Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

This blog is a small preview of what will happen in 2021, and no, I don’t have a crystal ball to see the future. I am basing my opinion on my experience, common sense, and a lot of what we all experienced in 2020.

Let’s start:

• For all of those who did not use 2020 to promote yourself as a Travel Expert, now is time to use all your tools, and no excuses. Make yourself and travel talking points EVERYWHERE you go. Nickname yourself as Travel, Trip, Caribbean, Europe, Safari Expert – or an expert in whatever you specialize in.  Everyone who can afford to, and also those who can’t, will be wanting to book tours with REAL TRAVEL AGENTS/ADVISORS and you cannot miss this party!
  
• Learn as much as you can about Travel Insurance (the good and more inclusive policies) because of 3 major possible issues:
  
  1. People giving a down payment on a trip and realizing they cannot afford to go and wanting their money back.
  2. Countries that decide to welcome ONLY people who’ve had a COVID vaccine, and certain people may be against the vaccination and have already partially or fully paid for a trip.
  3. In case someone gets COVID and needs treatment in a foreign country, learn what the travel insurance covers.
  Get all the information from the best Travel Insurance policy money can buy and explain to your clients that is better to laugh at the end of the trip than to cry before, during or after!
  
• Spend New Year’s Day reviewing your company’s Terms and Conditions (if you haven’t done that yet). After Covid, many things should be reviewed. If your Terms and Conditions do not include the word “Covid” in relation to a major unseen catastrophe in certain paragraphs, it is for sure in need of update.
  
• Another piece of advice I give to those who want to have a great 2021 but feel like they need a guiding hand, find a mentor who can give you some guidance for a successful year.

God bless you and cheers!

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Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

As you know, through all of 2020 I dreamed of being on a cruise. The three cruises we had booked were all cancelled.

The Biden administration, which will begin on January 20, 2021, has set a goal of providing 100 million vaccines to Americans within the first 100 days of its presidency.

Travel agents and travelers alike wonder if the cruise industry is going to make vaccination mandatory to sail. There has been no official word about this, and a few weeks ago, one cruise line executive said that he did not foresee vaccination becoming a requirement to sail.

However, the vaccine has now been approved, and distribution will likely begin as soon as this week.  Every industry that relies on international travel is now having the same discussion and making the decision whether or not to require vaccination as a condition of travel.

Qantas Airline has decided to make vaccination mandatory to fly once the vaccines become widely available. As a country, Australia is also considering making it mandatory to have the vaccine to enter.

Several travel organizations and companies are considering the creation of a “vaccine passport.”  Vaccination is sure to be a big discussion, and what happens in the cruise industry will be a very interesting debate.  The result will more than likely depend on what happens in other countries and businesses in the travel industry.

If vaccination is required by destinations and airlines for travel, more people are likely to get vaccinated. At that point, the cruise industry may be better able to require it. It is surely going to be quite a topic of interest and discussion in the very near future!

What is your opinion?

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Blogs @ http://www.travelwithrosana.com

Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

There is a lot to be said about transparency. And no, I am not going to talk about politics. I will be talking about travel and the business of a travel agent/advisor.

Let’s start by talking specifically about this year, 2020.

In my opinion, the fact that you might post on social media or somehow share with your clients that you are feeling vulnerable about COVID, feeling sad about so many deaths, or that you are not comfortable traveling right now  doesn’t make you a bad professional, it makes you a real person. It makes you transparent. It doesn’t mean that you cannot put together the best trip for someone who is ready to travel now (when you personally, for your own reasons, are not).

Honestly, I felt the same way when I was putting together a trip to a country I had no interest in going to, or beach vacations when I don’t enjoy bathing in the sun.

What makes you a great travel agent/advisor is your capability in putting together a safe trip for a person, within their budget, and fulfilling their priorities, not your own.

You don’t owe anyone an explanation of your reasons not to travel during COVID. You don’t have to justify why you might feel anxious, depressed or sad during this time. It doesn’t make you less professional, or a bad travel agent.

It makes you human. It makes you honest and transparent. It does not take away any knowledge you have as a good professional. By being yourself and being transparent, it shows how cautiously you work and how much you care!

To a great 2021 full of new bookings and more transparency.

Cheers!

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

Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

It is December! How many of you have not traveled since the pandemic began? I missed my cruises, the excitement of being on the ship, the excursions, the shows, the elegant dinners, walking around and meeting new and fun people, the pool, the gym, going dancing, taking some interesting “classes,” waking up in a new port, shopping, breakfast in the room, (I avoided the buffet, so I wouldn’t overeat 😜). I even miss the casino, the massages and mani-pedis, why not?

I can see myself getting onboard again and enjoying every bit of the cruise once we get the vaccine. I have so many more countries on my bucket list to explore. Thirty-four at least to be exact! My goal is to get to 120 – so you do the math of how many countries I have already been to. I couldn’t add any on my list this year from the 3 cruises we missed. Right now, exactly now, we were supposed to be taking one starting in Singapore and ending in Dubai.

Hopefully next year!

Travel will come back even better and stronger than before. People need to get away so badly. I hope all Travel Agents/Advisors are ready to take care of all those bookings. Smart travelers will not make the arrangements themselves. They need a good and experienced advisor to hold their hand. There will also be so many first-time travelers going places, especially to Mexico and The Caribbean. Watch my prediction!

This is the reaction of a human being, to celebrate life after a pandemic, after a difficult year. The world is a big party and we all need to celebrate by embracing new cultures, old cultures, speaking HELLO in other languages, and feeling alive again!

Cheers!

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