Diana Schuldt, who describes herself as “an in-control person,” had always made her own travel arrangements-until she met AAA travel services representative Roger Strickland. Now, she says, “I'll never travel again without Roger's help.” Here's why:

“Three years ago, when our fortieth wedding anniversary was coming up, my husband and I decided to celebrate with a trip to Disney World. We live in Ukiah, Calif. now but used to live in Florida, and Disney World is still one of my favorite places.

“I've always been a self-planner and had never used a travel agency before. But many of my friends had told me what good experiences they had had working with AAA travel agents, so I thought I'd check into it.

“From the moment I met Roger Strickland, I liked him. He's welcoming and warm. He made me feel as though he was just sitting there eight hours a day waiting for my call. I was rattling on when I first spoke to him, thinking aloud about what we might need, and Roger really listened. Then he booked us a great room based on what he had heard from me. I was really happy with that. “

Last spring, we decided to return to Disney World with our daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren. I called Roger and he remembered everything we had done on the previous trip. “

This time he arranged adjoining rooms for us and my daughter's family in a hotel that was a short walk to the bus, which was very important for us; he told us about the Disney meal plan, which turned out to be a tremendous savings; and he got us great seats to see Cirque du Soleil after I asked about it at the last minute. He also covered our itinerary with little sticky tabs filled with helpful handwritten notes. “

In this day and age, I think the kind of warm personal service Roger delivers is a great rarity. I told him, if he ever moves to a different department within AAA, he will still have to book my trips!”