The Travel Teacher

Travel to Europe on US Dollars!!!

There has never been a better time to visit Europe.  Let me count the ways.

• What kind of travel do you like to do?  Have you ever taken a cruise vacation?  This is a wonderful comfortable way to see Europe.  You pay up front in US dollars, both for the cruise and the excursions in your ports of call.  You sleep in the same bed every night and visit many different cities and countries.  You can even combine the cruise with a land tour before or after the cruise.  Or fly in early to the embarking city or stay later in the disembarking city.  Then we can book you a tour, book your hotels all prepaid in US. dollars.  There are different kinds of cruises - big ships, small ships, river boats, sailing vessels.  One is just right for you. 
• Another way to prepay in US dollars is to do a land tour with a company who specializes in Europe.  There are many.  Some give you total service from meeting and greeting to saying good bye.  For first time travelers this is a very comfortable and fun way to travel.  Many tour companies now keep you in some towns for 2 or 3 days and really give you a chance to see everything. 
• If you don’t want the fully guided tour, we can get you a rental car and/or train tickets and you can tootle on your way.  The main thing is that at some point in each city, get a tour from the Information Office in each city.  The saddest thing I have seen are people wandering around cities and have no idea of the history or anything about the buildings.  You may never go there again, so get someone to tell you.
• Don’t take too big a bite when you go.  Better to see just a small area fully than to jump from country to country just to say you have been there.  Check the distances and decide how you will travel between them.  Depending on when you go, prebooking a hotel may be necessary.  The good ones fill up quickly and sleeping in a train station isn’t the most comfortable or safe.  Again, these can be prepaid in US dollars.
• Why are you going to Europe?  Heritage tour?  Are there war stories in your family, then visit the battle fields?  Religious tour?  Taking your family to stay in a villa in Italy or France?  Church group going to Israel or Turkey?   Needing help with a group tour? 

Whatever your reasons, however you want to go, just don’t let the money stop you.  Call me to pre book as much as possible and enjoy your journey.

Is that right???!!!  You woke up this morning and that was your decision? Maybe you need some enlightenment.

Having owned businesses of various kinds for over 30 years, this is the most mentally difficult business I have ever owned.  The responsibility for a clients “dream” vacation or trip rests totally on my shoulders.  Even though there are a multitude of pieces in this puzzle, in my client’s eyes I am the airline, the cruise line, the hotel, the car rental and on and on.  24/7/365 is the length of responsibility.  You don’t clock out at 5 PM. 

In addition, you are holding control of thousands of dollars of someone else’s money.  Remembering the deadlines, keeping watch on all the supplier’s documents to be sure all the names, dates, dollars, destinations, etc. are correct.  Some of those supplier’s are minimum wage people who just don’t care!!  Let me break it down:

• Airlines.  Oh my, what can I say?  Getting harder all the time to work with them.  Every day we get “misconnects” and have to straighten those out.  They change people’s flight times, connections, even days of flying.  And they just aren’t nice.  Not to mention all the luggage regulations and new charges popping up daily.  Next you will need coins for the former attendants who have nothing to do now but sit at the bathroom doors and hand out tissue squares.
• Hotels.  Management changes, renovations, closures and on and on.  It can be a beautiful property one day and new management trashes it the next.  The biggest thing is location, location, location.  I have to know every little town in the whole world and where the good areas and bad areas are. 
• Car Rentals.  Not so much a challenge.  Just making sure the size holds all the luggage and size of passengers.  Automatic or stick?  Airconditioning?  And taxes…oh my word!!!  Almost more than the car rental.  And don’t forget total insurance coverage.  You can be stuck in a city or country for days if you try to use your own. 
• Cruise Lines.  Knowing all the lines and all the ships in each line.  What are the conditions of each ship?  Are they being maintained?  What are the new ships coming out?  Destinations…what are the ports all over the world?  What is the best and worst time of year to go somewhere?  And cabins…good locations vs. bad locations.  Cabin categories, what are they?  What sizes are the cabins?  Booking a cruise is like buying a pair of shoes..if it doesn’t fit you, you won’t ever cruise again. 
• Tours.  Escorted, guided, independent, and a mix.  The best and worst.  There are scores of tour companies.  Knowing them all takes a long time.  Getting passengers on a wrong one is disaster. 
• Destinations.  I am required to know the whole world, and to have traveled to all or most all of it.  That costs a lot of money and travel agents DO NOT travel free.  What is there to see in every area?  People often take too big a bite and have no idea how far distances are.  What are seasons for pricing? 
• Type of Travel.  There was a study some years back defining kinds of travelers.  Those who want total comfort to those who want a hammock in a hut.  Where do clients fit on that graph?  Now I have to find the right mix so they will come back happy.  And better still, tell all their friends and family.  Selling travel is about repeat business.

Now that your eyes are open, I will add a few more details.  You need education so you can educate your clients. 

