SERVICES/VIRTUOSO®

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AP•POINT•MENT

… the act of designating a person to represent or consult when such a position of trust is required.

VirtMem_RevWHY VIRTUOSOâ„¢

Travel By Appointment is proud to be the only Virtuoso member affiliate in Tampa due to our affiliation with the nationally recognized Admiral Travel International in Sarasota, Florida.

Virtuoso is an invitation-only network of about 6,000 elite travel advisors associated with more than 300 agencies in 22 countries. These numbers may sound large, but when you think about the travel and leisure field, those numbers actually mean a prestigious group that comprises only the top 1% of all travel advisors.

For most people, they believe that online interaction is the way (some think the only way) to make travel arrangements. There is a lot information out there and the more you look online, the more someone can get confused on where to go, where to stay, how to best get there, what do they need to do to get there, and a multitude of other things. Our mission is to assist clients through this maze and allow our clients to rest assured that they have made great decisions backed by experience from best advisors all over the world.

For Cruisers
We offer complimentary benefits when you cruise with Virtuoso, including: escorted pre- and post-cruise trips, shore excursions, land packages and special social events on more than 450 departures per year with luxury cruise lines.

For Air Travelers
When you travel internationally, you benefit from our insider access to special fares that you won’t find on the Internet.

For Country- and Experience-Collectors
We maintain relationships with the world’s leading travel and adventure companies.

For Independent Sorts
You want to travel your way, and we’re experts at making independent arrangements. Our custom vacation options are endless. Tell us what personal touches you would like to add, and we’ll fine-tune your vacation to make it your own.

Award-Winning Journalism
Our flagship publication, “Virtuoso Life, the traveler’s guide to inspired pursuits”, has won several prestigious awards for journalism, photography, and illustration. The most recent awards include 2009 Gold Eddie FOLIO Award for “Best Consumer Travel Magazine and Best Travel and In-Transit Consumer Publication, WPA Maggie Awards 2009.

Our VIRTUOSO connections with the world’s best hotels, resorts, cruise lines, airlines, and tour companies can help our clients bring their lifetime memories come to life.

This is why we are called –

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WHAT WE DO BEST

Travel by Appointment is proud to be the only advisor in Tampa with the Virtuoso designation as a result of our affiliation with Admiral Travel International, Sarasota. Travel By Appointment provides clients with travel expertise when booking their travel arrangements and when lifetime memories are at stake. We have 20+ years of travel experience and knowledge of all parts of the world with a strong expertise in Europe, Caribbean, and China. If we have not been there, we’ve sent somebody there. Our Virtuoso partners are also on the ground in most major countries to assist us with local expertise. Our VIRTUOSO affiliation allows you to enjoy our travel partner’s benefits; offers and amenities not offered by any other means. Finally, we are in the business of providing personalized service to discerning clients that enjoy the assurance of our experience and our advice at no cost to the client.

“You can’t VIP yourself, we can.”

WHAT WE ARE NOT

We are not a competitor with online travel sites. Many of our clients have found that the online experience has proven not to be the best way to book accommodations for a variety of reasons.

We think those reasons are important to note.

  • The online experience can be deceptive at times. What you see and what you ultimately get can be disappointing. Many of the less than credible sites can reel people in with deceiving pictures and listings of services not available when you get there or additional pricing not revealed at booking.
  • The online experience is faceless, nameless, and certainly not as accountable as a travel advisor. From the beginning of the trip through to your return, we are always there for our customers.
  • The online experience is driven by one thing: price. We feel strongly that while price is important to everyone, it is also important to consider the total value of the experience. Online pricing is rarely, if ever, a better price than what Travel By Appointment can provide. Once you’ve become a client with us, it is hard to ever rely solely on the internet for travel arrangements.
  • The online experience is a great planning tool and there is no denying that fact. However, once you work through the maze and confusion, and you spend your valuable time doing so, you will want an advisor that has either been there or has relationships on the ground at your destination to assist you confidently with your final decisions. We recommend never ‘going-it-alone.’
  • Travel By Appointment simplifies an increasingly complicated travel process.
  • Travel By Appointment has much stronger and personal relationships with industry vendors.