A Shoutout to Travel Advisors Everywhere: We Appreciate You

It’s officially Travel Advisor Appreciation Month (TAAM), and we’re celebrating the outstanding efforts of travel advisors everywhere. You are the ones who listen attentively to your clients day in and day out, and then curate journeys that meet their travel dreams and deliver lifetime memories, supporting them every step of the way on their adventures. You can’t see us, but we’re giving a standing ovation to all the travel advisors who work tirelessly to fulfill the aspirations of travelers and keep the travel industry going strong.

How travel advisors celebrate TAAM
Travel companies and suppliers mark the occasion of TAAM with a variety of special incentives, promotions, giveaways, and contests running throughout this month. But we wanted to know how travel advisors are celebrating.

“TAAM means so much to me because it acknowledges all of our hard work throughout the year. For a majority of us, including myself, this is not a 9-to-5 job. We work nights, weekends, sometimes 12-hour days, and we do this all for the love of this industry and our clients, so the acknowledgement means the world!” says Nicole Kelly, travel advisor, Walt’s Dream Destinations LLC.

“I love to share this month across my social media accounts with promotional posts, encouragement for my fellow advisors, and many thanks to all of our clients that support travel advisors to let them know how much we appreciate them for appreciating us. My clients are always so helpful with sharing my social media and letting everyone know that booking with a travel advisor is the best way to travel. I am also ‘celebrating me’ by crossing one of my bucket list resorts off of my list, and will be traveling to Secrets® Moxche Playa Del Carmen at the end of the month for a mini vacation!”

Jessica L. Amato, CTA, owner/CEO, Global Expeditions, shares: “It’s a time to reflect on the value we bring to our clients’ experiences and the trust they place in us, allowing us to assist them with such important times in their lives. It’s an opportunity for the travel industry and our clients to recognize the dedication, expertise, and personalized service we provide. It’s also a time to celebrate the hard work we do year-round. 

“Celebrating TAAM for us involves expressing our gratitude to our clients for their continued support and trust over the years. We do this often via social media platforms and/or email blasts, but even more so this time of year. Also, directly involving clients in the celebration is important. We always encourage our clients to share their travel stories and experiences, and this year, during TAAM, each client who leaves a review for our agency will be entered into a drawing for a small giveaway. We also have some surprises for our team!” 

Why we love the travel industry
This is also a good time to step back and ponder just why we all love this wacky and wonderful travel industry so much.

Kelly offers: “There are so many things that I love about the travel industry, but the one thing that really makes me love my job is the relationships I get to build. I love the relationships I have with my clients. I love that I am able to create long-lasting memories for them that keep them coming back year after year, seeing their families grow, and that the trust they have in me helps build my business with their endless referrals. I love the relationships I have with my fellow travel advisors. I love that we are always there for each other for help and to lean on, and I love that some of these advisors are now some of my best friends! I also love the relationships I have built with our tour operators, suppliers, and BDMs. They truly want us to succeed and are here for us every step of the way – they are a huge part of our success!”

Veranda Adkins, president of Travel Legacy, Inc. says: “I do a lot of escorted group trips, and my favorite part is experiencing destinations through the eyes and experiences of first-time visitors. So many people on my group trips had never thought they would visit some of the places that we have gone. So to know they trusted me with knocking off a bucket list destination, and to be able to see their excitement, is my favorite thing about being in this industry.”

And again, for Amato, it’s all about relationships. “I love watching the memories created for our clients that we worked so hard to help plan. We have clients send pictures, tag us in posts, we receive emails of appreciation, and get to book vacations for generation after generation as they refer their children and grandchildren to us. The impact we make on their lives truly means so much. I cherish the connections we make with our clients, colleagues, and partners within the industry. Also, each day presents new opportunities to explore new destinations, cultures, and experiences. There’s always something new to learn, to improve, and it’s never a dull day!”

What makes the travel advisor community so special
It follows naturally that an industry that focuses so heavily on relationships would stand out from other types of career work in terms of satisfaction. We asked travel advisors what makes the advisor community so special, and they said … 

“We have such a strong community working together to help each other,” says Amato. “We think of our colleagues as friends rather than competition. We work together to help each other, answer questions for each other, collaborate, lift each other up, and share experiences. We have all faced the same challenges and struggles, and the support in our industry from other agents, agency owners, and suppliers is something that you won’t find in another industry.”

