You also get the benefit of an
Alberta-based support team. If you
run into problems on a trip, there’s
a real person back in Alberta by the
phone 24/7 to help.
AMA Travel always has a finger on
the pulse of travel trends and news. In
January, for instance, Celebrity Cruise
Lines put together a special charter
flight and Caribbean cruise out of
Edmonton. AMA Travel had exclusive
advance notice, which meant it could
pass on the best availability and pricing
to members before anyone else.
“We often get that kind of insider
info before anyone else,” Berube says.
Many of these offers can be found on
the website, where the team posts
hand-curated daily deals and adds
new hotels to its ever-expanding hotel
inventory, all backed by AMA’s best-
price guarantee.
Other companies might sell the
same trips, flights, packages, cruises,
car rentals and hotel stays as AMA
Travel, but you often get more for
your money with AMA. Expect service
and advice, along with the combined
buying power of AAA/CAA auto clubs
for the best pricing.
You’ll also be able to access value-
added member benefits. That might be
a bonus upgrade, $150 onboard credit
on a cruise, welcome reception or other
extras, all negotiated exclusively for
members by AMA’s product team.
AMATravel.ca offers online booking
for almost everything AMA sells. It’s
also fantastic for quick transactions
on flights, cruises, car rentals, hotels,
all-inclusive vacations, and last-minute
deals. Travellers can search multiple
airlines and see results in one place, or
search by destination and supplier.
But when it comes to planning a
big trip, there’s no replacement for an
in-person appointment with a travel
counsellor. “It’s the best way to take
advantage of the team’s incredible
breadth of knowledge,” Berube says.
No matter what stage of trip prep
you’re in—dreaming, planning,
booking—there’s a good chance the
behind-the-scenes team at AMA
Travel has already done the work
for you.
Behind-The-scenes
SuperSTarS
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The cruise guru The world Traveller The indusTry insider
Shelley Samycia elaine leJambe Terry Vander linden
She’s been on a whop-
ping 102 cruises during
her 36 years at AMA
Travel—and she can tell
you something special
about an extraordinary
number of ships, cruise
lines and destinations.
Shelley can also match
any type of traveller, from
adventurer to luxury-
seeker to parent, with the
perfect cruise. “When a
client gets to have the
experience I described
to them and more, that’s
what I love,” she says. Elaine has been to the
ends of the earth and
back again—literally! She
has visited more than
50 countries, and she
lived in Greece for 22
years. Her travels give
her unique insight when
she’s tailoring packages
and personally escorting
tours for AMA members.
“I add from my own ex-
periences places where
I think members would
want to go, and experi-
ences that I want mem-
bers to have,” she says. Terry works closely with
suppliers to hand-select
and promote tours,
trips and destinations
he knows will appeal to
AMA members. Before
joining AMA, he spent
13 years at Fun Sun
Vacations, so he has
unique insight into the
travel industry, and, often,
an inside track on the
newest and best deals.
“Because we’re looking
at the options all day,
every day, we can pick
out the gems,” he says.
AMA InsIder
Fall 2017
23