How To Increase Commission When Booking Family Trips

Family vacations come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it’s a large group with grandparents, cousins and other relatives all traveling together. Other times it’s an intimate gathering of the immediate family members. Either way, once you have a family on the fast track to booking their trip, it’s time to start thinking about how you can add even more value to their vacation.

Taking time out of everyday life to spend together as a family is special and can be rare for some families. Travel advisors can help make sure it’s a trip of a lifetime for them. And by adding value to their trip, you’ll naturally increase your commission along the way — a win-win! Here are some ways you can increase commission when booking family vacations.

Handle All the Details

When people think of a trip, sometimes only the main components come to mind: flights and accommodations. Kathy Barkauskas, concierge vacation planner at Teddy Bear Travel, encourages travel advisors to book more than these elements of the trip.

“Make sure you get allllll the details booked,” she said. “Just like any other trip make sure you are booking the pre-cruise hotel stay, the airport transfers, the stroller rental and any other aspects of the trip that will make their trip perfect.”

Identify Upgrade Opportunities

In addition to handling all the details of the trip, make sure to see if there are opportunities to offer any upgrades. “Walk them through their experience where they are staying. Make sure they understand upgrades and deluxe options that will enhance their experience and make for a better trip,” said Dana Zificsak, CTIE, sales and marketing consultant at Travel Agent Sales Lab.

Choosing a spacious suite or a room with a unique feature such as bunk beds or a plunge pool on the terrace can help take a hotel stay up a notch. Similarly, booking a cruise cabin with an ocean view or balcony can aid in making a cruise vacation more memorable. Or maybe it even starts with booking upgraded seats on the flight or a private transfer upon arrival.

Prebook Activities and Excursions

Booking special activities or exploring the destination through an offsite excursion is always a great way to spend family time. Adding excursions to the reservation ahead of time means more commission in your pocket and less stress for the family upon arrival. Who wants to spend sacred vacation time deciding which excursion to go on?

According to a recent VAX poll inquiring about excursions, family travelers are most interested in swimming with dolphins and snorkeling. Other popular options are zip lining, horseback riding, hiking and fishing.

Invite Others To Join

Barkauskas recommends inquiring about other travelers coming along. “Always ask ‘Who else is going?’ Families tend to travel in groups, whether it is an extended family group or a group of friends it is often easy to get another family who wants to travel with the original family,” she said. “If you don't ask, you will never know!”

Inviting friends on a family vacation is a trend among multigenerational families right now. If other travelers are planning to come along for the ride, make sure you’re the one booking their trips too. This not only leads to new clients for this booking but also additional referrals down the road.   

To learn more about working with family travelers, visit the family travel campaign on VAX VacationAccess.