TMR Canada on Scene: Highlights of Germany on a TTC Tour Week Trafalgar Fam
by Bruce Parkinson
One of more than 100 murals on a section of the former Berlin Wall.
Forty-eight hours ago, Berlin was a city I had always wanted to visit. As we left the German capital, Berlin is a place to which I dearly want to return.
That’s the true joy of a coach tour. They take you to wonderful places, introduce you to the most interesting and consequential sites, offer you fascinating experiences, then leave it to you to decide whether or not to pursue the relationship.
It’s a bit like an online dating app, but without the disappointment.
Travel Market Report Canada is on a Trafalgar familiarization tour with about 30 travel advisors from key TTC Tour Brands source markets, including the U.S. – the majority of the group – Canada, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Africa.
The jaunt is part of TTC Tour Week, an ambitious first-time initiative designed to showcase the diversity of six brands in the TTC portfolio, including Trafalgar, Insight, Luxury Gold, Brendan Vacations, Contiki and CostSaver.
This month, over 500 international travel advisors are embarking on 13 unique itineraries around the world, with destinations as far-flung as Alaska and Bali.
“TTC Tour Week is the amazing idea of Josh Hepp, Vice President National Accounts,” says Krista Erickson, the Minneapolis-based TTC Tour Brands Sales Manager, who, along with Florida-based TTC Tour Brands Sales Manager Audra Biernacki, is accompanying the group.
“It’s a way to create a lot of excitement around the brands, and a chance for advisors to sample the many different experiences we offer. It certainly has created excitement, as there was overwhelming demand when it was announced.”
I’m very familiar with some of the TTC brands, having written PR and brochure copy for them in a previous life.
It’s been years since I travelled with Trafalgar, but it felt immediately familiar when I met our travel director (TD) Maria Holzamer at Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport. A German-born UK resident, Holzamer is what I have come to see as a ‘typical’ TTC TD. By that I mean she is not typical at all.
She has an outsized personality and an astonishingly broad general knowledge. She combines traits of her old and new homes – the blunt, direct approach of the German culture and the quirky, creative banter of the British.
I really like the fact that Trafalgar and other TTC Tour Brands allow their TDs to express their genuine personalities, while maintaining exemplary professionalism. They are often cited by guests as one of the highlights of the trip, and Maria is no different, managing our group like a maestro, and making us laugh frequently.
We’re experiencing Highlights of Germany, launching for the first time this year when the Europe season kicks off in late April. The 8-day tour provides an efficient alternative to the 12-day Best of Germany itinerary, and it’s an ideal one for North Americans with limited vacation time.
With the trip beginning in Berlin and ending in Munich, there’s no backtracking. And for those more flexible with time, the new shorter tour enables pre- or post- (or both) extensions in Berlin or Munich, true German highlights worthy of a longer exploration.
As a fam trip, our tour is slightly different. A typical Trafalgar outing features a mix of included and optional sightseeing. To give the advisors an experience of both, some elements of optional tours are being mixed in to our schedule.
We will also have the opportunity to enjoy two TTC Tour Brands signature experiences: a Be My Guest event that takes tour participants under the skin of a destination through a direct connection with local hosts; and a Make Travel Matter gathering, a “conscious travel experience” that delivers a positive social or environmental impact on local communities and those who participate.
We’ll go into more details of the actual trip in subsequent stories but let’s finish off this introduction with some of Maria Holzamer’s top selling points for group travel. Her words carry weight – she’s not just a Trafalgar tour director, she also travels this way on her own time. Just before this trip, she returned from a Trafalgar tour of Japan.
“I’m a busy woman, so I don’t have time to read seven books and spend endless hours planning an itinerary. I showed a Japanese friend the itinerary of my trip and asked what she thought. She replied: “Those are the places I would take you to in Japan.”
Here’s a summary of Maria Holzamer’s top selling points for Trafalgar’s group travel experience:
It’s hassle free: “There’s less stress, less planning. We handle the details.”
It costs less: “Travelling in a group often offers significant savings over FIT trips.”
Safety and security: “Many women are travelling on their own today. If they don’t turn up at breakfast, I will call them. If they need medicine or a doctor, I will arrange it.” Even as a seasoned traveller, Holzamer says she appreciates that kind of care. “I am getting a little more fretful as I grow older. This is a wonderful, safe way to travel.”
A bonding experience: “A shared experience is a better experience,” says Holzamer. “Many of our guests become friends for life, and travel together in future after meeting on one of our tours.”
Holzamer told advisors on the tour: “You are elevating your game by being here, by doing the tour as a guest. You’re learning all the details your clients need to hear, the things you won’t find in a brochure. These are the things that are going to help you sell.”
