Everyone should be able to afford a vacation.
That idea spurred Albert Boscov and Edwin Lakin — along with Eunice Boscov and Alma Lakin — to open the store’s first travel branch at Boscov’s East department store in Exeter Township, in 1974.
“In the early stages of Boscov’s Travel, the founders of the company wanted to create a different mindset towards leisure travel,” said Pat Cinfici, president of Boscov’s Travel. “They made affordable travel opportunities available for everyone.”
Now, five decades later, the company is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Cinfici attributes Boscov’s Travel’s success to the same principles of community service and honest pricing that have kept its parent company thriving through the decades.
Staying true to those values gives Boscov’s Travel an edge, even in the age of online booking, according to Cinfici.
“Our business is about relationships; we have gone through life with our clients from the pandemic to 9/11, we’ve been here with them,” Cinfici said. “To us a customer isn’t just a customer, they are family.”
Cinfici has been with Boscov’s Travel since the start, initially serving as a leisure agent before taking on various roles and eventually becoming president in 2006.
The business has grown from a small operation into a full-service travel management company, with 17 branches across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Ohio, company officials said in a press release.
The company offers a suite of travel management services, covering everything from vacations, cruises, honeymoons, and destination weddings to business and group trips.
Cinfici noted that the company is continuing to develop, having recently secured new accounts in various states where Boscov’s Travel is new to the market.
While operations have expanded, Boscov’s Travel still holds true to its founding ethics, according to Cinfici.
“Whether a client wants to experience a VIP-vacation, or they’re planning their first trip to Walt Disney World, the business model remains the same,” said Cinfici.
One way the business lives those values is offering complementary planning services along with its complete vacation packages, Cinfici said.
“Clients are entrusting us with thousands of dollars to help build them a dream and we take that very seriously from the start of planning to the moment they get home from their vacations,” Cinfici said.
Another customer-focused service is an emergency line, open 24/7, 365 days a year, for clients who need assistance with unforeseen circumstances that arise while traveling.
To honor the customers that made its 50th anniversary possible, Boscov’s Travel has planned a few special promotions, according to Cinfici.
“Starting on our anniversary date of April 24, 2024 through May 4, 2024, we will be running a dollars off promotion on clients’ next cruise or tour vacations,” Cinfici said. “We are also celebrating our anniversary with President’s Choice hand-chosen 2024 journeys for our clients to book, trip giveaways, and exclusive travel partner promotions.”
The anniversary celebration is slated to run all year, so customers should keep an eye out for new promotions, according to Cinfici.
Jim Boscov, Boscov’s president and great-nephew of department store founder Solomon Boscov, said he was excited to celebrate Boscov’s Travel’s 50th anniversary.
“They reflect the values of the company and the family by providing superior value and customer service in a very specialized field,” Jim Boscov said. “Their attention to detail is especially important with the urgency of business travel and precious nature of time off for the leisure traveler.”
“I’m extremely proud of our knowledgeable and experienced staff who are devoted to making every trip a success.”
