Dear Travel Agents,

We get asked this question over and over again: When is the best time to travel to …….?
My best answer is: It depends!

There are basically at least 2 seasons in each destination: high and low. High season is the most popular time to go. It could be related to the weather, to events, or to a natural event like migration of animals, or the northern lights, etc.  Low season is the least popular time of the year to go, and for the opposite of the above reasons

Some destinations have shoulder seasons, which occur between low and high seasons.

Prices for everything are higher during high season, and lower during low season.

A great trip depends on many factors, so let’s look at them, and not in any particular order:

•  Price or budget: Traveling to the destination during low season will make it more affordable. Low season brings many advantages: service from the hotels, restaurants, tour guides and taxis is better, and lines at museums and places to visit are very short. There is also a greater chance of being upgraded at hotels.
• Inflexible schedule: Many times clients need to travel during a specific time of the year because of work or school schedules. That will be the best time for them to travel.
• Combining an event or obligation with a tour of the destination, such as when a client already has a convention or a wedding in the destination and wants to use some extra days to combine with a tour package.
• Win of a raffle (sometimes from a fundraising event, or even a gift). Clients may already have a couple of hotel nights, or even airfare to a destination.

It is important to find out the low and high seasons for each destination so you can best inform your client, but make it clear that whenever the client wants to visit, it will always be the best time for them to travel – and tell them why!

For more information please contact me at AskRosana@aol.com

Why do we sell travel? Once we cross off the top reasons, such as the fact that we LOVE travel, and we WANT to make people’s dreams come true – we get to the bottom line. We sell travel because it is our business, and we are in business to make money.
Selling airfare is an aspect of travel that can be quite profitable, but many agents think they can no longer make money selling airfare to their clients. They are wrong! If an agent builds a relationship with an Air Consolidator, not only will they be able to sell a complete travel package to every client – they will also make more money for themselves!
Almost every trip has an airfare component. If your clients are traveling internationally to take a tour, they need to get there. If they are taking a cruise, they need to be at the port to embark. Even when visiting family across the country, they will want to fly.
You may not always be able to save your clients a huge amount of money when booking air as compared to booking online – but you will be offering them all the support that a consolidator can offer. In the event that they need assistance with a flight change, or re-routing, a consolidator can help. Try to get that type of assistance from an online booking service! You just can’t.
I have found a great resource that can teach agents about working with air consolidators, and offers information about many companies who sell airfare ONLY to travel agents. I suggest you visit (www.FindAConsolidator.com) and learn a little more about making money selling airfare!

Starting a business seems like an overwhelming job. As excited and encouraged as we are to start our new business, especially in the travel industry where dreaming about places and talking about them seems so much fun, it is logical that we approach our friends and family for support and comfort. We know THEY will be there for us, they will book their trips with us, they will trust us, and they will be the most fun clients to work with.

Well… maybe some of us are really, really lucky and can find that kind of support, but honestly, most of the time, family and friends may not be planning to travel, or they feel they can find better deals on the internet, or in worst case scenarios, they are the nightmare clients we read about in postings and magazines.  These situations are most often the case.

So, the biggest question is: WHERE CAN I FIND MY CLIENTS?

Welcome to the real world!

First, let me introduce social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and some other ones that I am not so familiar with, but hopefully, most of you can navigate them well.

Second, try your community: Church, gym, clubs and all the places you belong (or they think you belong) so you can freely post your flyers or business cards.

Third, the old famous yet still reliable: local newspaper (yes, they will charge for it!)

Now that you have some different vehicles for gaining clients, you should decide if you want to specialize in certain areas. I highly recommend that you do so. This means that you will be able to call yourself an EXPERT at something. This does NOT mean that you cannot book other vacations. But travelers like to talk to experts, they like to recommend experts, and becoming an expert is a great investment in yourself. For example, compare the service of a travel agent to a hairdresser. Someone who is a colorist specializes in color. It doesn’t mean s/he can not cut, blow dry, wash, perm, etc., it means that s/he is BEST at coloring hair and in few years, everyone will recommend them for color, and they will become well-known as a colorist. The same applies for travel agents. Become a specialist in Adventure Tours, Honeymoons, Family Vacations, or Cruises, etc.

Be sure to wisely use all your different vehicles and TELL your family and friends, but don’t ask them for business.

