Travel Advisors Reflect on What They Learned During the Pandemic

Travel advisors have had to reinvent, reimagine, and reinvigorate their businesses during the pandemic. A challenging time for many, it appears the industry is emerging on the other side. Now, advisors are reflecting on what they learned.

Most important, the Travel Experts advisors said, was reaching out to remind clients they are there for them at all times. They also noted that domestic travel has taken precedence over international trips for the time being.

“I think the biggest changes we made this year is we established strong terms and conditions, including cancellation policies and letters of agreement,” said Jolene Detillion, Your Travel Designer, Seattle, WA.

“Last October we started doing a series of panel discussions with preferred partners as guests. These are exclusive of our clients only and not sales focused but a way to keep people interested and dreaming of travel and also up to date on what is going on in the world as it pertains to the current state of travel.”

Margot Kong, Journeys Unparalleled, San Francisco, CA, said the agency began offering virtual tours in April 2020, ranging from culinary lessons to live-streamed tours led by guides in-destination to educational and cultural seminars led by historians or art experts.

“It keeps Journeys Unparalleled top-of-mind in the eyes of our clients, and helps our travelers remain hopeful,” Kong said. “We have also pivoted slightly in terms of the way we market to our clients during the pandemic by decreasing our marketing to international destinations with a focus more on domestic properties, driving vacations, and active outdoor holidays.”

Jeffrey Traugot, Traugot Travel, New York, NY, has “kept business alive by checking in with clients and being more understanding about clients’ concerns and needs. I have become more responsive, more proactive, and more knowledgeable about travel requirements and restrictions.”

These types of changes will stick around even as travel rebounds, strengthening advisors’ business.

“The pandemic was actually helpful to me in some ways. It forced me to look at the way that I have conducted business in the past,” said Renee Taylor, Renee Taylor Travel, Searcy AR.

“Being in a small town, I have always conducted business in good ole handshake agreement fashion. I never stayed consistent in getting forms signed to protect myself or my business. With the valuable resources that I found through my host agency and organizations like ASTA, CLIA, etc., I was able to hire a travel attorney to have a complete Terms & Conditions agreement drawn up.”

Similarly, Holly Lombardo, Lombardo Travel, Atlanta, GA, said even though she had operated her business for 32 years, “I had never put into place items to legally reduce my liability. Now, I have terms and conditions and online secure credit card authorizations for every transaction.”

Ralph Iantosca, Iantosca Travel, Irving, TX, also reassessed how he qualifies clients. “I’ve created a new model, downsizing—by choice—my portfolio of past customers. I now have a new process to get clients re-interested, and a new process to re-qualify the suppliers I want to continue working with,” he said.

Whatever the change may be, advisors have taken the most difficult time for the travel industry and proven their resiliency.