EXPERIENCE EARTH’S MOST DAZZLING PERFORMANCES
SPACE TOURISM HOW THE INDUSTRY IS APPROACHING THE NEXT FRONTIER
MEANINGFUL TRAVEL CREATE JOURNEYS WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN MIND MAKING MONEY MOVES ACCOUNTING TIPS FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
Idyllic location
Powdery white sands
Well-appointed guestrooms
Coral reef adventures
Variety of activities
Dedicated family fun zone
Eclectic bars
Multiple pools
Diverse cuisine options
Immersive dining experience
All-natural spa treatments
Close to top attractions
9. PRESIDENT’S NOTE
Insights from John Ische, president of Trisept Solutions.
10. EDITOR’S NOTE
This issue is focused on current trends in travel to give you a glimpse into what travelers are interested in right now.
14. TRUE NORTH
This quarter’s most important news for advisors. .
18. CONVERSATIONS
We asked: Are you seeing any prominent travel trends among your clients?
20. BY THE WAY (A PSA)
The American Society of Travel Advisors’ annual conference has a lot in store for attendees.
22. HOW I CARRY ON
Learn how Stephanie M. Jones is making the industry more accessible for small BIPOC suppliers and businesses.
24. TAKING OFF
ASTA’s 2023 Travel Advisor of the Year shares her insights on what it takes to find success in the industry.
26. THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Learn how Hyatt is working to introduce Opportunity Youth to the hospitality industry.
28. TECH TO KNOW
Drones can make for compelling marketing footage — plus, it’s easier (and cheaper) than you’d expect.
80. BREAKOUT SESSION
Travel advisors and industry figures share their insights on AI.
82. DESTINATION NEXT
This unique country is being added to the bucket lists of all types of travelers.
84. YESTERDAY’S NEWS
The Compass on VAX is easier than ever to navigate thanks to an exciting redesign.
86. ASK MAXWELL
Our beloved flippered friend answers your VAX questions.
89. CROSSWORD
Test your knowledge of trending destinations around the globe.
90. ONE FOR THE ROAD
Wisdom to take with you till next time.
30. NATURAL PHENOMENA WORTH TRAVELING FOR
These incredible displays inspire millions of travelers to pack their bags each year.
40. THE MAGIC OF MEANINGFUL TRAVEL
A growing trend puts local communities at the heart of the trip.
46. WHAT DOES LUXURY TRAVEL MEAN TODAY?
There has been a shift in what luxury travelers are looking for.
52. SPACE TRAVEL: THE NEXT FRONTIER
The unquenchable curiosity of explorers has brought space travel within reach.
58. ENCHANTING EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISES
Navigate the waters of the Rhine, Danube and Rhône Rivers with recommendations from these popular brands.
68. WANNA DRIVE BOOKINGS? GET SOCIAL
In the fast-moving world of social media, your travel business can shine — if you keep things focused.
72. WHAT’S TRENDING IN WELLNESS TRAVEL
Wellness is soaring to new heights, and it may be just what you need to boost your bookings.
76. MAKING MONEY MOVES
Accounting pros share tools and knowledge to empower travel advisors in 2024.
President and Publisher
John Ische
Editorial
Editor in Chief – Sarah Kneisler
Managing Editor – Codie Liermann
Senior Editor – Jenna Buege
Contributing Writers– Alesandra Dubin, Jenny Hart, Leslie Lang
Advertising
Vice President – Joe Shomperlen
External Account Managers – Carey Driscoll, Melissa Haskin, Pam Lowe, Sue Ulickey
Marketing Operations
Director, Operations and Marketing – Sarah Kneisler
Advertising Product Specialist – Kati Kohler
Advertising Coordinators – Rowanna Bailey, Tyler Krause Manager, Digital Marketing – Ashley Perego
Advertising Producers – Joseph Enslin, Kyle Krause
PUBLISHED BY
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Steve Zepezauer
PRESIDENT OF SALES & MARKETING
Scott Sanchez
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Tiffany Thompson
GROUP EDITOR
Justine Amodeo
CREATIVE & MARKETING DIRECTOR
Tracy Powell
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Tina Leydecker
There are lots of different trends throughout the industry to keep an eye out for this year, but one of my favorite ones is the overall trend that travel advisors continue to thrive.
We’re seeing advisors continuing to grow their business and increase their commissions with an increased number of bookings and average order value. We engage with so many advisors, and it’s great to continue to see all the new advisors joining the industry. Last year we registered over 20,000 new advisors to the VAX marketplace, growing our number of advisors on VAX to over 180,000. Site traffic and bookings made via VAX continue to show strength, and we’re seeing 10% greater engagement with educational content and content on The Compass.
This data shows that the travel advisor marketplace is healthy, and VAX continues to elevate the tools and resources available to support this strength and growth. We continue to invest in the tools and content you need to be successful. One of the big improvements you may have seen recently is a series of tools to help you grow your group business. This is an area where we have worked with you to help you be more engaged with your group customers and streamline the group booking process. We have the leading platform for group bookings, and it just got better!
This past year we released many new capabilities to the VAX booking engine. NDC fares in the booking process were launched, and we improved our in-destination excursion and activity product. We’ve also rolled out integrations with Travefy and other CRM platform integrations and enhanced our destination pages with Arrival Guides — and there’s still more to come.
John Ische PRESIDENT, TRISEPT SOLUTIONS
John’s industry tenure spans more than three decades.
As you’ll read more about on page 84, The Compass on VAX has recently undergone a full redesign. The new website is restructured to help provide you with the content you need to be a better advisor and run a strong business with industryleading insights and perspectives. I hope you’ve seen now how you can share The Compass content with your customers to spark more inspiration.