Make your new clients your friends and they will be glad to recommend you to their friends and family 🙂

Questions? askrosana@aol.com

As a tour operator I dealt with many travel agents who called our office quite frequently for different quotes. When I followed up with the travel agent, they were honest when they told me that the client had changed their mind, or bought with someone else, or that they had never heard back from the client. I could hear the frustration in their voices. Believe me, I was frustrated too. Who likes to work for nothing?

There were a few agents who were not as upset, even if they had lost the client, because they had charged a fee for consultation. But the real target of this business is not to make money on consulting fees, but to make commission, deliver a great trip, have a satisfied client who will recommend you to other potential clients.

So, what went wrong? It is easy to blame the client.

I like to think that sometimes we win and sometimes we learn (not lose). So let’s learn from those situations:

Personally, I believe that when talking to a client I need to be completely present with them on the phone or in person. I need to give them 100% of my attention. I can’t be distracted by driving, shopping, taking care of kids, or even feeding my pet. My client needs and deserves all of my attention.

I need to hear his/her voice to understand what kind of client they are. By hearing their voice, it’s easy to tell if this is the first call they are making to ask about the vacation, or if this is call number 8, but they are motionless in their decision making.

If they sound inexperienced, you need to guide them with your questions and do a reality check for all impossible requests. How many people? When and where? What is the budget? And finally, when will they be ready to book?

If the client comes to you for a proposal of 6 people to Italy and France, one week in July, for a budget including airfare of $1,000 each, the client needs a reality check, because that is too much for too little, at that time of the year, in that destination. A nice conversation will give you and the client more of an idea whether this is a serious commitment, or just someone with great intentions and dreams. Don’t promise to try to find a package for this amount of money, because you will be wasting each other’s time. But, also do not think that this is a client with no potential. Many times, these are “virgin” clients who just need to learn a little more about the place they are going, and adjust the time of year, budget, or even destination. Do that successfully, and you’ll have their business for life.

Also, don’t underestimate a motionless client. Many times you’ll have a client who has called many travel agents before you, and they seem to be tired of the same kinds of promises and answers. They may just need a little laugh, or a little of a “travel agent being original” and voila, you’ve got that client as well.

It’s very important to control the client by making sure you give them clear deadline dates for decisions and payments. Politeness and kindness go together when you are making efforts to control of the situation. You’ll close the deal every time if you listen carefully to your prospective clients.

More will be written on this subject. Feel free to write and ask questions to askrosana@aol.com

 I have noticed that every time I post a one line tip or inspirational message, I get a lot of likes on Facebook. But, when I post a longer piece of text, only a few travel agents read the whole post. I wish I could teach all that I know in a “fortune cookie” sized message, but I can’t.
Facebook has it own way of working, and I don’t even try to understand it anymore. I have close to 5,000 “friends” (the maximum number a person can have), and I wish more of them would read my words of guidance, and comment on anything they like, or that they don’t agree with, or if they think my advice is not relevant to their business of travel.
I try to post all 5 days during the work week. With more engagement, I can reach more people. I am hoping that more of my “friends” will look for my name, see one of my posts, and take a moment to “Like” it or to make a comment. That small effort would make a big difference in the number of people I can reach. I am sincere in offering my guidance and teaching what I know, all so I can give back to travel agents.
I really want to pay it forward and give back.
Can you help me to make this possible? Let’s make a deal!  Will you read, comment and “Like” my posts?
In exchange, I will write as many inspirational quotes and thoughts so you can share or copy and paste.
I will try to reach as many travel agents as I can.
It’s difficult to put all my knowledge into “fortune cookie” sized messages, but I promise to continue to try!
Thank you!
Rosana

Let’s talk about suitcases. Actually, I have a confession. I prefer to use my little collection of colorful carry-ons because I like them so much. They weren’t expensive, and every time I go to Ross, Marshall’s, Target or other stores like that, I buy one. Love them!

There are many different reasons to travel with carry-on and I will list as many as I know, and will add my personal experiences as well. I have been to 71 countries and have been traveling non-stop for over 29 years (since I came to the US). I can tell many personal stories – and I HATE black suitcases. When you are traveling and go to the carousel to get your suitcase, it feels like everyone in the whole world has a black suitcase. Many years ago, someone took my black suitcase and left hers on the carousel. After waiting for an hour, and with only that lookalike black suitcase left, I took it and then drove miles out of my way to her address to exchange it and correct her mistake. I wanted “my” dirty laundry, “my” souvenirs, and “my” stuff. I was tired and wanted to go home. She was young and laughed as though it was a funny misunderstanding, but I wanted wipe that smile off her cute face. I knew better, so I smiled and left.

