Balthasar Travel - About Us | Westchester NY Travel Agent

Balthasar Travel, Inc.
Glendale, AZ.
Phone: 623.444.2876
Fax: 623.444.5362
Toll Free: 877.231.MYTA

Westchester County, NY
914.231.5294

Kansas City Area
913.269.3286

Summer Sale on Eastern & Western Mediterranean Cruises!
7-night cruises from $699 per person ($619 per person if sailing this fall!). Italy, Greece, Turkey & Croatia or Spain, Tunisia, Italy & Fran View More >

ClubMed on Sale!Save up to 50% on a 7-night all-inclusive family or couples escape if you book by June 28th! Offe View More >

Spring Golf Vacations
We currently have a number of 3-night golf resort packages available, starting at $629 per person, double occupancy. Packages include accomodation, 3 View More >

Companion flies free to London!
Simply purchase an air-inclusive vacation package from Balthasar Travel of 5 nights or longer at over 30 select hotels in London and your companion fl View More >

Princess Cruises Alaska!
Princess has eight ships cruising Alaska in 2008, from May through September. You can choose from 7 or 10-day Inside Passage, Voyage of the Glaciers, View More >

About Balthasar Travel, Inc. >

Working With Us - Fees & Payment >

Top 10 Reasons to Work With Balthasar >

About Us - What We Do
At Balthasar Travel, our goal is to provide the best travel experience for you and your family. Customized planning and personal attention to every detail helps ensure every trip – whether it’s a weekend get-a-away or the vacation of a lifetime – is well organized and hassle free!

Resources
We are members of one of the largest travel consortiums in the world. What that means to our clients is access to destination specialists for virtually anyplace you might be interested in visiting. Our resources include dynamic air booking capabilities; full access to domestic and international rail, car and hotel search and booking engines; and a state-of-the-art cruise center that allows us to search all cruise lines to a specific destination in seconds!

Certifications
Karen DeQuasie, owner and President of Balthasar Travel, Inc. is a Certified Travel Consultant, as well as a Certified Destination Specialist in numerous foreign countries and a Certified Lifestyle Specialist for Honeymoons & Destination Weddings; Golf Vacations and Spa Vacations. Certifications are obtained only after completing extensive course work, practical experience and in-depth testing conducted by The Travel Institute, a world leader in educating travel professionals.

Remember, life is too short to take bad trips. A certified travel professional can make a world of difference.

Service Fees and Retainers
Balthasar Travel works primarily on a commission basis with our suppliers. This is a commission the supplier pays directly to us on the base rate for your travel arrangements. These are not rates that have been marked-up to allow for a commission; they are the same rates (and sometimes lower rates) that an individual would find searching on their own. When a supplier operates solely on a ‘net’ basis, a fee of 12% will be added to that net, payable directly to Balthasar Travel. You will always be notified of the fee in advance of the booking.

Airfare
Airlines no longer pay a commission to travel agents. Therefore, air travel, when it is available through our consortium, is booked with a ticketing fee of $9.95 per ticket, regardless of destination or number of stops. When booked through the Agency’s GDS system, there is a $25 per ticket fee for domestic flights and $50 per ticket for international flights.

Planning Fees
A $200 - $500 planning fee is required for extensive tour planning. A $500 to $1,000 deposit is required for Destination Wedding planning. These fees are paid upfront when planning begins, and are deducted from the final cost of the trip (not valid on air-only bookings). If for whatever reason you decide to abandon the project or book through another source, you forfeit the planning fee.

Payment
We accept cash, personal checks and all major credit cards. A credit card authorization form may be required with some suppliers. Credit card transactions directly with Balthasar Travel are subject to a 3.0% service fee.

Our goal is to provide the very best travel-related services in a cost effective and efficient manner. We recognize the significance of the investment our clients make in travel, and work hard to ensure you receive great value for your vacation expenditure.

10. Has access to all travel providers and competing suppliers, providing fast, efficient information on the best offers.

9. Has destination knowledge that will enhance the vacation experience.

8. Does the research, saving you time – and time is money!

7. Provides complete itinerary planning, including transfers, entrance fees, even dinner reservations!

6. Convenient, one-stop shopping!

5. Listens! And works to create the vacation you want – not something cookie-cutter or “system” generated.

4. When problems do arise, your agent has a much better chance of getting resolution quickly.

3. Serves as your ADVOCATE with all travel providers.

2. Personal attention that is there for you before, during and after your vacation.

And the #1 – most important reason to use a travel professional is:

Without an Agent, you're on your own!