We are always so honored that you recognize VAX as the leading platform for the advisor community. For the fourth year in a row, you voted VAX as the Best Travel Technology Provider in the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards. We also recently received Travel Weekly’s Gold Magellan Awards for Booking Interface, Education Program and Travel Agent Only Website and a Travvy Award for Best Travel Technology Provider. The awards confirm our commitment to advisors is noticed, and we are grateful for it. These are awards our entire team has great pride in, and you have our commitment to continue to work to provide you with the tools you need to continue to thrive and grow!
When speaking to Dr. Terika L. Haynes, CEO and founder of Dynamite Travel, for this issue’s Taking Off department, she talked about the importance of both having a specialization and being open to learning about and servicing consumers’ changing wants and needs.
“I think having a specialized focus is important, but I also see the value in growth and paying attention to market demands and changes to align them with your business growth and ascension,” Haynes said.
We hear time and time again how important it is to find a niche and become a specialist in a certain area of the travel industry. I love this advice and believe specializing brings success to a lot of travel advisors.
However, Haynes makes a good point about paying attention to the ever-changing demands of the market. If you come across a slow period or find that your existing business model isn’t working as well as it once was, consider looking at what’s currently trending across the industry and seeing if one of those trends is something you can work into your business.
In this issue of The Compass magazine, we
MANAGING EDITOR CODIE AIMS TO DELIVER VALUABLE CONTENT TO TRAVEL ADVISORS
focus on current trends in travel to help give you a glimpse into what travelers are interested in right now. You’ll hear insights from your peers on how they use AI and what prominent trends they’re seeing among their clients. We also dive into some of the leading travel trends right now, including luxury and wellness.
As always, we mix in some business tips. This issue’s topics include advice on accounting and social media, and you’ll even learn how to let your travel marketing strategy take flight by implementing drone imagery into your marketing plan — and it might be easier than you think.
From trends that have gained popularity over the past few years to those that are in the early stages of discussion, we hope you enjoy reading about the ones we’ve chosen to cover in this issue.
In this issue of The Compass magazine, we focus on current trends in travel to help give you a glimpse into what travelers are interested in right now.
JENNA BUEGE
Senior editor for VAX VacationAccess and world explorer, Jenna Buege loves writing about all things travel. When she’s not busy creating content, she spends her time exploring the great outdoors, cuddling with her two black cats and researching her next big (sometimes strange) adventure.
Alesandra Dubin is a news and lifestyle editor and writer based in Los Angeles. A veteran digital journalist, she’s covered travel, food, events, fashion and beauty, entertainment, home, parenting and viral content for more than 15 years, for both consumer and business audiences. Her work has appeared in Town & Country, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Parents, E!, BravoTV.com, BuzzFeed, TODAY.com and countless other online and print outlets..
JENNY HART
Jenny Hart is an American travel writer and advisor based in Mexico City. She specializes in writing about and selling travel to Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean and is passionate about promoting tourism in her adopted country and beyond. Follow her on Instagram at @jennyjhart.
LESLIE LANG
Leslie Lang is a Hawai’i-based writer who writes about technology as well as the Hawaiian Islands. Her latest book, “What Would Our Kupuna Do?: And What We Can do For Future Generations” is co-written with Richard Ha and available on Amazon.
Thank you to our talented writers for your creativity, which helps bring The Compass to life each issue.
Elegant and comfortable, Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts are located on the world’s most beloved beaches. These all-inclusive resorts are ideal for families, groups of friends and couples. Guests enjoyed varied and delectable dining options, a wide range of activities and access to the onsite spa and wellness center.Families can now enjoy a level of exclusivity with personalized services and facilities in Family Selection. Children take the lead with Family Boss, giving them a VIP experience with exclusive amenities such as a welcome kit with mini-bathrobes, mini-slippers and towels. This offering truly proves that Luxury Comes in All Sizes.
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WORDS / JENNA BUEGE
Cancun International Airport (CUN) is getting a major makeover. According to CUN’s owner, Aeropuertos del Sureste (ASUR), the company will spend $1.4 billion on renovations and expansions throughout the popular facility to allow for more flights and new developments. Reaping the benefits of these exciting upgrades are Terminals 1 and 4, which are being expanded to accommodate even more passengers than their already impressive nine million a year. Additionally, ASUR is using a portion of the funds to build a station for Mexico’s new Maya Train which currently serves Cancun through Campeche. While work on the train line is still underway, it will eventually cover 950 miles connecting CUN with popular tourist destinations like Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Calakmul and Palenque.
According to aviation analytics company Cirium, Delta Air Lines was the most on-time airline in North America in 2023. How did Cirium come to this conclusion? Each year, the company releases its “On-Time Performance Report,” a data-driven assessment of airlines’ performances comprising unbiased data from over 600 real-time information sources. Cirium then uses this data to determine each airline’s “On-Time Performance,” defined by the company as “an aircraft arrival at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time.” Cirium has run this report for the past 15 years, and Delta has taken home the win in 2021, 2022, and now, 2023. Here were the top five most timely U.S. airlines according to the 2023 report: 1) Delta Air Lines at 84.72%, 2) Alaska Airlines at 82.25%, 3) American Airlines at 80.61%, 4) United Airlines at 80.04% and 5) Southwest Airlines at 76.26%.
After a chaotic couple of years, the U.S. Department of State announced in midDecember 2023 that processing times for passport applications are back to pre-pandemic levels. Now, the average processing time for routine service is six to eight weeks, and expedited service, which costs an additional $60, is two to three weeks. “With this update, we have fulfilled our commitment to return to benchmarks from March 2020,” the U.S. Department of State said. “This reflects the work of dedicated employees working for the American people.”
Tourists gather in a crowded market square in Venice, Italy.
Beginning this summer, Venice, Italy will limit the size of tour groups to 25 people in addition to banning loudspeakers that “may cause confusion and disturbance,” according to a January 2024 statement from the city. The new regulations, which will go into effect beginning June 1, are the destination’s latest efforts to soften the impact of overtourism on the local community, something the popular vacation spot has been working toward for several years now. Regarding the change, Venice Security Councilor Elisabetta Pesce said, “(It is an) important measure aimed at improving the management of groups organized in the historic center and on the nearby islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello, promoting sustainable tourism and guaranteeing the protection and safety of the city.”
