As tourists pour into the nation’s capital, Travelers Aid International helps them at kiosks at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport and Union Station with a rotating team of 400 volunteers. Last year, it assisted about 1.1 million travelers locally. Flynt has served as the president and chief executive officer for 12 years.
What is the most common question you all get?
Wow, they’re all over the map. People just arriving in the area for the first time, they want to know how to get to some of the major attractions in the city, local transportation questions, how to get from — if they are transferring planes — how to get from one airline to another.
Tourism season is in high gear now here in D.C. Is this the busiest time for you all?
Summer is pretty busy, but you know … except for maybe the winter months, we’re pretty busy all year long.
What, if any, impact has the current downturn had on the travelers you help?
The core mission is to really help to get stranded people back home. And one of the things we see in this very tough economy is that a lot people come to the D.C. area in search of a job. Sometimes they come from other areas and that $9.50 an hour job sounds pretty good compared to the $6.50 job back home. But sometimes they don’t realize the cost of living differential that you have in a big city like D.C. And sometimes people come here on the promise of a job and then the job doesn’t materialize. They are without funds and we need to help them get back home. The other thing that happens in a tough economy, is there is stress within families. One of the things that we do is to assist victims of domestic abuse, to escape abuse and to get back to a safe environment.
Who tends to volunteer for this work?
Most of them, I would say, tend to be senior citizens who have led very busy lives who are travelers themselves … who know the ropes and want to turn around and donate four to eight hours a week to assist other travelers.
Have you ever needed help as a traveler?
I need help always.
