“We’ve been a lot of places,” says Nancy Alligood, general manager and co-owner of Warwick Travel Service. “’We’ve all traveled. Gerry has probably traveled the most. She and I have traveled around the world.”
“A couple of times,” adds Gerry Siekirski, fellow co-owner and group specialist.
For 49 years, Warwick Travel Service has offered opportunities for Peninsula residents eager to explore the world. The Williamsburg office was consolidated, allowing all agents to work in the same place. And the business moved into its new space, an office on Jefferson Avenue.
“We were on Warwick Boulevard for more than 30 years,” Alligood says, “and this move is like a new chapter and a new beginning for Warwick Travel.”
Alligood has worked with Warwick Travel Service for 33 years and Siekirski for 35 years. Other dedicated staff members have worked there for multiple decades, as well.
“We are a full-service agency,” Alligood says. “We do airline tickets, cruises, tours and FIT [Free Independent Travel].” FIT involves individualized travel plans and experiences. Warwick Travel offers its clients options for ocean and river cruises, plus specialty expedition cruises. One agent even specializes in cruise ship and destination weddings. Corporate travel is also an aspect of the company’s services, as well as providing clients with travel insurance.
“There is no charge for a travel agent,” Siekirski says. “We work hand- in-hand with the cruise lines and tour companies, and they are the ones who benefit us.”
The rapport the agents build with their clients speaks for itself, as clients trust their agents’ expertise. Alligood and Siekirski agree that Europe and the Caribbean tend to be the most popular client destinations.
“A big change I see [since] we first started is riverboats,” says Siekirski. “There were only a handful of cruise ships and now there are hundreds of both. There are more people traveling than ever, especially families.”
Emily Barker, travel advisor, marketing manager and business development agent, agrees. “People are doing bigger and better vacations. People are looking for something nicer.” Barker says many employees have been named Million Dollar Sales agents for multiple years, including Siekirski and Linda Waynick.
Dee King, Warwick Travel’s assistant manager, has been with the company since 2009. “We each book all over the world. Some of us specialize in different areas. I like selling Europe, the United States, the Mediterranean,” she says. Proud to be from Turkey, she shares: “Because I have a long history from my culture, naturally I am interested in countries with similar history and traditions.”
Some of the co-owners’ most surprising experiences include missing flights, experiencing cancellations and constantly solving problems.
Alligood thinks back to her most memorable travel experiences: “African safaris were one of my favorites.” She also highlights her past trips to Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and eastern and South Africa.
Recalling her 2018 trip to Myanmar, Alligood says, “A group of Warwick Travelers experienced the country and its people on a river cruise along the Irrawaddy River. The people were warm, friendly, considerate, always smiling. Buddhism is practiced by more than 90 percent of Myanmar’s population. The Buddhist life of peace, loving kindness and wisdom is just as relevant today as in ancient times.”
Siekirski’s safari in Tanzania included six people “in a Jeep on a dirt path in the bush. All of a sudden, there was a roar, and [we] felt the earth shaking as a herd of elephants appeared in front of us.” The group saw “a huge, tusked bull ambling toward us,” whose leg “hit the side of the Jeep.” A baby elephant at the end trying to keep up, started swinging her trunk, as if to say, ‘Welcome!’”
Siekirski recalls, “I led a group of 20-plus to China after 9/11. We were the first flight to leave the States to go to China,” Her favorite memories include visiting Egypt and the Nile River and Turkey. She visited Antarctica in 2023.
While neither Alligood nor Siekierski has encountered any famous people across the globe, “so many interesting people [have shared] their culture with us,” Siekierski says. There was the trip to Cyprus by private coach. “I had read about their silversmiths’ skills and lace making art. When we arrived, to our surprise, there was a local band and the mayor to greet us. It was a delightful time in their cobblestone village.”
When Alligood isn’t traveling or working, she’s a big football fan, both college and professional. “Living in Houston in the early 1970s, I was a Houston Oilers fan, plus an Astros baseball fan. Then, moving to New Orleans in the late ’70s, I became a Saints fan.”
Siekierski enjoys “Playing party or duplicate bridge and golfing and gardening in good weather.”
Warwick Travel agents build upon their experiences and lessons learned from around the world. “I can almost relive each adventure through my many columns in Oyster Pointer,” Alligood says with a smile.
TO THE POINT:
Warwick Travel Service
Address: 11717 Jefferson Ave., Ste. B, Newport News, VA 23606
Contact: Nancy B. Alligood, n_alligood@warwicktravel.com
Phone: 757-599-3011
Email: warwicktravel@warwicktravel.com
Website: warwicktravel.com
