Inspiring Conversations with DR GAIL “Cookie” GREEN of Epic Travels and Escapades LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to DR GAIL “Cookie” GREEN.

DR GAIL “Cookie”, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The decision to focus solely on building my travel business after retiring from a 30+ year career in education stems from my love of travel and my desire to assist others in making their travel dreams come true. I have always planned trips (from a single traveler to a group of over 145 persons) for family and friends, so why not earn money doing so? I put a lot of time and effort planning the most epic escapades—trips and concert events. As someone who loves to travel, loves to plan trips, and love to help people plan their vacations, the travel industry was the ideal choice of what was next for me after retirement. I look at my agency as “A Small Operation Doing Big Thangs.”

Travel takes us out of our comfort zones and inspires us to see, taste and try new things. It challenges us, not only to adapt to and explore new surroundings, but also to engage with different people, to embrace adventures as they come and to share new and meaningful experiences with friends and loved ones, and even strangers. I value traveling and am passionate about helping others use travel to learn, explore, seek adventure, and live out bucket list dreams.

With the advent of the internet, people often book their own vacations, but quickly realize two things: It can be time consuming and you must know what and where to research when curating the perfect vacation. There is no comparison to what the internet offers and what a travel agent can offer—especially the personalized service. Travel agents can sometimes get you a better seat on an airplane, added amenities at hotels, room upgrades, event tickets, and plan activities for travelers (solo or group). Based on supplier relationships travel agents can at least match the price you find—while saving you time and effort. There are also hidden savings built into trips booked with a travel agent. Sometimes a package that you book yourself won’t include perks (airport transportation, breakfast, access to lounges, etc.), making the package appear cheaper. There are a lot of value-adds that consumers don’t know about that can be added by a travel agent. Ever wonder why the couple in the room next to yours got private transportation, champagne and an excursion that you didn’t? They probably used a travel agent.

Travel agents have inside information on the best times to go to crowded destinations and sometimes know what the new “it” destinations are going to be before the masses. Want to get there first? Use a travel agent. We are passionate about sharing the world with you. Take advantage of our services. Allow us to plan your “Epic Travels and Escapades.”

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but a road I had to travel as I was committed. I officially started my travel business in 2019 not knowing Covid was lurking around the corner. During the down time when the world was on lockdown, I did a lot of online training, researching, and creating systems to smoothly manage business operations.

Travel agents learn early that competing with online travel engines can be a challenge when prospective clients may only be concerned with price and not service. It is important to find more ways to attract the right clients and build trust as a brand.

As you know, we’re big fans of Epic Travels and Escapades LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The world is truly a classroom. As an educator to my core, I love that I my classroom is no longer bound to a brick-and-mortar building. The most rewarding and important type of learning is through experience, seeing something with your own eyes. I see traveling as similar to being in a classroom because you get to learn firsthand about parts of the world that are different from where you live. I get to share interesting experiences with others about the world; in addition, there is so much to learn outside of the confines of where we live. Learning about other cultures, interacting with people of different races, socioeconomic backgrounds and cultures is exciting to me. Interacting with other cultures often requires that we step outside our comfort zone and embrace learning another language or culture. When we seek to understand another culture, we often dive into history to understand the events that made the culture what it is today.

Traveling affords us the opportunity to learn all sorts of interesting things about science. As we get to know a new place, we will experience unique forms of nature and geology that are different from the place we call home. As we travel to other places, we see how the climate may differ from where we live, how modes of transportation offer important lessons about machines, fuels, and the advance of modern technology, and we get a math lesson as we convert money into another form of currency. Most travelers know a lot about geography, because time is spent looking at maps and researching destinations. When we reach our destination, we often seek out museums and historical landmarks that bring to life the worlds of art and literature. When it’s time to feed our hunger, we have the chance to eat new and exciting foods for the first time. Travel does not have to be expensive. One should not regret the investment they make in seeing more of the world around us and what we learn from traveling. Yes, the world is a classroom.

I am most proud that I leaned in and took the leap to venture on my own to do something I love (traveling), while assisting others in creating and making their travel memorable.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Nurturing close relationships, watching my GRANDchildren grow, engaging in meaningful activities, practicing gratitude, along with traveling and assisting others with their travel makes me happy.

Pricing:

• Price for vacation packages vary from choice of destinations, length of stay, time of season, departure points and number of travelers. One can plan an inexpensive staycation, or a luxury vacation to all parts of the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.epictravelsandescapades.com
• Instagram: ig@epictravelsandescapades
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/epictravelsandescapades
• Other: [email protected]