On two previous trips, our suitcases arrived a few days after we had already arrived to our destinations in Italy and Greece. Not fun going to buy clothes to sleep in, and cheap clothes to go touring in and not knowing when our suitcases would arrive.

After those experiences, I had had it! NO MORE big suitcases, and definitely no more black – ONLY colorful carry-ons would contain my things! On most planes I try to keep them with me, but when that’s not possible and I need to check it through, it is so colorful, people DO NOT TOUCH IT. It is my luggage, and I can see it from far away!

How to travel with a carry-on for over 21 days:

1- Mix and match your clothes and color coordinate. Choose colors so that the tops and bottoms can be matched easily.

2- Limit your underwear to 3-4 pairs.  You can wash them in the shower before bedtime; by the morning they are dry. Avoid 100% cotton.

3- Bring just a few bottoms and lots of colorful cheap tops. This is my biggest secret for when I travel. I buy very colorful tops at Target that are very cheap. I’ll use them 2 times on my trip, and instead of washing them, I leave them in the hotel to be given away to those less fortunate.

4- By leaving my tops behind, I have space in my carry-on for small souvenirs. I will send larger souvenirs directly home (like rugs, table tops and etc.)

5- Make sure you leave a note that your “give away” pieces of clothing in the hotel are there to be given to someone, otherwise, in many hotels, they stay in the “lost and found” forever, waiting for you to collect them.

6- On the plane, wear your big boots or your hiking shoes and keep your tennis shoes and other shoes in the carry-on.

7- Remember that if you wear everything twice, you’ll need half the clothes, So, count the total number of days, divide by 2, and get the correct number of tops.

8- Prior to leaving, check the price of laundry at the hotels, just in case you need to do it during your trip.

9 – Learn how to pack small, and use every little space inside your carry-on.

Relax and enjoy your travel! After all, you are there to have fun and not to worry too much about your suitcase.

Or, we could rephrase that to say, how to have a great time with your clients. I consider myself to be very lucky! I have traveled with many travel agents who became my dear friends, and I hope to continue to do so. These are some of the great gifts of life: travel and friends. What a joy to meet new people with one big common denominator: Travel.

I would never have met these wonderful people if I hadn’t organized those tours. In this case, they were FAM Trips and Tours for Women. The travelers were travel agents and their companions from all over the USA and Canada, from different backgrounds, ages, views of the world, but all sharing a love of travel and traveling together. I have to confess that this is the cherry on top of my cake, the part of my work that I look forward to the most!

Now, to ensure the success of a smooth and wonderful group tour, you need to make sure that you will be the Travel Leader (yes, if you organize a group, you become the Travel Leader).

Let’s go over some basics:

1- Decide who will pair the roommates: you, or will you let the travelers interview each other? If you decide that you will be doing it, ask questions, such as, do you snore? What do you expect from your roommate? Also, ask other questions pertinent to your specific trip.

2- Decide if you will all travel together from one gateway, or meet at the destination.

3- Decide how much “free” time and/or optional tours you will offer to your group.

4- Decide on the number of people you are willing to include on your trip. In my opinion, keep it small for your first groups to make it more manageable.

5- Decide if tips to drivers and tour guides and are included or not, and if not, if you will collect from the group and present to each professional, or let each traveler give individually. (Please advise your travelers ahead of time to avoid surprises!)

6- Set some ground rules before the trip, or as soon as you arrive to avoid future problems (Trust me, problems happen and I could write a book about them!). For example: ask travelers to let you know that if they have a problem “today” to tell you “today,” and not “tomorrow.” It is hard to solve problems from “yesterday.”

7- Medication – People seem to believe that once they are on vacation, it means “I will not take my medication.” This is a big mistake, and can jeopardize a great trip

8- Respect: Personal views on politics, race and religion are like underwear. I don’t want to know the size, color or even if you are wearing them! We all love great conversation, but those topics are out of question!

9- Make sure that you will be the only one communicating to the tour guide and tour organizer, That way, you avoid “many tour leaders” and everyone knows who is who.

10- HAVE FUN, MAKE FRIENDS, AND PLAN ANOTHER TRIP!
 

I travel to explore the world, to make my life more complete, to meet others from different cultures, and to bring people closer to my heart. I’d love to know…why do you travel?