U.S. passport wait times are now back to pre-pandemic levels.
A sign outlines the perks of using TSA PreCheck.
Just before the new year, Fiji Airways, Lynx Air, Norse Atlantic Airways and STARLUX Airlines were added to TSA PreCheck, the popular and trusted traveler program headed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Excluding Fiji Airways, TSA PreCheck’s newest members are startup carriers hailing from Canada, Europe and Taiwan, respectively, all of which recently began service to the U.S. With the addition of its most recent recruits, TSA PreCheck currently encompasses 94 airlines and counting.
To reduce overcrowding, Yosemite National Park is requiring reservations for all visitors arriving by car from April through October 2024. Those planning to explore the park during this time can familiarize themselves with Yosemite’s new “Peak Hours Plus” vehicle reservation pilot system — an online reservation booking platform managed by the National Park System. This will be in effect during the following periods: On weekends from April 13 to June 30, every day from July 1 to Aug. 16 and on weekends from Aug. 17 to Oct. 27. “The summer’s pilot system is built from extensive public feedback, data from three years of pilot reservation systems here in Yosemite, and lessons learned from other national parks,” said Cicely Muldoon, superintendent of Yosemite National Park. “This pilot system will inform how we ensure an equitable and outstanding visitor experience while protecting Yosemite’s world-class resources.”
Slated to open in 2027, Hard Rock International recently broke ground on the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Athens in Athens, Greece. The new resort is budgeted at $1.6 billion and will feature 1,100 guestrooms, a casino with 180 tables and 1,500 machines, 15 food and beverage options, a 3,000seat Hard Rock Live theater, a meeting and convention space and more. According to a December 2023 press release from the brand, the property will be the first integrated resort of its kind in continental Europe.
When you help your Sailors book a voyage on one of our gorgeous lady ships from Athens or Barcelona this Summer, you’re helping yourself out, too. See, while your Sailors enjoy our Fair & Flexible Fares — luxurious offerings like our 20+ Michelin chef-curated eateries, unlimited group fitness classes, WiFi, essential drinks, and world class entertainment (always included in their voyage fares)— you’ll enjoy 16% commission on each voyage (plus no NCFs!), and 10% for each
Sarah Kline PRESIDENT OF TIME FOR TRAVEL
WEBSITE timefortravel.com
INSTAGRAM instagram.com/timefortravelltd
“Despite a growing travel trend towards Europe, Africa and Asia, the persistent global uncertainties and financial considerations have led many to stick with familiar choices such as the Caribbean and Mexico. Surprisingly, there’s been a decline in demand for Mexico, previously a hot destination for 2022/23, with a noticeable shift towards smaller Caribbean and more intimate locales. A striking trend is the escalating demand for luxury experiences, with a focus on top-notch service and premium food and beverage offerings. Additionally, there’s a notable surge in the prioritization of self-care and wellness, as clients actively seek resorts equipped with spas, gyms and health-conscious dining options to ensure a holistic and rejuvenating travel experience.”
Syreeta R Grose CO-OWNER/CEO OF GROSE TRAVEL SERVICES MEETINGS AND EVENTS
VICE PRESIDENT OF VENDOR RELATIONS AND AGENT DEVELOPMENT AT TRAVMANITY INC
FACEBOOK facebook.com/grosetravelservices
“I can say while the pandemic was extremely detrimental to our industry, it also laid the groundwork for trends today and the future. More and more consumers are now reaching out to travel advisors for assistance. They have come to realize having a peace of mind that someone will take care of their needs is a necessity. Also, we are seeing the planning of more trips in the 9-15 months range and luxury travel. Clients are starting to see that last-minute vacations are no more and also are wanting to be pampered. Flights are full, and resorts are sold out. Bucket list long haul destinations such as Australia, Maldives, Bali and Ghana are on the rise also as the thought for some are they need to create experiences as you never know when it can all be taken away again.”
Jay Islam
OWNER/CEO OF GRAND TRAVEL AND CRUISE
WEBSITE grandtravelcruise.com
INSTAGRAM instagram.com/vacationjay
“Every year since COVID, there is a continuous change in trend. More and more clients want to go for a longer time and with family/friends! Group travel is definitely seeing more demand. Destination weddings are through the roof; most weekends in 2024 are already booked up for weddings. Also, Europe and cruise are on fire. I do see a little slowdown due to the global crisis and recession looming in the U.S., but as travel advisors, we have to educate and guide our clients so they can have the best time in life going on vacation. Some of my clients don’t want to go over their vacation budget, but I tell them politely that ‘Vacation is a treat, so treat yourself, don’t cheat yourself! Spend extra bucks and have a grand time!’”
Blake Burkhart OWNER & ADVISOR AT HAUS TRAVEL
WEBSITE haus-travel.com
INSTAGRAM instagram.com/haustravel
“At Haus Travel, we’re excited about a travel trend that we see gaining momentum: our clients are increasingly embracing ‘slow travel.’ This approach moves away from rushing to tick off items on typical ‘Top 20 things to do’ lists. Instead of the once-popular requests for itineraries covering five or six European locations, we’re now seeing a preference for more focused trips with just two or three stops. This shift in travel style enables us as travel advisors to create value by crafting vacations that not only resonate with our clients’ personalities but also allow them to gain a deeper appreciation of each destination. Our commitment at Haus Travel is to create memorable, individualized travel experiences that align with this trend, embodying the principle that less really is more.”
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As you like it
The American Society of Travel Advisors’ annual conference has a lot in store for attendees.
