WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Wichita Falls gained a new business downtown while the iconic Big Blue added another tenant on Thursday, September 29, 2022.

That’s when Chelsea Hadden officially cut the ribbon and opened her office for Tip Top Travel Services.

In the days of websites and apps like Expedia, Trivago, and AirBNB, booking a trip by yourself has never been easier, and the age of travel agents seemed all but a memory.

Not according to Hadden, however. She said now, travel agents are needed more than they’ve ever been before.

“You’re seeing it constantly now,” Hadden said. “People are getting stuck in the airports, People are having everything fall through. and, you do it on Expedia, you’re on your own, Expedia’s going to tell you, ‘Sorry.’ Whereas I’m going to tell you, ‘I’m on it’. And I’m going to get it fixed and taken care of.”

It was her experience working on a cruise ship that led Hadden to want to become a travel agent. And she said she couldn’t be happier to be opening her new office inside Big Blue, a staple of her hometown’s downtown skyline.

Hadden grew up in Wichita Falls, moved to Corpus Christi to pursue a degree in theater arts, but eventually, after having her son, moved back to start Tip Top Travel Services.

“I have always loved downtown Wichita Falls,” Hadden said. “I grew up in Wichita Falls. I did shows at the Backdoor Theater and at the Wichita Theater. And, it has grown tremendously since I left and came back.”

Tip Top offers top-to-bottom vacation planning, including hotel booking, flight, and car rental, and even excursions, all across the world.

“I do everything for you. So pretty much, you pack, and I plan,” Hadden said. “I will make it personalized, to you and to your family, and to what you need, and you don’t have to do any of the work, because I do it all for you.”

Hadden said she goes above and beyond for her clients, and not just during regular business hours.

“I’m on call 24/7,” Hadden said. “I don’t care if it’s 1 a.m. if something goes wrong, and there’s water gushing into your hotel room, call me and I will fix it, you don’t have to do that.”

And it’s less expensive than you might think. Hadden said she gets paid by the companies she books with on commission. That means, she’s being paid by the resorts, the airlines, the hotels, and the excursions she books with, not her clients.

“It doesn’t cost you anything extra to book with a travel agent,” Hadden said.

No worries, no extra work. Just wonderful memories to be made. That’s what Big Blue’s latest addition is all about.

For more information, you can visit Tip Top Travel Services on Facebook, check out their website, give Chelsea a call at (940) 386-9391, or send her an email to get started booking your next vacation.