Travel agency to open in Barcroft Plaza

An Expedia Cruises shop is coming to Barcroft Plaza on Columbia Pike. It is expected to open in September.

Expedia Cruises is a franchise travel business that helps people find cruises and other vacation options. “We do everything – air, land, sea, vacation rentals, travel insurance, every aspect of travel,” says franchise owner Mark Mitchell. 

Mitchell spent 30 years as a Green Beret in the Army Special Forces with numerous deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. After serving as an acting assistant secretary of defense in the Trump Administration, “I decided to do something different,” he says. 

Mitchell expects the travel industry will rebound as the COVID pandemic winds down. “The desire for travel never went away, and now that things are opening up there is increasing demand.” 

He predicts people tired of being stuck at home for so long will want to take a “COVID revenge vacation.” 

Mitchell acknowledges some people might be hesitant to take a cruise after the high-profile incidents of sick people stranded on ships during the early stages of the pandemic. But, he notes, “the cruise industry has been very sensitive. They’ve taken a lot of steps during the pandemic to change their services and procedures to minimize risks.” 

“One of the challenges right now is that every country and air carrier has different rules,” Mitchell says. “That’s why having a travel agent is a great benefit in this environment.” 

About 80 percent of people book a cruise through an agent because the huge number of choices can be overwhelming, he says. “People don’t want to spend hours researching and booking a cruise and not know if they are really getting a good deal.” 

It doesn’t cost anything to book a cruise or make any other travel arrangements through Expedia Cruises. The company’s agents are paid on commission by the cruise companies, airlines, hotels, and other businesses and are able to get better deals for customers, he says. 

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The Expedia Cruises retail center in Barcroft Plaza will be located in the former Hair Cuttery spot between Curry N Tandoori and Zips Dry Cleaners. 

It’s one of more than 300 independently owned retail locations and more than 7,000 vacation consultants that are part of the Expedia Cruises network in North America. 

The Barcroft Plaza location will be the first Expedia Cruises shop in Fairfax County. The only other ones in the D.C. region are in Sterling and Aldie in Loudoun County and Gainesville in Prince William County.