Baker Travel

Based on the reviews here I was sure that this travel agency would be able to help us. We had a pretty basic travel requirement, and sent very clear bulleted emails to them. Instead, it took several days to hear back and when we did:
1) they used some weird online service that asked for a login to even see the proposed itineraries
2) they had extremely long layovers and actually missed a city we were planning to visit for a few days
In my mind, the whole point of hiring an agent is to make things easier and save you hassle. This has been the opposite.

Mary at Baker Travel was terrific. I had specific flights that my mother needed to be on and she was able to get the whole itinerary done. Very efficient and very nice.

I spoke with Janet on the phone, and she took my travel needs down. She sent me information for a different Caribbean island than the one I had mentioned on the phone. When I emailed back to get clarification, I never heard back from her. No follow-​up whatsoever.

Staff seemed eager during our initial meeting, then never got any followup. Thought that they had misplaced my contact info, so I gave them a second chance. They thanked me for contacting them again and gave me a long speech about the importance of supporting a local small business. I was sure I’d hear from them after that! No dice, left me hanging again. Still waiting for my callback (just kidding, please don’t call me).

I was skeptical about using a travel agent, but for an upcoming grad-​school related trip to Africa, my professor highly recommended Baker Travel. I had done extensive research on flights for about a month before I went to Baker. They beat all of the rates I’d found. I am impressed!

This travel agency is phenomenal! Just booked a cruise and a land package with separate air package. They couldn’t have been more helpful… They got us the cheapest prices and they are also so friendly and helpful! they made planning our trip a joy! we plan on using them again soon. They are great.

Like the previous reviewer, Daniel C., I have been a bit frustrated by using travel sites like Travelocity and Expedia. It can be pretty time-​consuming to compare rates among them, and often by the time I decide on the flight I want and click to book it, it’s no longer available. Maybe that just says more about my indecisiveness than anything, but it was getting frustrating. Added to that, I had an experience with Priceline where I got double-​billed for a day tour I reserved through them, and when I contacted them about it afterwards all I got no response at all beyond the automatic acknowledgment email. It was just a matter of $ 20 or $ 25 or so, but still!
I saw travel agency ad (not from Baker, but another agency) that said the travel web sites don’t always show all the available flights, whereas a travel agency will, so I decided to try booking through a travel agent. I called Baker because they’re in my neighborhood, and I was very pleased. They found me a direct flight to my destination, which I was unable to find online, and at a reasonable fare. Paying the small fee for their service was totally worth it to me for the time I saved. I’ve used Baker Travel a few times since, and I have always found them to be friendly, knowledgeable, and easy to work with.
The reason I didn’t give them four stars instead of five is because I’ve only had to book flights, not hotels or tours or anything more complicated, so I can’t really say I’ve taken full advantage of their service.

I’ve booked travel arrangements using Baker Travel twice now (with two different agents – consistency!), and both times have been a completely heart-​warming experience. They’re so knowledgeable and flexible and encouraging and polite, it’s just a fantastic experience next to the crap one must deal with using some web service like expedia or travelocity. Plus, they will often find you better rates than these online services, more than making up for their modest service fee. When my travel plans are a bit complicated and require stops in multiple cities or international travel, I insist on going through Baker.