Meet Verandah resident and travel professional, Sue Shimkus. Sue will be speaking at the next Verandah Community University’s event on March 3rd, where she will reveal some trade secrets about where to and not to travel.
Sue sat down for an interview with Verandah View reporter, Alice Borowsky.
AB: You have run and owned travel businesses for over 38 years. How has travel changed over that time?
SS: I started in the business in 1987 when the only way to make an airline reservation was by phone! My business changed from mostly corporate travel to all leisure travel as the airlines stopped paying commissions and interest in exciting destinations expanded. Hiring advisors who are “specialists” in various destinations or types of travel became very important. My team all had their own specialties from sports trips, honeymoons, destination weddings, solo travel, family travel and cruising.
These days the internet and social media play a big role, and Airbnbs have added to the change in the industry. (not always for the better). I have also seen a major change in the “reasons” for travel, not just a vacation but spending time together as a family, a group of friends, or learning about new cultures and new people.
AB: I can’t believe that you have traveled to 80 countries. What were your favorite and least favorite countries?
SS: I have several favorites for different reasons. I think the friendliest places I have experienced are Ireland, New Zealand and Fiji. So many kinds of beauty in the world but I have to highlight the Canadian Rockies and Hamilton Island in Australia. France is always on top of my list since my son and his family live there and I have gotten to experience so many local hidden gems! Africa and the Galapagos islands are magical and like nowhere else on earth!
I can’t say I have a least favorite. When I travel, I don’t think in terms of “Do I like this destination” but instead, “Who would like to experience this destination.”
AB: You have been on 102 cruises. Wow. Is that your favorite way to travel and if so why?
SS: I do love cruising but I can’t say it is necessarily my favorite way to travel. It’s a great way to explore a new area of the world, to help decide where you would like to go back and stay longer. Many of the cruises I have been on have been shorter, inaugural cruises, to get to know the new ships. I love the river cruises, they seem more embedded in the cities and small towns they visit.
AB: Do people still need a travel agent to book travel in these days of do it yourself online?
SS: Absolutely! With all the information out there online and on social media, it can be very confusing and overwhelming to choose the best options. Searching online generally gives you the most popular answers, or the ones paid for by advertisers. Good travel advisors have contacts and knowledge beyond the general population and search engines. It is important to choose the right advisors, however, because they are not all created equal! Find specialists with great contacts, expertise, most often belonging to an upstanding consortium which provides dedicated trip enhancements and has a vast network of industry relationships.
AB: Tell me about your favorite and least favorite trip?
SS: Many to choose from, but my favorite may be the trip to Africa last fall with a group of Verandah residents. We played golf, experienced the Wine Trail, and had amazing Safari adventures with fabulous accommodations.
I really don’t have a least favorite trip. If I had to choose it would be the driving trip from Chicago to Florida with my parents as a teenager. I was an only child in the back seat of the car with no air conditioning.
AB: What are your top three travel tips?
SS: Travel with an open mind. Get to know the people and customs of the places you visit and respect their values.
Pack lighter than you think is necessary. Purchase travel insurance. No one wants to spend that extra money, but like most insurance, it is horrible to not have it when you need it.
AB: What is your advice to novice or reluctant travelers?
Just do it! Try a shorter trip to start, but do it right. Use a professional to help you avoid some factors which may have made you reluctant in the first place.
AB: What do you predict will be the next changes/trends in the travel industry?
SS: The destinations we visit will not always be the ones most featured but more “off the beaten track”. Travel for natural phenomena, such as the eclipse in 2024, the Penguin Parade in Australia, the volcanoes and lava fields in Iceland. More sustainable travel, and wellness travel.
AB: Why should people come out and hear you speak at the Verandah Community University?
So much of the world has become a victim to “over-tourism.” I will discuss some o the popular destinations that are either too crowded to fully enjoy at certain times, or environmentally stressed from other factors such as too many tourists or too little government policies to save their land. I will also discuss alternatives to the timing and/ or destinations to more fully appreciate your travel investments.