• The Travel Institute has a 2 step process that takes about 6 years to complete.  It starts with CTA after you have been an agent for 5 years and then CTC, taking as long as you need.  A very difficult course.  I have my CTC.
• Cruise Lines International has a 3 step certification process starting with ACC - Accredited Cruise Counselor to MCC- Master Cruise Counselor to ECC-Elite Cruise Counselor.  This is an ongoing training until you reach ECC.  I was #43 to get my ECC out of 250,000 or so travel agents.  It took me 13 years to reach that point.  Very few home-based travel agents can achieve ECC because of the number of cruises we have to sell to reach that certification.
• Destination Specialist courses offered by The Travel Institute as well as Tourist Boards of various countries and cities.  These are ongoing.  I have several of these.
• Seminars, Conventions and Trade Shows are being held constantly.  In our local area there are scores of agents who never attend any.  There is no way to keep up on all the changes if you are not constantly being trained.  In larger agencies, representatives do onsite training and many will come to home-based offices. 

That’s a good start.  Now what do you think?  But most of all, what does the public think about someone who just hung out a shingle or someone who has been around the “block” and can give you the best service and advise?

What is your opinion about the cruise Industry?  Maybe I can shed some light.

Starting with Noah’s Ark, people have floated on the water.  All kinds of vessels, all kinds of bodies of water.  We just love floating around the world. 

Contrary to those who have served in the Navy, today’s cruising is very comfortable, informative, entertaining, and can be the ultimate vacation.  But it is like a pair of shoes, if it doesn’t fit you, you won’t be happy.  How do you know if it fits you? 

First of all, you need professional assistance.  As the highest certified professional in the industry, I am constantly monitoring all the cruise lines and all the ships in each company.  Just because your neighbor or Aunt Suzie cruised on a particular ship does not mean it is right for you.  I build a personal relationship with you to find out as much as I can to put you on the best fit.  Each time you cruise, those criteria may change and I have to know how to change you.  So, let’s start with the basics.

There are about 4 different classes of cruise lines, in my humble opinion.

• Luxury
• Premium
• Mass Market
• Assorted miscellaneous types

LUXURY - From very small yacht-type vessels to very large ocean liners, these are set apart by the ratio of staff to passengers.  Also, the inclusions such as wine with meals, stock bars in the cabins, suite-type accommodations, included shore excursions, high quality linens and bathroom amenities. Some overnight in ports of call.   Many longer cruises that are better suited to the older passengers, Just simply, like a more luxurious resort or hotel, the level of service is superior.  Definitely an adult only atmosphere.

PREMIUM - A small number of companies in this category.  Ships of various sizes, interesting ports of call with some overnights, high ratio of passengers to staff, may have some limited children’s programs, champagne on boarding, high quality service and food.  Pricewise, a step down from the Luxury brands

MASS MARKET - Larger ships, more family orientated, lots of onboard activities, many places to eat, busy and active ambience and priced for the maximum population.  Many newer ships and new builds coming all the time.  Great for goups of all types with meeting room capabilities.  Generational groups with activities for all ages. 

ASSORTED MISCELLANOUS TYPES - In this category you have

• River cruises both in the US and around the world
• Sailing vessels
• Paddle wheelers
• Small ships in many places around the world
• Theme ships such as Disney Cruise Lines
• Expedition-type ships
• Barges in the US and France-self guided or escorted

We will explore these in depth in future postings.  In the meantime, remember to get a CLIA (Cruise Line International Association) certified professional such as myself to assist you.  I know the industry and the industry knows me!!!

Can a Home-Based Travel Professional compete with the big agencies or the Internet?

I recently received a magazine that comes regularly from a very large organization who does travel as well as other things.  The front 2 pages are always cruise and tour specials.  So, I thought I will check to see how their pricing compares to what I can get.  To my surprise, I beat every single special by at least $100.  A home-based agent beat goliath!!

In the travel industry there are consortiums.  These are organizations of travel agents coming together to buy travel packages, tour, and cruises in bulk and allow travel agents to book into the block.  There are scores of these consortiums.  The biggest of all is Vacation.com.  In order to become a member, an agency has to meet many criteria.  This is very hard for some home-based agencies.  But if they can get in, the special pricing is extremely competitive and will beat the internet and the giant travel companies.  So, yes, we can be competitive.

Although price competition is important, there are other factors that make the home-based travel agent special:

• The personal service that home-based travel agents offer is just as important, and maybe more important, than the priced..  Home-based agents are service driven.  They will go to your home, office, club or wherever you need to meet with them.  They may even fly to your city to meet you at your convenience.  The hours they work are not 8-5 5 days a week, but from morning till late at night any day of the week. 
• They also form a personal relationship with their clients.  They have been known to take people to the airports, baby sit children and animals, be at their client’s homes with meals and a multitude of other services you never find from a brick and mortar agency who has “store hours”.  Bottom line, home-based agents care about their clients and they become friends.  This goes way beyond the small saving you “may” find on the internet.

