Mouse World Vacations — A new me | Travel Research Online

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Mouse World Vacations — A new me

Independence vs. security?…control vs. volume?…do it yourself vs. “having a boss”?…trading a percentage of commission vs. a regular income?…me vs. we?

These were the questions I had in front of me at the end of July when an opportunity arose to join a large regional travel agency here in Utah. I lost a lot of sleep and did a lot of pacing and talking to myself for a month before making the decision.

Mouse World Vacations is now part of Morris Murdock Travel.

While I am now a “travel consultant” for the new company and there was no “take over” or “acquisition” or anything official like that, I still use the phrase “part of” as I am the same, and I am my own brand. I am still giving the best service, still have the same Disney expertise but now I have a real office, real coworkers and tons more business and marketing power. Morris Murdock has been a retail travel agency for over 50 years now so I now have the benefit of having a steady stream of walk-in customers, call-ins, email inquiries, newspaper advertisement responses, and company sponsored group travel trips. Gone are the ink jet printed fliers, staying up all night doing my own email blasts, plugging my little company in reader comments on news sites, and making sure the mortgage gets paid while deciding on which of the dozens of directories in which to list my business.

But on the downside I have to be somewhere at a certain time, an odd feeling again after more than 3 years on my own. I have to now plan trips for more than just Disney destinations. In the first two weeks in my new role I have booked, Fiji, San Diego, a few non-Disney cruises, a family trip to Alabama, Hawaii, lots of straight up airfare and more. Plus I am also jumping at the chances to book a few Disney trips as well. Whew! Gone are the days of grabbing my clubs in the middle of a slow day, flipping on the voicemail, and heading out for a quick 9—or 18 holes. For those of you who have been your own boss, here’s a warning– it’s not an easy transition.

On the other hand, when the regular paycheck arrived I knew it was the right decision. Everything I had booked during my first two weeks will not be realized (commission wise) for as much as 6 months into the future. But, there is still much to be said about getting paid for the work you do a couple of weeks after you do it–not months and months later. The roller coaster life of commission only income has been flattened out. And the bonus for me will be that in addition to my salary, I will still see some commissions once a month.

We hear all the time about agency agents making the move home to continue their career.. But how many have made the switch the other way? I would love any input on how you made the adjustment.

Now about that golf thing….

And here’s the new “about me”:

Graig Wilkins (odd spelling and all) is now a travel consultant for Morris Murdock Travel in Utah. He still specializes in Disney destinations worldwide. He can be reached at gwilkins@morrismurdock.com

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