WORDS / CODIE LIERMANN
Whether it’s to network with other travel industry professionals, meet with suppliers or attend educational workshops — or all of the above — advisors continue to attend the American Society of Travel Advisors’ annual conference. This year, the event is taking place in Dallas, TX from May 29 – 31, 2024.
To learn more about what’s in store for
attendees, we caught up with Meagan Norton, manager, communications at ASTA. Read on to learn more about what to expect this year.
Q: What is the reasoning behind changing the name from ASTA Global Convention to The ASTA Travel Advisor Conference?
A: We assessed our annual event and recognized that a concentrated emphasis on business skills and growth would bring substantial value to our members and the industry at large.
The new name, “The ASTA Travel Advisor Conference,” has been chosen to explicitly convey the conference’s target audience and underscore our dedication to professional development across all experience levels.
This rebranding aims to distinguish our conference by offering unique perspectives and training opportunities not found in other industry events. Participating advisors, whether
new to the industry or having worked in the travel business for 30+ years, can anticipate a transformative experience that equips them with the insights and expertise needed to thrive in their roles and take their travel agencies to new heights.
Q: Is the conference going to be structured differently this year? What familiar aspects will advisors see, and are there any new features to look forward to?
A: We’ve undertaken a comprehensive overhaul of our conference structure this year to ensure that advisors not only maximize, but thoroughly enjoy their experience!
To cater to the diverse needs of advisors, we’ve introduced specialized “tracks” focusing on “Cultivating,” “Accelerating” and “Innovating” within the travel business. These tracks are thoughtfully curated for new entrants, existing advisors and seasoned
leaders alike. In response to popular demand, we’re reintroducing early-riser educational opportunities and repeating select courses, enabling attendees to absorb additional knowledge without missing out on any compelling sessions.
In a brand-new addition this year, alongside the popular trade show, we’re introducing dedicated 1:1 appointments with travel suppliers on a separate day. This exclusive setup aims to provide a relaxed environment for travel advisors to engage with suppliers, fostering stronger relationships crucial for business growth.
While the annual Advocacy Dinner remains a highlight, we’ve strategically shifted it to the final night, creating a more impactful culmination of the event. To infuse even more excitement, Southwest Airlines will host a lively party at their headquarters in lieu of the mid-event dinner, and Carnival Cruise Line will kick off our opening night on Wednesday, May 29, with a spectacular carnival-themed event. Attendees can look forward to the same Young Professionals Society (YPS) Reception, but we’ll be adding to the vibrancy of our agenda by holding an independent advisor happy hour for those advisors not affiliated with a host agency to connect.
Q: Are there any specific workshops or speakers you’re especially excited about?
A: We’re thrilled to present a star-studded lineup of speakers for The Travel Advisor Conference this year!
Leading the charge is Venus Williams, the tennis legend and business entrepreneur who will serve as our keynote speaker. Williams will share invaluable business insights drawn from her entrepreneurial journey across several industries, including wellness, fashion and design. Her unique perspective as a female leader adds a compelling dimension to the conference, offering both inspiration and strategies that can be applied to the business of travel advisors.
As a testament to our commitment to providing exceptional training, we’re honored to feature former FBI top negotiator and New York Times best-selling author, Chris Voss from The Black Swan Group. As a Masterclass speaker, Voss will impart essential business negotiation skills to our attendees, drawing from his rich experience in high-stakes situations.
Our lineup also includes esteemed industry leaders such as Christine Duffy,
President of Carnival Cruise Line, and Chris Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton. We’ve also curated a diverse range of speakers from prestigious institutions such as Harvard and Arizona State, as well as thought leaders from TED and the Small Business Development Center.
Q: Can you talk more about the educational “tracks” and the opportunity to earn credits toward a Verified Travel Certification?
A: At this year’s conference, we’ve strategically organized our breakout education sessions into three distinct tracks, each tailored to meet the specific needs of our diverse audience.
The first track, “Cultivate,” is crafted for individuals seeking the foundational knowledge and essential skills to kickstart their travel business from marketing, back-office accounting, branding and more.
For those more focused on business growth, the “Accelerate” track offers targeted workshops geared towards travel advisors committed to learning proven strategies and tactics to propel their business in overdrive.
Lastly, the “Innovate” track is designed to explore cutting-edge trends, innovative technologies and strategic insights to advance agencies forward.
We’ve implemented a new sign-up feature for education sessions. This feature enables
attendees to pre-select specific sessions, ensuring a customized and curated learning journey. All registered attendees will receive timely notifications via email, prompting them to select and register for their preferred education sessions. We understand the importance of a smooth onboarding process, so we’ve planned to conduct track-specific orientations at the beginning of the conference. This will provide attendees with a roadmap and a clear understanding of what each track has to offer.
For the first time, ASTA will also be offering an onsite course that will count towards our Verified Travel Advisor program, allowing attendees to earn credits toward certification. The course is titled Bankruptcy Basics and will be offered Thursday, May 30, during the conference from 4-4:45 p.m. CST. Advisors will need to show proof of their attendance and will be required to pass an online exam at a later date.
The Verified Travel Advisor certification is an elite level of industry recognition that demonstrates to both clients and industry peers an advisor’s travel knowledge and commitment to excellence. Achieving and maintaining this certification elevates one to an elite level of trust and integrity within the industry. Especially in the new era of artificial intelligence and online travel scams, obtaining the VTA guarantees consumers are working with a real person on the other end of the line.
How Stephanie M. Jones is making the travel and tourism industry more accessible for small BIPOC suppliers and businesses.
Think about the average industry event. Which suppliers are there?
What’s the demographic of the attendees? Which topics do the breakout and educational sessions cover? While working for the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau in the early 2010s, Stephanie M. Jones attended many of these events, and she noticed a glaring trend: the lack of diversity. This observation stuck with her, and in 2016, upon founding the Cultural Heritage Alliance for Tourism, Inc. (CHAT), Jones began her journey toward what she calls “leveling the playing field.”