As travel agencies build volume with their preferred suppliers, the special pricing and other offers increase.  A relationship builds with that supplier and as the agent is faithful to them, they in turn are there for the agent when an emergency or need arises.  So many times a client is handed their documents with a smile and told to “have a wonderful trip” and behind the scenes the agent has been working day and into the night or nights to fix a problem that occurred.  The client will never know the sweat and tears that went into putting that trip together.  Fortunately, most travel is without incident.  But there are many times we are up late at night or early in the morning trying to hold a dream trip together.  There are times we think a job at McD would be great.  But we love what we do and that crises passes. 

To build a great relationship between a client and agent, communication is the key, the same as any relationship.  Let the agent know your likes, dislikes, dreams and wishes.  Most agents keep files on their clients and can begin to watch for special travel that might be of interest.  The travel industry is huge and probably has some interesting facets that you never knew about before.  Let us share them with you.  The world is a fascinating place and we know how to explore it.

Brick and Mortar to Home Based

“Where did the travel agency go?  It was here last week, last month, last year?” 

This question has been asked daily from coast to coast as travel agencies by the hundreds have closed their doors.  What happened?

About 10 years ago, the airlines decided to start cutting travel agents commissions on airline tickets that the agents issued.  Just cut a little, then a little more, and a little more until about 6 years ago, the commissions vanished altogether.  Those agencies that had the bulk of their business in airline tickets, and were not watching the situation, got caught without the bulk of their business.  They had not diversified into selling leisure travel such as cruises, tours, and packages.  So, the doors began closing. 

Many owners who had known the “good old days” and were old enough, decided to retire.  Others took their business and moved their offices home.  Enter the “New Face of the Travel Agent” - home based.

In years past, a home-based agent was not taken seriously by either the clients or the suppliers.  They were thought to be “part time” and just “in it for the travel benefits”.

Perhaps that applies to some.  But in the past 5 years a new force has emerged and the home-based agent is very committed and very serious about their business.  In fact, travel for the agent is very difficult because a large number work alone from home and have no back up.  Others work through a “host agency” who acts as the back up should the agent want to go away.

In the past 5 years, any conventions or seminars for travel agents are showing at least ¾ of the attendees are home-based.  These agents are education driven and getting all the knowledge available to give the best information to their clients.  There are many certifications for travel agents.  There is the CTC (Certified Travel Counselor), the highest available for a full service agent.  This course requires many hours of classes, either in groups or by themselves and a very difficult test at the end.  You also have to have been in business for several years before you can even apply for the course.  Not to mention the cost of the courses at several hundreds of dollars.  Anyone with this certification, is a very serious agent.

In the cruising industry there are several certifications available. 

v     Starting with ACC (Accredited Cruise Counselor)

v     MCC ( Master Cruise Counselor)

v     ECC (Executive Cruise Counselor). 

Many hours of classes, some requiring travel to other cities to take the required courses, courses at the University of Miami, many actual cruises on various cruise lines, and scores of ship inspections, as well as a set number of cruise sales, all total up to meet the above requirements.  Again, these courses cover a number of years and a very high cost to the agent qualifing.

In addition to the above, an organization called The Travel Institute has scores of classes that can be taken with testing at the end to receive DS (Destination Specialist) certifications.  Many of these are in conjunction with tourist boards of various countries and after the tests the agent is invited to visit the country for on-site training (at the agent’s expense). 

The majority of travel agents participating in the above training are home-based agent.  No longer content to be order takers sitting behind a desk waiting for the phone to ring or someone to walk in, these are pro-active and extremely knowledgeable about travel around the world.

The big question that is being asked by travel suppliers is “How do we find you?  We know you are serious and we want your business”.  There are 2 home-based organizations to which most belong.  One is NACTA (National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents) and the other is OSSN ( Outside Sales Support Network).  These organizations have conventions and seminars and are pulling all of these home-based agents together to support each other.  Instead of being in competition, as was the case with the brick and mortar agencies, these home-based people are supporting each other, and having a great time doing it. 

Gone are the days when travel agents did not charge fees for their services.  This was the only service profession who “gave away” their services.  Now they are charging fees for their assistance and rightly so.  They are knowledgeable and have spent a great deal of time researching travel for their clients, so they deserve to be compensated.  Oh yes, there are still commissions being paid by suppliers, i.e. cruise lines, tour operators, and wholesalers, but it is not enough to make up the difference from airline tickets.  There is no set amount of these fees, as each agent sets their own levels.  But why should they not be paid as professional the same as attorneys, doctors, and accountants?  Some who have been in the business 10 or more years, have much knowledge to share with clients that will help them realize their dream trips.