ELDON — After the Ottumwa AAA office closed in February, travel agent Shauna Snyder was uncertain about the future of her career.

“This is what I loved to do. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else,” she said.

Snyder worked for AAA for about 11 years, and after the office closed, she quickly decided to start her own independent travel agency through AAA, called Destinations By Shauna.

She works out of her home in Eldon and said the quick transition from an office job to working at home was an adjustment. But she has been able to keep her clients, too.

Now, Snyder meets clients in her home, their home, or a public place like a coffee shop, and helps them plan their vacations.

Snyder said her job involves various duties: planning, researching, dealing with last-minute disasters, fitting the right vacation for the client, deciphering the fine print, among others.

“It’s not just sit down, sell it, and be done. It’s a process,” she said. “There’s so much to it that people don’t realize,”

Since there are few other travel agencies in the area, Snyder says her biggest competition is probably the Internet. However, business is still steady.

“People view vacations as something they have been working hard for,” Snyder said. “Everybody needs to get away and escape.”

Snyder graduated from AIB College of Business in Des Moines. She worked as a customer service agent for America West Express and U.S. Airways Express at the Des Moines Airport before starting at the Ottumwa AAA office.

“We’re not a dying breed. There’s a need for us,” Snyder said. “People are so busy these days. They don’t have time to search and search.”

She has done both corporate and leisure travel, and has traveled herself to Greece, Mexico, Alaska and the Caribbean. Snyder said people would be surprised with how many people use a travel agent.

“Once they try a travel agent they really like it and come back,” she said.

Pat Shaver can be reached at (641) 683-5360 or via e-mail at p.shaver@ottumwacourier.com.