NEW YORK — Carson Kressley, a judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” always uses a travel advisor.
“I’m super busy,” Kressley said. “I know I can call her or text her and say this is where I’m going, send me three options and book it. What I love is it’s easy on the front end, but also on the back end. There’s cancelations and there’s drama. And I just text or call my person.”
Jacki Marks, global head of trade brands for ALG Vacations, with ALG travel advisor champion Carson Kressley. Photo Credit: ALG Vacations
Kressley is often on the go. A resident of New York, he also has a farm in Pennsylvania and is back and forth to Los Angeles when filming “Drag Race” (he jokes that he’s “tricoastal”).
Television fans might also recognize Kressley from his stints on “Dancing with the Stars” and the original Bravo iteration of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” among many television and film credits to his name.
For any trip, business or pleasure, Kressley said travel advisors offer a human link to deal with the moving pieces of travel. He called their service “invaluable.”
Kressley was speaking during an ALG Vacations lunch in appreciation of Global Travel Advisor Day on Wednesday at the Hyatt Centric Time Square’s Bar 54.
Travel advisors from New York and neighboring states were invited to join (ALG Vacations also bought a video billboard ad nearby in celebration of the day).
Kressley is no stranger to ALG Vacations. He’s been the company’s “travel advisor champion” for several years now.
He called traveling “the most inspiring thing you can do,” noting his partnership with ALG Vacations was a natural fit. He’s attended several ALG Vacations conferences and events.
“Now, I get to have this great relationship where I really get to be the evangelist for travel advisors and say, listen, your vacation is expensive, our time is precious — why would you not leave it to a professional?” he said.
When doing media appearances, Kressley regularly directs consumers to the website TravelAdvisorsGetYouThere.com, an ALG Vacations-run site that connects travelers with travel advisors.
Kressley said he admires how entrepreneurial travel advisors are, particularly with specializations.
“I think, ultimately, they’re fans of travel like me, and they want to share with other people,” he said. “And, they love creating great experiences for people. It’s very gratifying.”
