Today’s travel is so different than yesterday’s. And being a travel dinosaur myself, I wondered how different it was. So, I got out my old rotary phone and called up my dinosaur friends, cracked a beer, and discussed how to succeed in today’s travel world. And this is what we found!
We must never confuse communication with a relationship
- Listen to Your Clients: As a travel agent, listening to your clients and understanding their needs and desires is important. Ask questions, take notes, and make sure you have all the details before booking anything for them. This will help ensure that you book the right trip for them and that they are satisfied with your services.
- Research Your Destinations: Before booking any trips for your clients, thoroughly research the destinations. Make sure you know what activities are available in the area, as well as any potential safety concerns or health risks that may be present. This will help ensure that your clients have a safe and enjoyable trip.
- Utilize Technology: Technology can be a great asset for being an effective travel agent. Use websites such as TripAdvisor or Expedia to check prices (your clients are), look up reviews of hotels and attractions, and learn about local events or festivals that may occur during your client’s stay.
- Stay Up to Date on Regulations: Travel regulations change often, so it is important to stay up-to-date on the latest rules and regulations related to passport requirements, customs regulations, visa restrictions, etc., for each destination you book trips for your clients.
- Negotiate Deals: As a travel agent, one of your main tasks is negotiating deals with hotels, airlines, tour operators, etc., to get the best price for your clients’ trips. Be sure to research different companies and compare their prices before booking anything to get the best deal possible for your clients. Remember, you work for the client, not the supplier!
- Build Relationships: Building relationships with hotels, airlines, tour operators etc., can be beneficial when it comes time to negotiate deals or resolve any issues that may arise during a client’s trip. Developing strong relationships with vendors can also help you access exclusive deals or discounts, saving money for both you and your clients in the long run.
- Keep Track of Documents: It is important to keep track of all documents related to each trip you book for your clients, including passports/visas/travel insurance policies/tickets/itineraries/etc. Having all this information in one place will make it easier if there are any issues while traveling or upon returning home from their trip.
- Offer Added Value Services: Offering added value services such as airport transfers or car rentals can help set you apart from other agents and increase customer satisfaction with your services overall since they don’t have to worry about arranging these things themselves once they arrive at their destination. Bonus: increased earnings from add-on commissions.
- Stay Organized: Staying organized is key when it comes to being an effective travel agent since many details are involved in booking trips for multiple people at once. Make sure all paperwork is filed away properly, emails are responded to promptly, and appointments are kept. This will help ensure everything runs smoothly when dealing with customers.
- Be Creative: In today’s competitive market, it pays to think outside the box when coming up with ideas for attracting new customers or retaining existing ones. Being creative could mean offering special packages tailored to specific travelers or creating unique marketing campaigns to catch people’s attention.
Confession—no rotary phone was present, and we did it all over Zoom! But you know what? With a few exceptions, it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same. One constant in the list we came up with was relationships. Relationships with customers, prospects, employees and contractors, and suppliers. Many of the new generation rely on computers to handle communications, which is fine. But we must never confuse communication with a relationship. Just some food for thought from a group of five old travel dinosaurs!
