There will be an increased demand for quality customer service among travel companies. Travelers will continue to welcome back the magic of travel — and as I noted before, this will require real time updates on travel protocols and requirements. An additional element will be using trusted travel companies and services that won’t charge you an arm and a leg.
As part of my series about “developments in the travel industry over the next five years”, I had the pleasure of interviewing David Alwadish.
David Alwadish is CEO and founder of ItsEasy Passport & Visa, a leading provider of passport and visa expediting services since 1976. As a travel industry veteran, David has helped millions of travelers over the last 40 years obtain important documents such as passports and e-visas. He has a passion for helping people and the company’s mission is “No Passenger Left Behind.”
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Fresh out of college I was the youngest tenant in Rockefeller Center history and was originally providing motor vehicle services to tenants in the area, saving them the trouble of going to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Then, by popular demand, I added passport services to my business.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
An interesting experience with a customer that I’ve never forgotten was years back. A lady came to me to renew her boyfriend’s passport and was very excited to be going on a very expensive, non-refundable cruise with him that she had treated him to. She needed his passport renewed right away so she submitted his paperwork to us only a few days before the cruise. She felt that they were very much in love with each other. She had said that she had found her soulmate. She came back with her fiancé later that week, expecting to pick up his passport, but unfortunately there was no passport. Instead, there was a letter from the Department of State waiting there for them saying that her fiancé owed child support. She didn’t know any of this beforehand and ended up beating the living daylights out of him in the building hallway until the guards came to separate them. She ended up having to go on their non-refundable romantic cruise alone.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I was a young entrepreneur when I started ItsEasy and had one of my first business meetings ever. I remember my family helped me buy a new suit and tie to make sure I looked good for the meeting. I drove all the way to somewhere in New Jersey to go to a travel agency to try and win their business. I sat in their waiting room to be called, only to find out that I was a whole week early for the meeting. Life is all about precision and this is a precision business. That experience taught me that, as they say, it’s better to measure twice and cut once.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?
With passports and visas, you’re securing people’s documents. You have to check everything so there’s no mishaps, mistakes or rejects. Being thorough in any business is key; it’s what separates you from the competition.
To some degree, I find that people in business are somewhat hypocritical. It’s okay for them to make a mistake, but they’re the first ones to sue a surgeon for malpractice. So we all have to do our best and strive for perfection in everything we do.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I can only attribute my success to my family. They were old school, so nothing was more important than working hard growing up. With ItsEasy, it’s putting in the time that a business needs in order to be successful. A business needs undivided attention. A business doesn’t really care if you’re busy or not. Because of my success, people have told me “you’re so lucky” — but the truth is, the harder I work, the luckier I get (as I quote other successful business people as well). I got that work ethic from my grandparents and my parents.
Thank you for that. Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
Our five-star rated ItsEasy Passport Renewal and Photo App provides photos, trackable shipping, complementary full review of all documents and passport renewal reminders starting at just $34.95. The all-inclusive app is the safest, most convenient and most affordable way to renew your passport and prepare for upcoming travel, all from the comfort of your home. No passenger left behind is my mission, and more times than not, this means planning ahead.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
This addresses the pain of getting to the airport and getting turned away because you don’t have the correct or up-to-date documents required to travel. Or, you show up with your family of five and your youngest child’s passport isn’t valid like their adult parents’. People get turned away and have to run to the passport agency when this happens, which is every day and a major pain point.
Our ItsEasy Renewal and Photo App helps alleviate this pain point in many ways. One complimentary courtesy example is that the App allows the whole family to put their names, passport expiration dates and email addresses into our system, and we let them know a year in advance that it’s time to renew.
How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
The status quo for expediting your passport is lines around the block for last-minute people who didn’t plan ahead. People are taken advantage of financially when this occurs. Even right now, the Department of State has created a black market for passport renewals, with website competitors gouging the public because of it. As a matter of fact, competitors are charging obscene service fees of up to $2000 or more, just for the privilege of getting a passport within a few days. I’m tired of watching this happen for absolutely no justification.
I want ItsEasy to improve lives and save people money. In short, I want it to make a difference for travelers. I care more about making a difference than about making money. ItsEasy has been a trusted agent of the US Department of State since 1976, authorized to provide US passport services to the public for a small fee.
That said, for people who come to ItsEasy with life and death emergencies, such as losing a loved one internationally, I will personally volunteer my time around the clock to make sure they’re taken care of. This includes providing guidance and helping however I can, free of charge. This has been my mantra, especially since COVID started. Competitors will charge and financially take advantage of people in life and death emergencies, but I will not.
As you know, COVID19 changed the world as we know it. Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers will prefer to travel?
- Contact-free travel services are here to stay. Customers want COVID-safe processes when preparing their travel documents and planning their trips.
- As more people start traveling again, we’ll see consumers relying on mobile devices for more travel-related information than ever before. Mobile apps and online services that help make trip planning easier and more fun will be king.
- As the COVID landscape continues to evolve, travelers will continue to need real time updates on changing travel protocols and requirements, especially when going abroad. We’ll continue to offer this guidance and our expertise for seamless travel.
- There will continue to be less passport renewal appointments available. Unfortunately, this is already the current situation with the Department of State. People will need to continue to plan ahead.
- There will be an increased demand for quality customer service among travel companies. Travelers will continue to welcome back the magic of travel — and as I noted before, this will require real time updates on travel protocols and requirements. An additional element will be using trusted travel companies and services that won’t charge you an arm and a leg.
You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?
I would describe my perfect vacation experience as seamless and a worry-free one. All elements of the trip would be simple and taken care of ahead of time. In addition, there would be very short TSA lines and no delays at the airport. When you arrive ready to check in and the lines are already long, it takes the starch out of the travel experience.
Travel is not always about escaping, but about connecting. Have you made efforts to cultivate a more wellness driven experience? We’d love to hear about it.
Part of my goal is to take stress out of people’s lives. As the authority on visas and passport requirements in countries across the globe, we provide safe, fast and reliable, one-on-one personal customer service around the clock at competitive rates. Our staff gets to know each client and their travel needs and ensures a client never misses their trip. We also provide ongoing communication and continuous updates on new travel guidelines, which are crucial amidst the everchanging COVID-19 landscape.
We are available for our customers and answer the phone 24/7, 365 days a year. That by itself has saved countless people from loads of stress. We provide them with someone to talk to, help guide them, make a strategy and game plan for next steps. This helps customers’ overall wellbeing in many ways.
Can you share with our readers how you have used your success to bring goodness to the world?
We have helped millions of travelers over the last 40 years with the mission of “No Passenger Left Behind.” We believe in planning ahead, renewing early, avoiding the lines and saving money. It’s important to me to volunteer my services for free to those who must travel during the pandemic for a life and death emergency. My overall goal is to eventually be able to have the actual cost of the passport be free of charge. That’s when I’ll feel like I’ve reached success.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
My mission would be not only to have people plan ahead and renew early, but to also have their passport itself be free of charge. One day I would like travelers not to have to pay for their passports.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can follow us on Instagram @itseasypassportandvisa, on Twitter @ItsEasyPassport, and on Facebook @itseasypassportandvisa.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!