Dear Travel Agents/ Advisors,

Welcome to Colombia, not Columbia!

Colombia has been on my bucket list since before the pandemic and finally, in October 2022, I realized my dream of visiting this country by being a leader on a FAM Trip. We spent 8 days visiting Bogota, Medellín and Cartagena. Along with me and my husband (the only man on the trip) were 9 awesome travel agents. 

I personally love to visit a country on a FAM Trip, I enjoy the fast pace and crave the energy of the group. Actually, I could live on FAM trips, but I know that not all trips are created equally, LOL!

I did not care for Bogota, there was not much to see or do there. Honestly, I don’t think that Colombia’s capital is a “must-visit” destination. I recommend flying into Medellín and starting from there. Another fact about Bogota is that the city is at a high altitude, some people can feel it and get sick. 

Medellin is the highlight of Colombia, in my opinion. From lemons, they have made delicious margaritas!  I highly recommend watching or reading about Pablo Escobar BEFORE going to Colombia. From that, you will have a better understanding of how one person was almost able to destroy a city, a country, so many lives, and was such a negative influence. 

Now it is a beautiful city, celebrated with the beautiful sculptures of famous Fernando Botero and enriched by the Comuna 13 neighborhood, with its series of urban escalators. Medellín’s policy of social urbanism is aimed at integrating previously alienated citizens into the city and investing heavily in progressive architecture and education. 

From Medellín we went to Cartagena. What a beautiful port city on the Caribbean Sea. The beaches and the history made the visit a must, especially the Palenque de San Basílio, a village almost 2 hours away. Here you’ll learn the real story of around 3,500 people descended from West-African slaves who escaped Cartagena and the surrounding areas in the 17th Century. The people in Palenque originated from the Congo and were brought to Colombia during the colonization of the Americas by the Spanish. Many fled Cartagena and other cities due to the harsh conditions and the poor treatment they were subjected to.

Colombia is rich in food, delicious coffee, chocolate, beaches and incredible history. I highly recommend adding Colombia to your bucket list. 

Cheers!

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

 

Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

We have talked before about how NOT to send proposals or deal with a client or prospective one over email or text, but to do so over the phone and in person if possible. This is because we don’t want a “Prize,” but instead a client who will stay with you and recommend you to others. For those who are LUCKY enough to send a proposal and “get” a sale, know that you got a one-time deal, and next time it could be another lucky TA!

Now that I have made my point about the difference between a one-timer and a client, let’s talk about complaints and endless questions from clients over emails and texts. This is one of the cases I call “embrace or hug a porcupine.”

Example: Client is on her/his vacation and sends text messages about the poor service she is getting at the restaurant in the all-inclusive resort where they are staying. Well, you don’t really know if the service is poor, or if she is having a bad day, or is upset because of personal reasons. So, don’t engage over text messages or emails. You can ignore them the first day, or reply with, “I am sorry to hear that.”

If this continues, ask your client to contact you by WhatsApp at a time that is convenient for you so you can give them all the attention they need

Once she/he calls, ask about the weather, about her husband or family or friend (whoever is traveling with her), ask about the pool, the ocean. I mean, take the driver’s seat and “drive” around the all-inclusive – everywhere BUT the restaurant (the problem). Let her tell you about everything she is enjoying. Or you might hear that she is a complainer and sees the glass so empty that it is almost broken. Write down everything she says and repeat it back to her.  Then, and ONLY then ask her about of the restaurant. One of two things will happen: She will see for herself that everything else is wonderful and she herself will find an excuse for the poor service, OR she will realize that she complains about everything, and that this is an awful all-inclusive (it is your fault, of course, so you will deal of her when she comes back!) but in any case – she feels heard. This is one example of how to EMBRACE OR HUG A PORCUPINE!

Can you give me an example of when you’ve hugged a porcupine?

Cheers!

