Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph and Regina Caudle.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When we started Land and Cruises we originally set out to help family and friends in planning vacations. We realized over time how hectic trying to plan vacations had become, not just for us personally, but friends and family as well. Planning the family vacation became more work than anything else and no matter how much fun you had on the vacation you ALWAYS remembered the planning portion and more often than not would utter the following words ‘I will never do that again!’
With this in mind we set out to take the ‘headache’ out of the planning stage leaving only the happy memories of the vacation itself!
I, Joe, originally started booking travel through a much larger company and quickly realized how limited I was on helping individuals with different types of travel. So using this knowledge, our passion for travel and our personal knowledge of booking our own vacations we set out on the adventure with ‘Land and Cruises’ were we treat EVERYONE as if they are family.
As a small business you do have struggles, especially in travel because there is so much information out there. We started small, talking with family and friends. Everywhere we went we talked about travel, chatting with folks about their likes and dislikes. We quickly learned that we needed to be online, even with so many agencies out there, we needed a presence. We got our website launched, and if I have to say is very user friendly. We jumped on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest as well. Our traffic began to increase, very slowly, but an increase none the less.
Over the next few years we would have our ups and downs though no matter how difficult things may have been we always lived by one thought “Our clients are always first and foremost, we may meet as strangers but we will part as friends”.
Today we are still a growing company, we love meeting new people every day and assisting them in putting together vacations that will garner ‘memories for life’. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing (or hearing) the smile on a friend’s face when they return from an amazing adventure, knowing you were instrumental in helping obtain that smile.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, definitely not a smooth road. With so many agencies available, there were a few times we thought about tossing in the towel. However, as we mulled over the idea we would get a call or an email from one of our friends returning from their trip. Their excitement and laughter would remind us why we were here and doing what we do. We want everyone to only know the joys of travel. I tell my friends a lot, let me take the headache and you concentrate on the fun.
As a small company, you obviously do not have the marketing dollars the large firms have. So we have to set our self apart from the humdrum of the larger companies. How do we do this? For us it is fairly easy, because we truly care more about our friends than anything else, I think they can just feel that no matter what we are always there for them.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Land and Cruises story. Tell us more about the business.
We specialize in travel. Anywhere from a hotel stay to a world cruise, or an adventure through Europe, we have you covered. We take the headaches and annoyances out of planning vacations so our friends only have to concentrate on having fun.
I would say what we are most proud of and what sets us apart from others are one in the same. We treat every single person as a personal friend. Many may claim to do this; however, I do not know many that would get out of their bed in the middle of the night when a ‘client’ calls with a problem. That is what friends do. You have to truly care, in your heart, about everyone and I think this gets lost when you deal with the larger companies, where you feel more like a number than anything else.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Travel is always changing. Over the next 5-10 years I don’t personally see any big shifts though I do believe that a very large portion of the tenured travel consultants will be ready to retire and if none of the younger generation decides to fill the void, you may find it harder and harder to get assistance when planning those vacations, honeymoons or special occasion getaways.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.landandcruises.com
- Phone: 770-710-9760
- Email: info@landandcruises.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/landandcruises/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/landandcruises
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/land-and-cruises-snellville
- Other: https://www.yellowpages.com/snellville-ga/mip/land-and-cruises-533648176?lid=1001764361598
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