“I started CHAT to create equitable opportunities for small Black and Brown travel and tourism businesses from underserved communities,” said Jones. While CHAT initially operated in South Florida, it has since expanded to serve and support underrepresented entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout the U.S. by providing tools and education to help them participate in and profit from local tourism ecosystems.
“After conducting research (and) learning about the disparities for Black businesses
in marginalized communities and the lack of tourism dollars and tourist foot traffic for Black neighborhoods and businesses, it became my mission to help level the playing field by leveraging tourism as an economic driver for fueling underserved businesses and communities.”
One way Jones is working toward her mission? Through the promotion of cultural heritage tourism, a segment of tourism focused on connecting travelers with the people and places that shaped Black communities and culture. “I discovered that in local destinations throughout Florida and other states, small BIPOC suppliers that provided cultural heritage tours and experiences were not part of tourism marketing efforts,” said Jones. She went on to share how rethinking these marketing efforts was a necessary first step toward bridging the gap between small BIPOC suppliers and industry stakeholders like DMOs who have the authority on what to see and do in their respective destinations.
To begin building these relationships, Jones produced and hosted the Cultural Heritage Tourism Synergy Summit in 2018, and again in 2019, to bring together small BIPOC suppliers, cultural heritage tourism thought leaders, DMOs and other industry figures from around the globe. Then, in 2020, Jones founded the Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, Inc. (CHEA), an organization that
provides training to small BIPOC businesses to equip them with the skills they need to be sustainable, scalable and profitable as well as to provide industry access and funding opportunities.
Jones’ work is a step in the right direction for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the travel industry, and it also leads to a larger discussion about the work that still needs to be done. “I could write a book on how the industry overall is missing the mark on DEI,” said Jones. “However, there have been small strides made by some travel brands and DMOs that have been intentional in increasing diversity in supplier contracting, diversity in hiring and reflecting broader diversity in marketing collateral.” Unfortunately, recent years have come with their share of struggles, too. “I’ve seen more pushback from the table and less conversations on DEI within the industry,” said Jones. “Organizations such as CHEA, Black Travel Alliance, Diversity Tourism Matters and Travel Unity must continue to lean into our efforts to hold the industry accountable and keep the conversations and investments to sustain DEI forefront of mind.”
As for travel advisors, Jones said their role is evolving. “As consumer sentiment and demand for the consumption of making cultural connections during travels (rises), this is a very exciting time for travel advisors, especially those focusing on niche markets and diverse products,” she shared. In addition to demand, Jones said offering diverse products is important because 1) It levels the playing field, 2) It addresses overtourism and uplifts less-visited communities, 3) It increases diverse tour products and presents a unique option for itineraries, and 4) It exposes travelers to broader, more diverse stories.
Don’t know where to start? Jones
recommends learning through experience. “It’s important for travel advisors to gain a better understanding of diverse tour products and experiences offered by BIPOC businesses and to experience Black cultural heritage tours through FAM tours in order to educate their clients.” She also recommends looking into education available through organizations like CHEA, which offers exclusive training and certifications to equip advisors with the marketing tools, messaging and images they need to sell niche tour products to their clients.
“My carry-on always consists of my medications, a bottle of water, laptop, reMarkable notepad, hand sanitizer, Clorox hand wipes (to wipe down my seat, tray, TV screen, etc.), neck pillow and extra face masks.”
ASTA’s 2023 Travel Advisor of the Year shares her insights on what it takes to find success in the industry.
WORDS / CODIE LIERMANN
Last year at ASTA’s annual conference, Dr. Terika L. Haynes, CEO and founder of Dynamite Travel, was named the 2023 ASTA Travel Advisor of the Year.
“Being named the 2023 ASTA Travel Advisor of the Year has been life changing,” Haynes said. “Winning the award shortly after COVID was confirmation for me. If I would have given up as an advisor and given up on the travel industry, I would not have won this award. The award means that I’m exactly where I need to be and everything that I’ve gone through up to this point was for this exact season.”
Taking home this title is no doubt
something to be proud of, and it certainly signifies a lot of hard work behind the scenes. Let’s take a look back at what set the stage and led Haynes down the path of success.
Haynes joined the exciting world of travel in 2008 and worked as a part-time travel advisor while also holding a full-time job as a college professor. In 2017, she transitioned to working as a full-time travel advisor.
“I’ve always had a passion for travel and decided to act on it by servicing and educating others so that they could experience a passion similar to mine,” Haynes said, adding that helping her clients experience new things is one of her favorite parts of the job. “Whether it be a first time traveling
together as a couple or a family or a first time traveling to a new country, I love being the trusted connector between the client and a new experience.”
A few years before even taking the leap to work as a full-time advisor, Haynes’ travel business was already starting to take off, and social media marketing played a huge factor in this success, especially Twitter. Her business continued to accelerate as she began working full time, explaining that the extra time spent listening to the demands of the market and sharpening her skills aided in her growth. Another facet that aids in her success is traveling. Haynes believes traveling is a crucial aspect for advisors, and it leads to
attaining important industry knowledge and building connections.
“I am also a firm believer that connections are priceless,” Haynes said. “Traveling gives me the opportunity to personally connect with my peers, brand leaders, frontline personnel and community gems. This, in turn, helps me to provide my clients with stellar customer service that will exceed their expectations.”
As for what she sells most, Haynes focuses on luxury Caribbean vacations but also has her eye on becoming an expert in
1. Your journey is your own. It can be easy to look at what others are doing and compare yourself. Focus on your own journey and on being your best self and everything will happen as it’s supposed to.
2. Making connections can be as important as traditional training. Don’t forget to connect (in your own way) everywhere you go. The connections you make will be invaluable to you and your business.
3. Celebrate every accomplishment, big and small and memorialize each one.
expedition cruising. According to Haynes, there is value in having a specialization, but it’s also important to keep an eye on market demands and be willing to adjust your business as needed.