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

Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

As I was planning my FAM trip to Colombia, I added Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena to the weather app already installed in my iPhone.  As the trip dates began to approach, so did my anxiety: thunderstorms were predicted practically all day long in all the 3 cities. I can deal with little rain during the day, but all-day thunderstorms were really making me think about changing my mind about going on this trip.

My husband decided to call his friend/client in Medellin while I was worrying about the prediction of another dark, thunderstorm-awful day on my phone. His friend told my husband that he was enjoying a beautiful sunny day and that there was rain during the night but nothing too bad!!!

During the whole trip we enjoyed great weather, and we talked about almost canceling because of seeing thunderstorms on the Weather App. Well, this is not the first time this has happened! While we were in Italy in August, we had the same experience. While we watched showers in one town on our phone app, our friends there told us the sun was out!

If your clients are watching the weather on their cellular phone and getting ready to cancel their trip, let them know about my blog. This seems to happen all the time. It might be that whoever is in charge of the weather app on the phone hates to travel and tries to convince people to be miserable before they travel or keep them from going someplace. It only seems to please people who like to travel in the rain! Not nice.

Now we all know!

Cheers!

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

 

Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

Travel is a true gift that we give to ourselves. The price depends on how much we can afford, but also how much we believe we deserve it.

Why? Some people are more generous to themselves and pay in installments towards a more expensive trip, while others don’t believe in spending more than they can afford at the time of booking. In both cases, the traveler gives themselves the pleasure of traveling. They celebrate life and are living without regrets.

I just came back from a trip to my 87th country, and tomorrow I will be celebrating my big 6-0, or as I say: my 39th with 21 years of experience!

I am writing this blog with tears streaming down my face. As much as I enjoy life, I am the first one in my family who will surpass the age of 59. My mom died at 52 from colon cancer, her mom (my maternal grandmother) died at 54 with same cancer. Honestly, I don’t know about my mother’s grandmother who was lost in Poland before WWII.

My goal is to continue enjoying life, to get to 120 countries at least once (some countries like Italy I have been 13 times, but I count only once, Israel 9 times, India and Peru twice, Spain 4 times and France 5). I am so happy to be breaking this curse of dying young by getting to “plenty-nine.” I have had colonoscopies since I turned 35, and even a virtual colonoscopy. Mentoring Travel Agents/ Advisors is something I love to do, especially knowing that some of them are doing awesomely in their businesses. I plan to keep doing so for many years to come!

Cheers to life!

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

 

Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a first client consultation and find that all parties are on the same page about pricing and expectations? But we all know that chances are, this will not happen, and that the first consultation will turn into two, three, and perhaps many more. Sometimes it will even come to a point that an email, message, or even his/her phone number on your caller ID triggers a bad taste in your mouth. So – how do we deal with this?

My best advice is to be honest and candid with your prospective clients, starting with the first communication.  In my opinion, it is best to NOT start any conversations through email or message. This can provide an opening to misunderstandings. Just tell your prospective clients: LET’S TALK!

If you speak over the phone, you and the other party will have better communication. If you get the feeling that the other party believes you can perform miracles, explain to them your knowledge and expertise. Most importantly, tell them that your commission is small and already included in the price of the cruise or package, and that you will receive it ONLY and IF the client takes the vacation, and it will be paid to you AFTER they are back. That means that until then, you are working for FREE.

It is important to explain this. Many prospective clients have a misconception that TAs have access to huge discounts on trips, plus that they make a lot of money with every payment on a client’s trip. It doesn’t matter how clearly you express this in writing, or how many times you share this blog with them, you have no control over their interpretation. You do have more control during a conversation over the phone with no distractions or interruptions. Even if they can’t afford the vacation, they will remember how kind and honest you were, and how you took the time to explain this to them.

If you want to, tell them that some TAs charge a service fee for this reason. You can either state your fee, or tell them that you don’t believe in fees, or don’t want to charge them. Whatever you feel is better for you and your business.

Building bridges and getting people on your side is the best way to make a business grow!

Cheers!

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