By Maria Sonnenberg
For Al Día Today

MELBOURNE — When one of her air travel customers found that his airline left him stranded in New York with a three-year-old grandson in tow, Geraldine Blanchard kicked into high gear to get the grandfather and grandson back to Brevard.

Blanchard navigated through the oceans of airline schedules to find her customer two airplane seats that would return him home as quickly as possible.

Individualized service is all in a day’s work at Blanchard’s agency, Global Tours and Travel in Eau Gallie. Always the hallmark of the travel agency, one-on-one help now defines the industry.

Beleaguered by the internet and the economy, travel agents such as Blanchard stay afloat because they go the extra mile.

“The key is service,” said Blanchard.

Blanchard literally grew up in the industry.

“My mother was a tour operator, back when it was fun being a travel agent,” said the native of Haiti.

“We enjoyed trips every year. It was wonderful.”

For travel agents, life is very different from those heady days.

“It’s not for the faint of heart,” said Blanchard.

September 11 sharply curtailed travel, the Internet stole customers with promises of cheap fares and lower commissions from the airlines have destroyed many good travel agencies.

“A lot of agencies have gone home-based, or part-time or by appointment,” said Blanchard.

“We have a lot of walk-in customers because we’re one of the few left.”

Blanchard remains successful by stressing cruises and personalized tours.

“We do it all,” she said.

For example, when fans of the Brevard Jazz Series take off on a cruise next February, they can thank Blanchard for organizing the trip. A large group from Ascension Catholic Church will enjoy a trip to Ireland planned by Blanchard.

“You have to be very creative and work hard so your customers enjoy a wonderful time,” said Blanchard, who operates Global with her husband, Ralph, and business partners Lorena and Nigel Spensley.

About 50% of Global’s business involves cruises, with an additional 40% devoted to tours. Eau Gallie’s small-town atmosphere nicely dovetails with Global’s personalized service.

“We find that this location is perfect for walk-in traffic,” said Blanchard.

Blanchard has seen an influx of customers who’ve tried booking online and didn’t like it.

“A lot of people are disenchanted with the internet and are coming back,” she said.

“They don’t mind paying a small fee for the service they get with a travel agent.”

Hispanic clients like Global because Blanchard speaks their language.

“I work with a lot of Spanish-speaking clients because I speak Spanish,” she said.

“The Hispanic community likes to travel. We even do tours in Spanish.”

Global Tours and Travel is located at 559 West Eau Gallie Blvd. For more information, call 676-0640 or visit www.globaltours.com.

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