Over the past few years, Haynes also added the titles of expert contributor and travel journalist to her roster. One of her goals is to continue working as a journalist, as she finds it helps her grow as a travel advisor. “I’d love to also do more video journalism work and podcasts,” Haynes said. “Additionally, I want to continue
inspiring the masses after my award tenure by doing more speaking engagements.”
Haynes explained that her award is much bigger than herself. “Being named Travel Advisor of the Year has been inspiring to so many people, especially those from diverse backgrounds,” she said. “It reminds us all to dream big, work hard and be resilient! I am so grateful that this award has given me the opportunity to be visible in a manner that I can further educate and inspire not only travel advisors, but other industry professionals and travelers as well.”
Learn how the popular hotelier is working to introduce Opportunity Youth to the hospitality industry.
WORDS / JENNA BUEGE
In alignment with its purpose, Hyatt Corporation cares for people so they can be their best. And, while the company lives this mission in various ways, one notable example is its RiseHY program, a global initiative established in 2018 to bring hospitality jobs and Opportunity Youth together.
“In the travel and tourism industry, we are
fortunate to support one out of every 10 jobs worldwide, yet often, people in underserved communities lack the paths they need to find these opportunities,” said Malaika Myers, chief human resources officer for Hyatt, in a short video promoting RiseHY.
Myers went on to share that, around the globe, more than 40% of young people
are either unemployed or living in poverty. Additionally, in the U.S. alone, there are 4.9 million Opportunity Youth, a term Myers described as “young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not working or going to school and therefore are disconnected from our economy.”
Myers expanded on how RiseHY can
change lives, stating, “At Hyatt, we’re in a unique position to be part of the solution because hospitality is an industry where people can truly rise from entry-level roles to create meaningful, life-long careers.”
As an example, the video shared the story of Maketh, who began his RiseHY journey as a dishwasher in the early 2000s and now works as an executive steward, leading a team of 20+ employees. “You don’t need experience to do it, you just get in there and start working as normally,” Maketh said.
Also chiming in on RiseHY’s impact was Gilbert, a general manager in New Brunswick. “Sometimes you don’t know what you want to do in life, and all of a sudden,
you get to a place where you feel that you’re cared for and then you start understanding a little bit more about what you can do and your potential,” he said.
It’s clear the program has done a lot of good, but Hyatt isn’t finished yet. Instead, the hotelier set RiseHY’s loftiest goal to date: to hire 10,000 Opportunity Youth by 2025. Here’s how Myers said the brand is making good on its promise. “First, we’re bringing more attention to the types of jobs Hyatt and its hotels offer,” she said. “With the help of virtual reality, young people will experience, sometimes for the very first time, what life is like inside a hotel. They’ll be able to spend a day in the life of our colleagues including
culinary roles, housekeeping and more.”
Additionally, the company is working with community-based organizations to match candidates with entry-level jobs that best fit their unique skills and qualifications. Myers shared that the help of these community-based organizations, especially Youth Career Initiatives and Grads of Life, allows the brand and its hotels to provide on-the-job training programs and full-time employment to participants.
“With each hire we add to our collective impact on the societal challenge,” said Myers. “And by enabling more Opportunity Youth to rise, we will ensure Hyatt and its hotels have a diverse, inclusive pipeline of colleagues for years to come.”
Drones can make for compelling marketing footage — plus, it’s easier (and cheaper) than you’d expect.
You know a drone shot when you see it: The aerial technology provides the most striking views above a destination or specific property. This type of powerful footage might seem out of reach due to a limited budget or lack of technological savvy. But it’s more accessible than you might think — and it’s a tool travel advisors definitely want in their marketing arsenals.
“Drones are easy to fly,” said Christine Lozada, a drone operator and traveler with a corporate marketing background
who shares drone insights widely on her YouTube channel. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Footage from a drone not only shows off a site in the most appealing way possible but also helps locate the featured place in the context of its surroundings. It might help show, for instance, that a hotel is within easy walking distance from a beach or heritage site, highlighting both views and convenience.
Or, it could show just how isolated in the wilderness a lodge intended as a remote retreat is.
Plus, drone shots are just plain beautiful, conveying a cinematic quality that takes the viewer on a more dynamic journey than if they’d simply viewed a set of still shots or ground-level videos. Drone footage conveys the awe and wonder that flowing blocks of copy do not.
“It’s a known fact that people are more swayed by emotion than logic, and anything
that has the potential to give goosebumps is effective indeed,” wrote John Brady, a U.K.based drone pilot for Orion Aerial Images, in a recent LinkedIn article. “People would much rather watch a dynamic video and see their intended holiday destination than read a load of text about it.”
Brady noted that the best drone videos tell a story that keeps “the viewer watching as gradually more and more is revealed up to the very end.” For example, a video may start with a sunrise at sea level, rise above the beach, and then reveal the entire oceanfront with hotels and shops amid a backdrop of morning light. “People imagine themselves at that destination looking out of their hotel window or walking along the promenade in the same beautiful scenery,” he said.
Lozada urges consistency for both practice and maximal content creation potential. “Every single time you’re traveling, fly your drone wherever you are,” she said on her website. Once the footage is captured, share the video assets widely.
You can integrate drone footage into your professional website and, more importantly, use it in your social media marketing. Make sure to shoot in a high-quality mode, and don’t forget to change the upload settings to maintain that high quality and avoid compression, Lozada advises.
For best results, she recommends rotating drone video files vertically before posting them and optimizing the aspect ratio for the platform you’re using, such as Instagram or TikTok.
Beyond that, make sure to tag any relevant destinations, subjects and potential customers, and use hashtags to amplify your footage and expand your reach.
“What you capture: Share it,” Lozada said. “No one knows who you are until you grab their attention, so tag them in, and engage with, their social media.”
