Today we’d like to introduce you to William Tilburg.
William, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started Global Travel Advisors in 1996 as a second career. I had travelled a fair amount and was enthralled with the opportunity to visit foreign countries and meet people who spoke another language and had various and different backgrounds. I thought others would enjoy this type of experience so launched my agency. Started as most do with family and friends with an emphasis on the destination. With the internet, anyone can book a flight and hotel, but when in a foreign country where is a good location, how do you best see the sights and get around. My logo is “Helping turn destinations into lasting memories.” I work very hard learning about what my clients want to experience and then provide those experiences. It was a challenge to build my client base but thanks to providing good service for my clients the referrals started to come in and I do almost no marketing the clients come to me.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Building a new business from scratch is not easy, there are challenges. My first big challenge was 9/11 when nearly everyone stopped travelling. It nearly put me out of business. Then there were the “on line agencies” with big discounts that attracted customers, but I continued to promote customer service and good value and my personal experiences of destinations that would be beneficial.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Global Travel Advisors – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I specialize in Europe land packages and river cruises worldwide. I spend a great deal of time getting to know my clients and what it is they want to experience when they travel. I search out interesting tours that fulfill their needs and are very interesting. I look for ways to minimize the stress of travel like waiting in long lines and locating unique things to do. For example, when in Rome everyone wants to visit the Vatican, I suggest an early morning tour that costs a little more but allows them to explore the amazing Sistine Chapel before other tourists arrive. Also to avoid lines I suggest purchasing tickets to the most popular sights that skip the line. Places like the Vatican, Louvre, Versailles, Ann Frank’s house and many more can be very crowded with long lines. I get tickets that skip those lines. I think what separates me is my service and travel tips about their destinations.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I am working on a river cruise on the Danube River for May of 2018 and have created a group. I plan on selling more of Asia and am traveling to Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Hong Kong for a mouth to learn about the destinations in February.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.globaltraveladvisors.net
- Phone: 781-559-3234
- Email: globaltraveladv@aol.com
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