Clicking with Customers: Behind the Counter at Frosch Travel

Name: Sandra “San” Croson

Title: Independent Travel Consultant,

Fast fact: Has 27 years of experience in the travel industry

On starting out: The first agency I worked for in 1983 had just gone to computers. Before that they used books.

Professional certifications: MCC, master cruise counselor. DS, destination specialist. CTC, certified travel consultant.

On getting into the business: I have a sociology degree. I used to teach school and then I had children. Then my children went to school, and I needed something to do. My husband traveled a lot for work and he said, ‘It would really help me if you became a travel agent.’… Once I got into it I didn’t want to just be talking on the phone and making reservations—I wanted to be a professional.

Advantages of a travel agent in today’s online world: We are someone who stands between the actual vendor and you. If you have a problem, we know somebody who will be able to try and fix it. 

On specializing in Alaska travel: I’ve been there twice. It’s a pretty fascinating place. It’s exciting. It’s different.

How much travel do you actually do? Not as much as we used to. Years ago the hotels would invite us to spend time there so we could recommend the hotel to customers. ... It’s not that way anymore.

On her day-to-day: I work five days a week. Our day varies. We do a lot of work on the phone or people stop by with appointments.

In the age of the Internet, do people still use travel agents?: Oh yeah they do—even young people. Anything that you find online I probably have for the same price or better. It’s like anything else. If you buy in volume, you can get a better price. We also have little perks we can offer you because we have really good relationships with travel vendors.

What’s your favorite part of the job?: I like to see the dreams that people have for travel come true. I vicariously live their travel life.

Thoughts on working in the industry: Being a travel agent is kind of like doing crossword puzzles. You find out what the people want, how much they want to spend, and then you take all the pieces and fit them into something that works.

Advice for novice travelers: Travel someplace close, safe, popular, and easy—just to get the hang of going out of the country, because other countries are not like the U.S. So much is different.