For beginners, Lozada recommends lowpriced yet high-powered drones with robust safety features, including DJI’s Mavic Mini 2
SE, 3 or 4 Pro models.
You don’t need to register your drone or get a pilot’s license simply to buy or operate a drone. And you won’t need such a license or registration if you’re flying a mini drone just for fun.
But if you’re planning to earn money
with your drone, you’ll need to register on the FAA website for a nominal fee and put that registration number on your device. You’ll also need to get a Remote Pilot Small Unmanned Aircraft System License, which requires passing a test administered by a local testing location and paying a fee.
THESE INCREDIBLE DISPLAYS INSPIRE MILLIONS OF TRAVELERS TO EMBARK ON A JOURNEY EACH YEAR.
WORDS / JENNA BUEGE
Our planet, and the creatures that inhabit it, know how to put on a show. From epic animal migrations and fantastical celestial events to strange blooms and otherworldly landscapes, each year these incredible natural phenomena inspire millions of travelers to pack their bags in hopes of witnessing something amazing. Considering their awe-inspiring beauty, it’s no surprise these unbelievable events drive big numbers for travel, and we think everyone should experience at least one at some point in their life. Here are a few dazzling displays to look forward to in 2024.
An eerie yet beautiful occurrence, once every 18 months, the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, resulting in a total solar eclipse. When observed from the 115-mile-wide “path of totality,” onlookers are rendered speechless as the once clear blue sky and surrounding landscape are bathed in a dark glow, the sun’s fiery rays seemingly snuffed. Animals sing, and human hearts flutter, and for those few minutes, the world stands still. In recent years, news of the total solar eclipse made quite the buzz in the United States as the path of totality bisected the nation in 2017 and again in April 2024. Armed with special eclipse glasses, tens of millions of travelers were prompted to flock to prime viewing areas to experience the wonder for themselves. The display in April 2024 marked the last total solar eclipse visible from the U.S. until the path makes its return in 2044. The next total solar eclipse will happen over Greenland, Iceland and Spain in 2026.
A cinematic display on Earth’s biggest screen, the Aurora Borealis paints the night sky in shimmery curtains of red, purple, blue and green. Commonly referred to as the Northern Lights, this solar sensation has delighted and fascinated observers since, according to the Library of Congress, it was first recorded by ancient Babylonian astronomers around 567 BC. Interested in catching this otherworldly light show? While the phenomenon has been observed as far south as Hawaii, one’s chances of witnessing it start to skyrocket the closer they are to the North Pole. Take for example, popular polar destinations like Alaska, Norway, Finland and more, which enjoy this magical, yet perfectly scientific, exhibit from October through late March as the Earth’s magnetic field redirects fast-moving solar particles toward the planet’s northern and southernmost points.
Humans aren’t the only ones who head to Mexico when the temperatures start to drop. Each year, beginning in October, hundreds of thousands of Monarch butterflies travel up to 120 nautical miles a day during the species’ epic migration to Mexico’s oyamel fir tree forests. Situated just west of Mexico City, by early November, swarms of these fascinating orange and black-winged insects can be found clustered along tree trunks and fluttering through the canopies where they remain until temperatures in the U.S. and Canada start to warm come spring. Until then, these Monarchs draw quite the crowd with the region playing host to a variety of tours at dedicated sanctuaries and biospheres that encourage people to witness the incredible journey in an up-close-and-personal way.
With the word “death” in its name, it’s hard to imagine California’s Death Valley as anything but a barren wasteland. However, about once a decade, the region famous for its sandstone formations, scorching climate and mysterious sailing stones is completely transformed as a sea of wildflowers emerges seemingly overnight, resulting in a colorful tapestry of yellow, pink, purple and orange. Referred to as a “superbloom,” this rare phenomenon can only occur in the wake of perfect conditions — gentle rain, cozy temperatures and low wind throughout the year — and is most commonly observed between mid-February and mid-July. And, with the boom in flora comes the fauna as large numbers of pollinators like bees, moths, butterflies and hummingbirds who otherwise sparsely visit Death Valley make their way to the iconic national park.
Sitting just shy of 12,000 feet above sea level, Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is the world’s largest salt flat. To describe the region in a word, the first thing to come to mind is “otherworldly,” a vibe the flats emit with their pale, white hue and raised honeycomb-shaped cracks, stretching on for thousands of miles as far as the eye can see. However, come December, this strange landscape begins to change as overflow from neighboring waterways finds its way to the prehistoric salt-encrusted lakebed, transforming the usually parched landscape into a shallow “lake” with water levels up to 20 inches. In tandem with the arrival of these watery conditions is the creation of the world’s largest natural mirror, as Salar de Uyuni’s natural features amplify the appearance of the lake’s reflection, resulting in a world that seemingly goes on for infinity.
Known for its magnificent granite cliffs, giant sequoia trees and scenic waterways, California’s Yosemite National Park is the definition of picturesque. The region is rich in natural beauty, and it’s no surprise millions of visitors flock to the Yosemite Valley each year for a taste of its splendor. However, while most people visit this beloved park in the summer months, those who brave the brisk temperatures of winter may be rewarded with one of its most magnificent features of all: the Yosemite Firefall. Observable from El Capitan, a vertical rock formation on the park’s north side, Yosemite’s natural “firefall” occurs when beams from the February sun illuminate Horsetail Falls’ rushing waters, creating the illusion of a molten orange lava flow. It’s a sensational sight, and thousands of visitors and photographers from around the world gather in droves for their chance to capture the perfect shot.
