Specializing in Walt Disney World Travel

“There has to be a better way.”

That’s the statement Christine Hardenberger said was the catalyst for her travel agent career.

She and her husband had traveled to Walt Disney World for their 10th anniversary.

“I had been a few times before, but I had never realized how complicated things could be,” said the owner of Modern Travel Professionals in Richmond, Virginia. “Even with past experience, we made some mistakes that cost us a lot of time. I thought, ‘There’s a business for people who need help navigating this.’”

Once she got back home, Hardenberger discovered various Disney-focused travel agencies, but she wasn’t looking to hire one. She wanted to become one and signed on.

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“I really wanted to help people get the most out of their vacations,” she said. “We all work hard for our money, and our vacation time is precious. Who wants to waste it flailing around? I wanted to ensure that people got the best vacation for their budget and made the most of their time away.”

Hardenberger specializes in Orlando vacations along with river and ocean cruises, with a focus on military families.

“As a former military spouse, I know that family time is even more precious to our service members because they are gone so frequently,” she said. “Making special memories is even more important. I love helping these families unplug and really focus on each other, not on the logistics of travel.”

Just recently, Hardenberger helped a young honeymoon couple on a tight budget plan a trip to Walt Disney World when Hurricane Irma hit.

“Their flights were canceled and the couple was not able to change their dates. They were so disappointed to miss out on a Disney honeymoon,” she said. “In particular, they had been excited about the Halloween festivities.”

Three days before they were due to depart, Hardenberger was able to recreate a brand new honeymoon with all the Disney magic, including Halloween. She sent them to Disneyland in California for a few days and booked them on a two-day Halloween on the High Seas cruise aboard Disney Cruise Line.

All of this was done on the same budget.

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If that doesn’t convince travelers of the benefits of using a travel agent, Hardenberger isn’t surprised.

“With the plethora of information available online, people think booking travel is simple. It isn’t,” she said. “Everything looks good online. Only a trained professional can give you the benefit of their first-hand knowledge, find the best value for your vacation (hint: it isn’t always the cheapest price) and maybe even get you some additional perks to make your trip extra special. The internet can’t do that.”

For those who want to become a travel agent, Hardenberger advises that, first and foremost, this is a sales job.

“So many potential agents come to me and say, “I just love planning travel,’” she said. “That’s great, but do you love selling travel? In reality, only about 30 percent of my time is spent on the actual planning. Most of my time is spent on marketing and sales. If you don’t love to sell, then a career as a travel agent isn’t for you.”

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When Hardenberger isn’t planning her clients’ trips to Walt Disney World, she loves to travel to, well, Walt Disney World.

“I love to travel just about anywhere, but if I had to pick one place, it would be Walt Disney World,” she said. “While it’s not the most exotic place I’ve ever visited, it’s the place where my family and I have shared many happy days. My second favorite place would be Paris.”

For more information on Christine Hardenberger and Modern Travel Professionals, visit moderntravelprofessionals.com.