A family vacation can become something your clients talk about for the rest of their lives, and it’s best if they remember it for all the right reasons. While some aspects of a trip — flight delays, sickness, weather — are out of your control, there are plenty of parts you can ensure are up to par with what your family travelers are looking for. The initial planning plays a huge role in ensuring a successful experience for your family travelers. So, what should advisors keep in mind during this time?
The first thing you’ll want to do, especially if you’re planning a multigenerational or group trip, is find a group leader. If you work with several people from the family, you might end up talking in circles and wasting time sharing information multiple times. Find a trusted contact, and that person can then relay everything to the rest of the group.
Dana Zificsak, CTIE, sales and marketing consultant at Travel Agent Sales Lab, says to keep in mind that traveling with children and extended family members can be an overwhelming experience for a lot of people and working with an advisor shouldn’t add to that stress. “We have so much guidance and information to share, that sometimes we give too much information too fast and they don't book because there are too many choices to make,” she said. “Break the sales process down into decision by decision.”
Asking the Right Questions
It’s also important to qualify your clients from the start, and advisors can do this by asking the right questions. “Start with why they are traveling,” Zificsak said. “A lot of times that will give you insight into who else might want to travel with them. If they are a multiple family group, when they give you dates, ensure they work for everyone. Ask about room configurations; are they good with two queen beds? Would they prefer a king bed and a pull-out couch? Or multiple bedrooms?”
Kathy Barkauskas, concierge vacation planner at Teddy Bear Travel, stresses the importance of nailing down the correct timing. “Clarify the timing, multiple times! I frequently have families tell me ‘oh anytime in November would be great.’ Then we talk further and their son is in basketball – he has a tournament the last weekend of the month. Their daughter is in cheerleading and will be in competitions for the first two weekends. Revisiting the timing of the trip several times prior to quoting can save a lot of headaches when you are presenting pricing,” she said.
Barkauskas also says to always ask what aspects of a trip have made their past family vacations so special. “It is eye-opening to see what they have done and enjoyed (or hated) to help to craft a great proposal for future trips,” she said. These can also turn into helpful notes to keep on file for when you work with the family again in the future.
Options for Larger Families
One common obstacle travel advisors face is finding accommodations for families with five or more people. “Everything is tailored for families of four and adding that extra person is a challenge and can have a huge cost impact,” Barkauskas said. “Knowing what rooms are possible in different resorts/cruise ships to keep the family together and costs down is crucial.”
A recent poll on VAX asked advisors “What is your favorite hotel for families when booking five or more?” Dreams Resorts & Spas, which is a brand within Inclusive Collection, part of World of Hyatt, was a popular response, and Dreams Onyx Resort & Spa and Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort were mentioned specifically. Beaches, RIU, Hilton and Hyatt were additional brands mentioned, and other specific properties on the list were Ocean Riveria Paradise, Hard Rock Punta Cana, Planet Hollywood Cancun and Iberostar Paraiso Beach.
If you have a family member coming to you and it’s their first time working with a travel advisor, keep in mind they most likely used to be the “travel advisor” for their family. Find ways for them to feel in control of the booking process too. Provide room options for them to choose from; share destination content they can show their family, and let them talk about their travel knowledge and experiences too. If they have an enjoyable experience working with you and they still feel like they are a big part of the planning process, they’ll be more likely to work with you again.
Click here to learn more about Family Travel on VAX VacationAccess.
About the Author
comments