Anybody ever hear of Carlson Wagonlit Travel? Are they any good for booking personal travel? I never heard of them until a friend recommended them for booking my travel.

Hi Chris,<BR><BR>Big outfit. You should be pleased with their service. Make sure to talk to an agent that is very familiar with your destination. I doubt they will push you into a vacation that is beyond your budget.<BR><BR>Paul

Yes...they're a big outfit with many competent people...probably. My personal experience is that they are useless as airbrakes on a turtle!

Booked my last cruise wiyh them. I live in Florida, and the office I dealt with is in Detroit. They got me a GREAT rate and the service was outstanding. I did not get a bottle of champaign in my suite from them, but since their price was about $700 less then anybody else could quote, I was happy to buy my own. Highly recommend!!!

Very large. BUT your service and satisfaction level will generally be a function of the agent who works there. It is the agent who adds the real value through his/her knowledge. I use the agent only for specific tasks such as cruises or complicated vacations/packages. Will not use them to book air travel.

You're right Joe. Many young employees have never traveled around the corner and have learned from a textbook. You can either talk to the owner who more than likely is well traveled or you can call on the phone with your brochure in hand and ask questions. See how knowledgeable they are. It is a good test.<BR><BR>Travel agents do shy away from air- only vacations since they do not get paid by the airlines. They will charge a fee to get you the tickets.<BR>It will save you some time searching for the best price but usually will cost you more than if you use the internet. In these times bulk prices are usually more than published air prices.<BR><BR>Paul

They book all the corporate travel for our company. I will no use them for leisure travel since they charge us service fees that are higher than what would be expected elsewhere. Check to see if service fees are applicable.