This has been a year of changes for Northland Travel.

The agency has a new owner, Kellie Guderian, and has just moved from an out-of-the-way location at 2911 Seventh Ave. S. to a highly visible spot in the Crossroads Mall.

“We feel that we will have a lot more exposure being in the mall,” said Rhonda Strutzenberg, who manages the enterprise.

The new agency home, which welcomed clients for the first time June 25, features a main lobby, four offices, a conference room and a store room. It is near the Sears Home Store.

What will remain unchanged, however, is Northland’s commitment to making travel dreams come true.

“A full-service travel agency is what we are,” Strutzenberg said. “So, we book tours, cruises, packages. We also have motor coach group departures that we do.”

Whatever the destination a client has in mind, Northland Travel is ready to provide expert help and advice.

“We do both domestic and international travel,” Strutzenberg said. “It’s a mix. “We specialize more in individual travel and group travel. We do a little bit of corporate travel as well, but more leisure. We also do specialize in Alaska because we do have a lot of Alaska travelers and groups that we send up there.”

In an era when many people are tempted to book travel online, Strutzenberg said the challenge for a local travel agency is to provide unique value for its clients through the quality of the help it offers.

“That’s why we set high standards for the vendors that we work with,” she said. “We want to know that they will deliver the service for our clients that we would expect for them. In our business, it is all about that customer, that travel client. Making sure they get exactly what they want out of their dream vacation.”

An affiliation with American Express Travel puts the agency in a good position to address with ease just about any travel requirement a customer might have, Strutzenberg said.

“That really puts us ahead of a lot of agencies because they are such a large agency,” she said. “We get the buying power and discounts.”

For the large number of motor coach tours Northland Travel handles, another tie-in with a major travel industry vendor is also a strong asset.

“We also just signed on with Arrow Stage Lines, a motor coach company,” Strutzenberg said. “They have several locations throughout the U.S. They were started back in 1938, so they’ve been established for a long time and have a very good reputation. They are exclusive for our motorcoach departures. That’s who we use. We did a lot of research to decide who we wanted to partner with. They stood out the most not only because of their longevity but they have a great driver and safety training program.”

She said the relationship with Arrow Stage Lines has an additional benefit should something go wrong during the course of a trip.

“They have affiliations with companies throughout the U.S. so no matter where we are traveling to with a group on a motor coach if there is a breakdown or an issue with that coach they have people within just a couple of hours who can be there to help,” Strutzenberg said.

Nobody wants a much-anticipated vacation to go awry because of a mistake in its planning. That’s why the professionals at Northland Travel urge potential travelers to work with a travel agent. Strutzenberg stressed that the years of experience she and her team members bring to the endeavor can help clients avoid pitfalls that might otherwise spoil a vacation.

“The Internet is our biggest competition, but you have to have a lot of time to spend searching and searching for the different deals that are out there,” she said, noting that her team members can frequently find equally attractive bargains for clients. “We work with preferred vendors that give us discounts. When we get a travel request, we go right to those vendors and make comparisons.”

For the most part there is no charge for this service.

“We at Northland do not charge service fees for people that are booking packages with us, be that tours, cruises that sort of thing,” Strutzenberg said. “The only thing we do charge a fee on is if you come to us and you need an air ticket only.”

Kellie’s Cruise Club

Both river an ocean cruises are attracting an increasing number of devotees nationally and in Iowa, according to Strutzenberg. That type of vacation is a particular passion of the agency’s new owner.

“With Kellie coming on board with us, she really enjoys cruising so she has started a Kellie’s Cruise Club,” Strutzenberg said.

“We get a bunch of people together who enjoy cruising,” Guderian explained. “They meet once a quarter and they are going to pick a cruise to promote periodically.”

The quarterly meetings, the first of which was held in May, are a forum where people can bring in pictures, share their stories and if they are newcomers, learn about cruising. Strutzenberg said some sessions may feature presentations by cruise company representatives.

This new venture is just getting underway, but Guderian said about 50 people have already joined the club.

Meet the manager

Strutzenberg has been in the travel world most of her adult life.

She graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High in 1984 and continued her education at Iowa Central Community College.

“Then I went to travel school – the Midwest Travel Institute,” Strutzenberg said.

Subsequently, she spent 21 years with AAA and has been with Northland for seven.

“I’ve been in the field 28 years,” she said. “I think it’s in my blood. The most rewarding part for me is being able to hear the customers and the travelers come back and tell me what a great time they had on their vacation that I helped them plan.”

Strutzenberg has a straightforward message for past and potential clients of the agency.

“We feel travel is a pleasure for people,” she said. “We feel we at Northland Travel have enough experience to help them in finding the best deal and the best fit for what they really want out of their vacation. We’d love to have them give us a try and show them what we can do.”

Northland Travel is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its services are also available evenings and weekends by appointment.