Travel industry ‘on fire,’ says local consultant
Barb Culberson says things are “on fire” in the travel industry.
Culberson is the longtime owner of B&D Travel Consultants in both Sturgis and Three Rivers. She said this week that things are finally turning around when it comes to travel.
Previously, a lot of people were traveling the U.S., Culberson said. But with the recent dropping of return-home COVID testing in the U.S., more people now are traveling out of the country as well.
“Before, they didn’t want to leave the country,” Culberson said. “They didn’t want to get stuck in another country.”
Over the past two years of the pandemic, Culberson said when the bottom fell out of the travel industry, it really fell out. For example, people who didn’t have travel insurance ended up with vouchers or couldn’t get their money back, she said.
Now, the majority of customers at B&D Travel take the insurance, Culberson said. Those that don’t must sign a waiver.
There are three different insurances, she said. One is cash back insurance and one is a voucher only insurance. The other is a medical insurance that covers you if you go out of the country.
“Most people don’t realize their medical insurance does not cover them if they leave the United States,” Culberson said. “If you’re on vacation, there’s nothing worse than hoping you have a credit card with a big dollar amount if you break your leg. You have to pay for it before you leave the country.”
Culberson said she has customers who have been waiting two years to do their Alaska cruise tour. Prices were locked in, she said, and they’re just now able to go.
Culberson said on cruise lines, you must be vaccinated.
“There’s just no ifs, ands, or buts,” she said. “You have to be vaccinated to get on a boat.”
Children of a certain age don’t have to be, Culberson said. But they’re not able to participate in all the events the ship offers.
The dropping of the return-home COVID testing has helped travel, Culberson said. Cruise lines are running full.
“That just opened up a whole new ball game,” she said.
Culberson said in many places, if you’re fully vaccinated, you don’t need to test. But there are some that haven’t dropped the requirement, such as Turks and Caicos Islands.
B&D Travel has an upcoming bus trip to the Cincinnati area that will not require vaccination or masking. Culberson is excited because there are only six seats left.
“That is incredible,” she said. “People want to go. They’re tired. They don’t want to stay home. They want to go.”
Culberson said for the upcoming Alaska cruise, it’s a relief customers will no longer have to negative test for COVID to board the airplane in Vancouver on the return trip home.
“There was a little bit of panic about where to get tested in Vancouver to come home,” she said. “This makes it a lot easier.”
Again, Culberson said one of the biggest things people need to remember is that they need health insurance to travel outside of the country. Suppliers offer it for as little as $29 per person, she said.
“Anymore, it’s so expensive to travel anyway,” Culberson said. “It’s like a protection.”
Culberson went on to say people are still traveling, but the industry isn’t quite as good as it was in 2019, before the pandemic. She’s hoping years 2022, 2023 and 2024 will balance it all out.
Culberson said she and husband Dan, who runs the Three Rivers location, are blessed to have stayed open during the pandemic with two locations.
“A lot of people in the travel industry closed,” she said. “Suppliers were changing rules as they go, and governments were changing rules as they go. It was just a matter of trying to stay floating and work through it.”
Culberson said a lay-away program she offers helps people be able to save for trips.
“There’s nothing better than looking forward to going somewhere on vacation again,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: news-travel-B&D Travel Consultants