In concurrence, Kelly relays: “Community over competition 100%! I have never seen an industry with the amount of support that is given more than the travel industry. Whether it is an advisor in your own agency or an outside agency, everyone is always happy to help. I have been an advisor for nine years and I have attended many FAMs, conferences, and events, and during these, I have built some great relationships with other advisors. And we are always there for each other. Whether it is questions about destinations, resorts, advice, or just looking for someone to talk to about the crazy day you had (because let’s be honest, we all have them), there is no one better to help or understand you than your fellow travel advisor.”

Adkins adds: “I have been in the industry for over 24 years, and with all of the agents I have met, there are no two agents that conduct business exactly the same way. While there are fundamental principles that we all follow, we all have the ability to put our spin on the experience for the client. And it’s these unique qualities that make this such a great industry. We don’t have to all do it the same way to be successful.”  

Favorite tools travel advisors use
While we’re on the subject of success, we asked advisors what some of their favorite tools are for building their businesses.

“This is a tough question for me because I love social media and the great influence it has with the importance of using a travel advisor! Honestly, my biggest tool that helps with my success is my clients,” explains Kelly. “I take great pride in helping them create their vacations, and I believe they truly see that, and in turn, they recommend me to their friends, family, and coworkers. The majority of my business is referral based, and even though social media is such a great tool for our success, my clients know me and the services I provide to them year after year, and I am so grateful for them and all of their referrals that allow me to do what I absolutely love day after day.”

Amato says: “Our CRM for our clients is key in helping us stay organized. We have automatic emails set up for reminders, final payment dates, information about booking insurance, pre-booking tours, destination information, issuing travel documents, lead follow-ups, and more. Everything is scheduled to go out electronically. It’s a huge time-saver and backup to ensure our clients have all of the details and information they need. Our invoices are much more professional than sending the suppliers’ invoices. We look like rock stars, and I don’t know what we would do without it!”

As for Adkins’ top tool, “just being authentically myself, and really getting to know my client has been my greatest key in being successful. I use consultations to really get to know my clients and what they are expecting to experience on their vacations. I share the good and the bad about destinations, resorts, and excursions. This honesty really has built trust with my clients, and it keeps them booking, as well as recommending me to others.”  

Advice for new advisors
For those travel advisors who are just getting started, we secured these insightful nuggets of wisdom from advisors who have been there and done that with great success …

“My biggest piece of advice I can give a new travel advisor is just to have patience. Patience will be your key to success in this business, which does not happen overnight,” offers Kelly. “When I started selling travel, I worked in the medical field for 15 years, and it took me five years to build my business up enough to where I was able to resign and work full-time from home. We are creating memories for our clients, and with most clients, they only vacation once a year, so it is so important to work diligently with them and listen to them to help them find their perfect vacation for their hard-earned money. As always, this can take time and lots of patience – and with that, you will build trust with your clients that will earn their loyalty for years to come.” 

Adkins suggests: “Loving to travel and loving to sell travel are two totally different things. You have to really have a passion for selling travel to stay in this industry, so make sure that you are in it for the right reasons. Once you realize that, then make your agency uniquely yours to attract the kinds of clients and be able to plan the trips you are most passionate about. There is no one-size-fits-all blueprint to success in this industry.”  

Coming full circle back to the importance of relationships, Amato advises: “I’ve been lucky enough to have some of the most successful, brilliant mentors throughout my career. I would never have made it this far without their guidance. Find the right travel agency to work for, and surround yourself with people who support you and lift you up.”

Furthermore, she says: “Get your destination and resort certifications, attend webinars, and build relationships with suppliers and clients. Responding to clients in a timely manner is also extremely important. They don’t need a quote or answer instantly, they just need to know you’re there, and working on it. This industry, although very gratifying, is tough, and having the right people around you is key. If you’re willing to listen, learn, and keep up with this ever-changing, ever-evolving industry, you can have an extremely successful and rewarding career!” 

FROM THE SPONSOR:
ALG Vacations® is proud to serve travel advisors everywhere, and to celebrate Travel Advisor Appreciation Month all May. From air-inclusive vacation giveaways – because ALGV Gets Advisors There – to Travel Like a Pro prize bundles and work/life enrichment packages, including well-being subscriptions, language learning, and business development webinars, in addition to standard WAVES® rewards, ALGV is committed to demonstrating their deep gratitude to this community. Plus, special promotions to help close bookings support agency business. Join the celebration at www.algvacations.com/taam!