Travel agents see vacation planning changes Common sense advised when picking destinations By Sarah Riley News-Chronicle Travel agents are telling passengers to use common sense when booking their vacations since the outbreak of war. Right now is a slow time for travel agents because spring break trips are booked and summer vacation reservations are just starting, so not many passengers have had to change their plans, said Elizabeth Saunders, a travel consultant at Omega Travelers of Green Bay. "This is a slower period anyway," she said. "This might be a little more visible as time goes on." Saunders said travelers are holding off on booking trips to Europe but that trips to warm places - like Mexico and the Caribbean - aren't waning. Martha Nicholson, president and founder of Sunshine Travel, said that while airline security is better than ever, she would not recommend booking trips to Asia or Europe until the situation in Iraq is more stable. "If you can postpone your trip to Europe, I would do it," she said. "What it all boils down to is each person has to use his own common sense." She said the airlines have been flexible thus far in allowing passengers to change their flight plans without penalty. In some cases they might receive a credit for a future flight instead of a refund. The U.S. State Department issues travel warnings, available at www.travel.state.gov, which AAA uses as its guidelines, said Paul Wittmann, AAA's Green Bay district manager. Besides avoiding the Middle East, Wittmann said travel to other destinations depends on the how comfortable the traveler feels. "It really depends on the confidence level of the individual," he said. "It's pretty easy to figure out where to go and where not to go." Like after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Americans are planning road trips within the country instead of relying on airplanes for travel for their summer vacations, Wittmann said. He's planning to see families looking for road trip advice. "I think we'll see a lot of that this summer," he said. "I think if it's over soon we'll see a lot of people taking trips as soon as they can." But as for now, travelers are simply gathering information and planning, but not booking their trips. Of course the travel agents themselves are continuing to travel and many are taking advantage of the good cruise prices available. "We're all willing to travel right now," Nicholson said. She plans to go to Australia in the summer or fall and some colleagues are headed on a Caribbean cruise soon. Mary Kellner, the owner of Adventure Travel, is headed to Ireland in a week and said she never thought about changing her plans. "If a travel agent doesn't fly ..." she said.