Dear Friends and Travel Agents,

Now, it is my turn to ask each and every one of you how you feel when you help someone. How much satisfaction does it bring you, especially when people recognize and appreciate it?

I’d like to share my feelings about this with you. To those who know me and to those who don’t even have a clue; I love to help anyone, anytime. No, I am not a people pleaser, and I have a strong self-esteem thanks to years of therapy, but a smile of appreciation, the words “thank you,” and the action of sharing my blogs and posts are the biggest rewards I get.

I honestly do not believe that good people go to heaven or bad people go to hell, but I do believe in karma and I think that this life is a mixture of heaven and hell, depending on the way we choose to look at it.

Why am I writing all of this and including friends, and not only travel agents? I think that every time we share a little bit of ourselves, we expose who we really are. We take a step forward by speaking up and showing our true selves and explaining what our needs are. The people who really care about us will understand, and the ones who don’t will continue to act in their own way, but it takes courage and maturity to say how we feel and what we need. We shouldn’t change who we are because certain people can’t show appreciation of good deeds.

Be who you are, continue helping others and have the courage to speak up to avoid getting hurt.  Hopefully, some people will become more careful and more caring.

With love and gratitude!

Follow me at:
Facebook @travelwithrosana
Instagram @travelwithrosana
Blogs @ http://www.travelwithrosana.com

Dear Travel Agents,

Continuing our discussion about Tour Operators and DMCs (Destination Management Companies), I want to explore the concept of dealing with those types of companies that operate in other countries. Many times, travel agents think that they can save money by buying directly through these foreign operators and then adding their profit onto the package. They then sell the package directly to the traveling client and collect the payment.

Let me explain the risks of this procedure:

• The client will be paying the travel agent under contract and law of the US, or Canada, (depending on the agent’s location). If anything goes wrong, they can sue YOU, the travel agent.
• You, the travel agent, buy the tour package from a foreign company that observes the laws of a foreign country. Even the biggest company can go bankrupt, especially in a country where you don’t know anything about the economy.
• If any problems or price changes on a tour package occur, the only recourse for the agent would be going after the foreign company. Hiring a foreign attorney and having to battle a fight in court in another country, based on their laws and rules, would be a nightmare.

Remember that “reputation” is a travel agent’s middle name. To build a solid business takes time, but to destroy it can take only seconds.

My recommendation is to deal only with solid tour operators in the US or Canada that represent DMCs and have a one-million-dollar errors and omissions insurance policy in place. Let your client sign a contract with those tour operators, and pay them directly while you, the travel agent, get your commission from them separately.

Work with tour operators who work only with travel agents, or those that respect the relationship between client/travel agent, like many cruise lines do.

Travel agents build their businesses with knowledge, spending quality time with their clients, and most importantly, by caring for each and every person they deal with.

Believe in yourself and protect your business!

Follow me at: Instagram @travelwithrosana
Facebook @travelwithrosana
Blogs @www.travelwithrosana.com

Dear Travel Agents,

We’ve talked so much about how to get new clients, keeping your regular clients happy, and promoting your business on social media. Now, I want to make sure that we discuss another important issue: credibility.

A Travel Agent’s credibility depends on finding the right tour companies to work with. Getting your commission on time is very important, but other factors are very important as well:

•  Having a tour operator that is available to take the time to explain the destination to you.
•  Getting back to your with quotes and answering your questions as soon as possible; so clients don’t wait too long.
•  It’s preferable to work with Tour Operators that work with Travel Agents only and don’t sell to the public, avoiding competition and the possibility that they will try to sell directly to YOUR clients.
•  If possible, having a sales person assigned to you so that you can build a rapport.
•  Making sure that pricing, rules and conditions will not change after you purchase the tour package for yourself or for your client.

All of above are very important factors in building a reputable business as a Travel Agent, especially the last one. Some Tour Operators change prices, rules or conditions once the tour package has been purchased. They will say that you didn’t read the fine print, or that you forgot what they told you over the phone regarding taxes and tips, or about necessary permits and domestic flights, and so on. Then, you’re into a situation where you need to go back to the client and change the price, rules or conditions, OR EAT IT, and keep your word. Tough!

Do your homework BEFORE you learn the hard way! Ask the travel experts, or ask others who have been in the business longer. Join travel groups, and most importantly, pay attention to your gut feeling. Your reputation is priceless and paying for mistakes can become overwhelming.

Feel free to ask me about Tour Operators and DMCs, and follow me at:
Facebook @travelwithrosana
Instagram @travelwithrosana
Blogs @www.travelwithrosana.com

Dear Travel Agents,

Don’t be surprised, but I get many requests for mentoring and guiding. Travel Agents care for my opinions and appreciate my guidance. I feel very flattered by that.

One of the questions I ask agents is who are you? What perception do you want people to have about you? If people have a hard time answering this question, I suggest that they always be who they really are – no one can do a better job than they can at being themselves.

Some ask who I am. I truly appreciate this question and with only a few words I can describe myself. I am a cheerleader, a lover of travel, and I love life and to see people succeeding. I don’t have time for hate; that is a foreign feeling that I have never experienced. My life is too beautiful and too full creating my own happiness. I have no time or space within myself to drink the poison and expect another to die.

Surround yourself with good thoughts, good vibes, work on your dreams, be with positive people and continue riding your unicorn. Travel the world, watch sunrises and sunsets, sing your favorite songs out loud, and dream in full color.

You truly deserve it!

I am your cheerleader and others who live their lives like us will all do the same things: support each other and create more unicorns so we all can dream in full color.

Follow your dreams and make them real, be the best self you can be.

Follow me. After all, I am your cheerleader at:
Facebook @travelwithrosana
Instagram @travelwithrosana
Blogs @www.travelwithrosana.com