Having downtime as a travel advisor is sometimes unheard of, but every so often those slow days trickle into your week, and this is especially true around the holidays. These lulls in business are a great time to take a few days off. If you can anticipate when your agency will have slower days, consider taking some well-earned time off to recoup – after all, vacation time is essential time.
While slow periods are ideal times to be out of the office, if you do find yourself working, consider being productive and making the most of your free time. There are surely items that have been sitting on the back burner of your to do list for months, and having the time to check them off will feel wonderful. In addition to checking things off your list, here are a few ways you can best utilize any unexpected downtime that comes your way.
Spend Time on Education
You know all those webinars and training courses that you safely tuck away to watch later when you have the time … well, now is the perfect time to do so! Expand your destination knowledge; finish a training course to finally get that certification you’ve been wanting, and catch up on those webinars you have saved in a folder. If you’re not sure where to start, VAX VacationAccess has an Education tab on the main navigation bar which includes Supplier Training & Education, VAX Training & Education and New Advisor Education.
Work Ahead on Content Creation
Does building content for your various outlets feel like a chore when you’re busy? Take this quiet time to find new inspiration in this department. Spend time creating meaningful posts for your social media pages or blog. Write out a few emails to send out to your client base. There are even tools available that allow you to schedule multiple posts in advance, helping you to work ahead during the times you know you’ll be busy.
Reach Out to Your Clients
Having downtime is also the perfect opportunity to reach out to your clients. An out of the blue check in to see how they’re doing is always nice to receive, but you can also share an article about a destination they mentioned they are interested in or forward an unbeatable deal you saw. You never know – this one email could turn into closing a sale.
Connect With Suppliers
While your supplier partners make efforts to check in throughout the year, you don’t always have the time you wish you had to dedicate to them. If you anticipate a slow period, consider scheduling calls with your BDMs or maybe even plan to meet for lunch or a coffee to get to know them and the product they are representing. You can also learn more about your suppliers by visiting Supplier Showcases on VAX. Under the Suppliers tab, you’ll see a list of Vacation Packages, Hotels & Resorts, Air, Cruise and Independent / Guided Tours. These showcases ae filled with content, photos, videos, promotions, marketing collateral and more that will help you to sell the brand.
Book Your Own Travel
The best travel advisors are those who travel themselves. It’s hard to sell vacations if you don’t actually experience them for yourself. The slower days are perfect opportunities to get your own travel booked for the year. Sometimes conferences and FAM trips are booked closer to the time of departure, but you can take this time to get your vacations on the books. This will also give you some inspiration to share with clients, and if they see you already have your vacation booked, they might be more likely to get their trips locked in as well.
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