How To Travel Well in 2020

In a podcast for travel professionals,  I recently heard a quote that resonated with me, and it came from someone I consider a friend and mentor:

“In service experiences you don’t get do-overs”
Kerry Dyer, Brownell Travel

What immediately followed in my mind was that you don’t get a do-over on your dream vacation, either. I, like most of my colleagues,  gave up a successful career to start anew in the travel industry, because we wanted to help make travel dreams come true for others. Yes, we are running a business with the goal of making money.  But we chose travel because we love building the relationship with our clients, understanding their priorities and needs, and designing the perfect trip just for them.  However there is no joy in finding out they were disappointed, or worse, they ran into serious problems.  No amount of money makes up for the feeling that we let our clients down.

Fortunately things don’t go wrong often. But it’s also not an accident that things go right most of the time.  And I strongly believe the key to that is in my supplier partnerships, the people I entrust to take care of my clients wherever they are in the world, no matter what happens.

So my responsibilities to my clients are:

• Select the suppliers carefully depending on my client’s needs, the type of trip they desire, and the destination.
• Cultivate strong relationships with these suppliers so we have mutual trust and respect, and can work effectively and efficiently to make our client’s trip the best it can be.

Why is this important going into 2020?  Because travel demand continues to grow at a rapid pace.  I celebrated my best year ever in 2019, earning a place in Brownell’s 1887 Club.  But this growth also meant there were more challenges in booking and managing travel, and who I choose to partner with in 2020 and beyond is becoming more important than ever.

Suppliers are competing for resources.  A supplier who has their own guides and vehicles, and also has strong personal connections, and is highly regarded by his or her colleagues,  can more reliably offer the best service versus suppliers who are outsource everything to third parties.  This really comes to light when problems occur, asthe true test of a supplier’s worthiness is how they handle a crisis.

Most recently we’ve seen travelers throughout France finding it difficult to rely on public transportation.  Our suppliers have been lining up private drivers on short notice so our clients’ touring plans are not impacted. Airline strikes have forced clients to rebook or reroute their trips, and incur additional costs. While this is a “gray area” with travel insurance suppliers, our strong relationship with our insurance rep has smoothed the path to quickly resolve claims.

Private home and apartment rentals are growing in popularity, but they are prone to fraud, and quality control is difficult. I can attest from personal experience (before I was in the industry and knew better) to the panic that ensues when you show up at your rental, late at night, with no key to be found, and the management office closed. Fortunately my problem was resolved in a few hours once I was able to reach the homeowner and get a spare key from a nearby relative.  We seek out partners who have direct relationships with the property owners/managers, provide 24×7 emergency support, and have demonstrated a commitment to customer service.

Yesterday an article came out advising travelers where they should not go in 2020. The primary reasons were overtourism, which was becoming detrimental to the environment or residents, to the traveler experience, or both.  The concerns are legitimate, but rather than avoid these destinations, they can be experienced in a different way.  Our supplier’s personal contacts, resources, and innovative ideas can get my clients away from the crowds, and often provide a more authentic experience. But I won’t send a client “off the beaten track” with just anybody.

The last industry event I attended in 2019 was the International Luxury Travel Market in Cannes. It’s not just a networking event, it was an opportunity for me to meet one on one with potential suppliers to ask hard questions about how they run their business and what advantage they offer over their competitors. And now I have a name and a face, and a shared experience, which has created a connection between us when I reach out to talk about a potential trip. (Spending an hour trying to find your Uber driver in Antibes who doesn’t speak English is a good team building exercise!)  In ANY business, building relationships is crucial, but even more so in the hospitality industry.

The good news is that I have many wonderful suppliers who are great partners, that care just as much as I do about my clients.  So I look forward to helping clients fulfill their travel dreams in 2020 and beyond.

~ Happy New Year From My Family To Yours!!  ~