Signpost

Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Campus Lifestyles

Media Credit: ALYSSA CHAMBERS Brandon Mckay sits at his desk at Mckay Travel/Golden Getaways. He has been working as a travel agent for 14 years, planning vacations for the agency's customers.

Brandon Mckay is a travel agent for Mckay Travel/Golden Getaways, a South Ogden travel agency located about a mile away from the Weber State University campus. His love for traveling reflects the successful career he's established for himself. For the last 14 years he has been planning and sending people on all kinds of exciting vacations around the world.

Signpost: What interested you in becoming a travel agent?

Brandon Mckay: My parents actually own this agency. It was an easy job to get into, and I really enjoyed traveling with my family all the time when I was younger.

SP: What has been your most memorable vacation?

BM: When my sister graduated from BYU Hawaii, the whole family flew to Hawaii to see her graduate. I took another one of my most memorable trips right after I got off my mission. I took my wife and her daughter to Disneyland. It was both her and her daughter's first time there. Her daughter was only two at the time.

SP: What would be a popular vacation for students at WSU to consider?

BM: A lot of students go to Disneyland, Cancun, San Diego and Las Vegas. Spending the weekend in Vegas can be a quick, fun trip if you're over 21. I'd say that most students would enjoy California because it's fairly cheap and pretty easy to get to.

SP: What are some of the benefits of using a travel agency as opposed to an online travel source such as Expedia?

BM: You always will have someone to rely on when you go through a travel agent. If something goes wrong on your vacation, it's nice to have someone to call. Using an agent is also a stress-free way of planning a vacation. A lot of times our prices are even lower than Expedia.

SP: When is the best time to plan a vacation?

BM: Book trips early. Generally, a vacation will cost more if booked less in advance because of airfare. It's all about availability. A lot of times we'll offer different deals and packages if customers book a vacation early on.

SP: When is the busiest traveling season?

BM: June, July and August are some of the busiest months for traveling. Our busiest booking time is usually January through April because of families wanting to plan spring break vacations. November through February tends to be the slowest traveling time of the year, so those are great months for people to take vacations.

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