Travelex Donates Effort to Rebuilding Puerto Rico with 50 Participants
Interview By: Andy Ogg, Editor and Marketing Director – Travel Professional NEWS
Interviewing: Christine Buggy, Vice President of Marketing – Travelex Insurance Services
First off, thank you very much for the time today to discuss your latest effort and investment in Puerto Rico. Before we continue, we want to personally Thank You for that effort to assist our fellow man.
Most of us are aware of the tragedy that struck Puerto Rico recently, can you share what the damage was like when the Travelex team arrived?
The Travelex team flew into San Juan, Puerto Rico, and we stayed just outside the city in the suburb of Dorado. Most of the hurricane damage in San Juan and Dorado has been repaired, and all services, such as electricity, cell phone, water, and more, have been restored.
However, as we traveled west of Dorado on our way to the rural, mountain community of Bartolo, in central-west region of Puerto Rico, in the municipality of Lares, we did see electrical wires hanging, uninhabitable homes and buildings, many residential structures with blue tarps on the roof, and coffee and plantain fields that were still barren or just replanted.
Has the infrastructure of Puerto Rico been somewhat repaired at this time?
In San Juan and surrounding areas, yes. As we traveled into central and western agricultural communities, there are still issues depending on the areas.
How many individuals did you all have with you on this recent trip?
A group of 50 Travelex staff and partners participated in the trip. Travel industry partners participating in the trip include Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company, Cover-More and On Call International.
That’s amazing! After your 2 days of relief efforts, how does your team feel about the future of Puerto Rico and tourism to this destination?
Everyone was tired but smiling. It was rewarding to see how the communities have come together to work on their own recovery efforts, especially in Bartolo.
It seems like most resorts are already up and running. San Juan seems to be thriving and much of the island is eager for tourism.
Investing this much effort and time to a charitable cause is just an amazing movement, can I ask what inspired this trip for you and your team?
Working in the travel industry, we decided to reinvest our good fortune in a more meaningful way while giving our staff and partners an opportunity to experience the growing trend of volunteer tourism. We chose the popular tourist destination of Puerto Rico after realizing that even after a year of recovery, there were still many people in desperate need. Using Travelex’s annual incentive trip to make a difference became an obvious choice that I hope to continue.
With 2019 upon us, does Travelex have any new offerings for the New Year?
Our simplified retail plan offerings continue to be Travel Basic and Travel Select.
Providing comprehensive trip coverage for the value-conscious traveler, Travel Basic is a great alternative to supplier or cruise line coverage. This plan is a good fit for travel to places like Mexico and Canada, as well as domestic trips, cruises, and international student travel with a $10,000 trip cost or less.
With kids included pricing expanded to all children 17 and under, Travel Select is ideal for family and multigenerational travel. Upgrade options like cancel for any reason and adventure sports coverage make this plan easily customizable for luxury and adventure travelers. Other optional upgrades include additional medical coverage, car rental collision coverage, and air AD&D coverage.
For our readers, can you share a few of your “hot tips” of selling Travel Insurance as a Travel Professional?
Whenever travel advisors are offering travel insurance, it’s important for them to remember that they are the travel experts, and Travelex is the insurance expert. If travel professionals or travelers have any detailed benefit or ‘what if’ questions, they should contact Travelex to give them the most accurate answer.
After offering insurance, if travelers refuse, it’s wise to request they sign a Travel Insurance Waiver. This helps eliminate any risk to the travel professional and often can encourage the traveler go ahead and purchase insurance.
As always, Travelex Regional Sales Managers are knowledgeable, licensed and available to help travel professionals create an insurance strategy for their business. Request a personalized webinar, in-office training, or something else that could help boost your revenue.
If a Travel Professional is interested in learning more about the Travelex offerings, where can they go to do that?
You can always visit our website at travelexinsurance.com to browse our plans, but for a personal connection, call 800.228.9792 or email [email protected].
Before we conclude, I personally want to thank you and the Travelex team for their recent efforts and applaud you all on the selfless act. Is there anything from the experience you’d like to share with our readers?
Thank you for your interest in our mission trip!