Beth at Blowes Travel

I have been in the travel industry for over 10 years. My personal experience includes travelling throughout the Caribbean, Spain, Italy, France, the UK, China, as well as Canada and the US.
I was also married in Jamaica, so I have first hand experience of destination weddings, and could not recommend them more!
Blowes Travel is a member of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, so you are able to instantly redeem your RBC reward points towards your travel plans, as well as take advantage of other promotions offered through CWT.
Whether it be something as simple as purchasing travel insurance, or needing help planning a trip of a lifetime. I am here to help!
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BLOWES TRAVEL opened for business on Thursday, March 31, 1949 as Stan Blowes Travel Service. Stan Blowes, who had worked in the travel business since 1929, and with Trans Canada Airlines since 1937, foresaw that travel would take off. He decided to buy Kenner’s Book Store, a well established business that sold just about everything, including train tickets and steamship passes.

Travel in 1949 was still domestic. People traveled to visit family or to see the country they lived in. Only an elite few traveled to foreign places to broaden their horizons. This type of travel however remained a luxury until the jet age.

Customer service has always been an integral part of BLOWES TRAVEL. And in those early days with TCA, this included picking passengers up at their homes and returning them home once their trip was over. Although this type of service is no longer feasible, this strong service ethic is still very much a part of BLOWES TRAVEL.

Barry Blowes purchased the business from his father in 1969 when Stan retired. Since that time the business has changes dramatically, becoming one of the most technical and computerized industries in the world.

When computers came on the scene, BLOWES TRAVEL was the first agency in the area to embrace the technology. At the beginning, one computer was shared among the entire staff, but now we have a highly complex state-of-the-art system and an extensive database. The changes in the way business is done are phenomenal.

Major changes are always happening in the travel industry and BLOWES TRAVEL continues to lead with innovation. With the advent of the Internet people can now book their own trips. This does not make us obsolete, but a valuable partner in the quest for the perfect vacation. It is a perceived notion that the Internet offers the best deals. This is not always true; in fact it can cost someone a lot more in terms of headaches and ruined plans. That is why our on-line booking solution will appeal to a lot of our clients. They can surf the web, but we are here to make sure that they have no problems.

BLOWES TRAVEL agents receive ongoing training, much of which is done in destination, enabling them to become experts in their own right. Their experience and expertise allow them to customize your travel plans to suit your individual needs, while keeping your health and safety utmost in their minds.

In 2005 BLOWES TRAVEL became an associate office of CARLSON WAGONLIT TRAVEL and thus we had a merger of buying power and longevity. This association with Carlson Wagonlit provides a tremendous advantage for our clients.

In December 2007, CWT Blowes Travel purchased the Travel Bug in London (Byron), Ontario bringing our locations to three.

The company continued to expand with the purchase of CWT Strathroy Travel in the fall of 2009 and in the summer of 2012 with an office in Mitchell.

From a one man operation in 1949 to a highly trained staff of twenty professionals in five locations today, BLOWES TRAVEL AND CRUISE CENTRES INC. is one of the oldest family owned and operated Travel Agencies in Canada and is dedicated to serving its community. Barry and Rob work together, and with their staff bring experience and new perspectives to the world of travel. They take great pride in having served three generations of families and businesses alike.