a generous profit from each guest booking.
If the couple is in need of a cruise ship instead of air and hotel, many times if the couple-agent meets certain sales limits, their cruise ship cabin is free. In other words, a couple who could ultimately have a destination wedding, make money from their invited traveling guests, and get free lodging.
Simpson suggests that anyone who is making arrangements for a group such as destination weddings, family reunions, or business/social travels, and are inclined to make an additional income should consider becoming a travel business partner agent through her company. Each new agent is set up with a website and has access to all of the resources available from the parent company.
Honeymoon Travel Gifts
Many couples receive wedding gifts, but many would be surprised to learn that they could get gifts towards their honeymoon travel. Simpson has a business partnership that provides this type of service for her clients. It is similar to a wedding registry, but the monetary gifts from others are applied directly towards the couple’s honeymoon travel expenses. Those interested in learning more about this program can visit Simpson’s website.
Most Common Question Travelers Ask
It’s no surprise, the most common question Simpson is routinely asked is about the cost. The answer ultimately rests with the client. After learning what the client’s desires are, she generally proposes several travel options for consideration. In some cases, discovering what is involved in some travel destinations is a learning experience.
She shows her clients expenses that they may not have considered when they originally selected their travel sites. Her job is to show them their options, so they can make a wise decision. To illustrate this point, she gave an example of a client who wanted to travel to the Maldives Islands. Unknowingly, the client had not taken into consideration the additional expenses needed to charter a boat to travel to other neighboring islands and sites. The client quickly changed their travel plans after counting up the costs.
Closing Remarks
In closing, Simpson added, “One of my passions is helping women to see their own worth and value. I help them see that they have a choice whether to work for somebody 40 to 60 hours a week with a limited income, versus working for themselves as an entrepreneur, in a business like this, with a limitless income. Travel is the product that I sell, but on the marketing side of my business, there is residual income. This business lets people make a limitless income while being able to pay off debt or be able to leave a legacy for their family. This is a lifetime opportunity.”
To learn more about V. Gail Simpson, visit her business website at http://matrixglobaltravel.com.
