Cari Peterson fell in love with travel as a young girl. “My dad was a car dealer,” she says, “so he would win trips and our family got to go places.” Cari is still going places—but mostly she helps other people plan their trips.
As a corporate agent for Passageways Travel in Traverse City, Cari handles business travel. “People know what they want,” she says. “Usually the best deal but they won’t reroute themselves just to save a couple hundred dollars. They’d rather be home for their kid’s soccer game.” Cari has been in the travel business for almost 30 years and has seen a lot of changes. “The biggest shift was after 9/11,” she says. “Security is much tighter. People stopped flying but now it’s busier than ever.”
“Yes, you can buy tickets on-line,” Cari says, “but you have to pay close attention—and it’s harder to make changes.” The airlines don’t give refunds with a doctor’s notice anymore. “You have to be the one who died,” she jokes.
In addition to the travel perks, Cari loves the challenge. “Sometimes I don’t even know where a place is—but if someone wants to travel there, I have to figure it out. It’s fun.”