Picture the scene: it’s the Fourth of July, and you’re at a baseball game. Brats are on the grill, and beers are flowing freely; the sun shines down on you on this perfect summer day. For residents in Fairbanks, Alaska, a Fourth of July baseball game is a tradition, but there’s a catch: they play at midnight. A curious occurrence dubbed “the Midnight Sun,” each year from April through August, the Earth’s axis tilts toward the sun, bathing regions in the Northern Hemisphere in a nearly continuous stream of daylight, with some summer days raging on for 24 hours straight. For the uninitiated, watching our solar system’s friendly ball of fire refuse to dip below the horizon can feel wrong. But, for those in the Arctic, the Midnight Sun is a blessing, offering a much-needed dose of Vitamin D after a long stretch of “Polar Darkness,” the Midnight Sun’s counterpart, where the same areas experience little to no daylight from October through March.
Each year from July through October, tens of thousands of tourists visit Caño Cristales, Columbia’s Rainbow River. The result of a funky aquatic plant called Macarenia clavigera, in the time between the region’s wet and dry seasons, Caño Cristales’ usually dully-colored riverbed undergoes a curious metamorphosis, after which it resembles a liquid rainbow, boasting vibrant shades of green, blue, yellow, red and purple. To witness the bloom in all its glory, visitors will want to choose a day that’s full of sun, as light reflects and amplifies the bounty of colors.
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Bernell King, owner of the concierge travel agency World Awaits Cultural Tours, defines meaningful travel as exploration that’s relational, not transactional. “Typically, tourism, travel and trips are transactional,” she said. “They’re logistical. We book a flight, we book our hotel, we book some tours, some experiences. They’re transactions.”
When the travel experience goes further, so that you’re engaging with local people and immersing yourself in the local culture, she explained, that’s relational. It’s what she arranges for travelers, including one middleaged, experienced traveler she helped plan a trip to Cartagena, Colombia for last year.
“She did not want to do one touristic thing,” King said. “She didn’t want to go to the UNESCO World Heritage sites. She didn’t want to go to the pristine Rosario Islands that everybody goes to. She said, ‘I don’t even want to start my day until 1 p.m.’ She just wanted to engage with the local culture and people.”
So, King designed an itinerary that was meaningful and intentional, made up of food experiences and evening cultural activities. “Cartagena has a lot of free cultural programming that’s very rich and high-level,” King explained. “Every day, she went to a different cultural program, including dance and performing arts. There were no tourists there, only the local people because tourists don’t readily look for these things or know they exist.”
One of the performances, in one of the city’s marginalized neighborhoods, was by a nonprofit dance foundation that works with children and teens. “Their whole message is around social justice and understanding and appreciating their identity as Afro-Colombians and as women,” King said. The traveler was so impressed that she invited the dance company to the United States for an international dance project, and they’ve been working closely with King to plan it for a year. Now that’s meaningful travel, King added.
Meaningful travel can also mean finding smaller, local tour operators and travel companies and supporting businesses that put money into the communities that travelers visit. One way to find sustainable,
community-led enterprises, products, services, accommodations and tours is through Tourism Cares’ Meaningful Travel Map.
The interactive global map displays travel experiences that are vetted to ensure they deliver authentic, impact-driven experiences that are visitor-ready. These include activities such as bookable recreational experiences that prioritize accessibility and inclusion, gift items that benefit victims of human trafficking and restaurants that not only train at-risk youth but also offer excellent local cuisine.
Some of the diverse destinations and activities on the map include:
• The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone
• Fernweh Fair Travel, a women-led and -run, award-winning, internationally recognized youth and women empowerment project offering guided
tours that integrate nature-based adventures and spiritual retreats with indigenous cultural activities in the Indian Himalayas
• Live Like a Local tours of Boston, which take guests into the city’s neighborhoods to experience food from different cultures
• Tromsø Accessible Tours AS, an organization that develops adventure tourism and extreme sport itineraries in the Arctic region of Norway
Veteran travel advisor Tracey Ford is launching a platform called Local Insights to connect visitors with locals for authentic personal encounters that support marginalized and in need communities. As part of the program, she specifically targets
Next time you’re building a custom itinerary — or even marketing your meaningful travel services — keep these programs in mind as recommendations.
• Pack for a Purpose: Give back by traveling with supplies needed by community projects around the world. Some initiatives include education, health, child welfare and animal welfare. Since 2010, Pack for a Purpose travelers have taken more than 450,000 pounds of supplies needed to meet essential needs in more than 55 countries.
• Elevate Destinations: Use this company to design a luxury vacation that includes conscientious
individuals from overlooked communities to serve as the Locals.
and ethical community interactions. They’ll custom design a trip suited for the travelers’ values, skills and time frame, which may include a cultural exchange in Belize, volunteering with sea turtles in Costa Rica or helping with wildlife for a week in Sri Lanka.
• Malama Hawai‘i: The Malama Hawai‘i Program lists volunteer opportunities for visitors to experience Hawai‘i on a less casual and more involved level. Participate in a reforestation project, clean up a coastline or even help restore a battleship. Some volunteer activities offer a special discount or a free night at a participating hotel.
• Go Overseas: Search locations and project types to find a volunteer project abroad and make a positive impact in a local community while traveling the world. Programs include helping care for exotic animals in Guatemala, helping with refugee relief in Italy and working with special needs patients in Ireland.
• International Volunteer HQ: Read about volunteer trips for solo travelers, teenagers, those on a gap year, seniors, couples on an alternative honeymoon, first-time travelers, comfort-seeker travelers, budget travelers, medical students and more.
Visitors enjoy the water in Mākena.
“The idea is that the locals can tell their story in their own words, whatever that story is,” Ford said. “So, if you are a local family and have kids, you play in the local park, and your kids play in a soccer team, your profile will include that story: ‘We’re a family. We’ve lived here for three generations, and our kids play soccer. Meet us at the park for a playdate with your family.’”
Perhaps the local will be someone who worked at a shipyard, and an inbound tourist wants to learn more about Navy ships and Naval history, she said. Or, maybe they’d like to meet someone from a local tribe and learn more about Indigenous culture.
She also hopes to work with military spouses as trained locals. “Maybe a spouse is a retired architecture professor and would love to show travelers the architecture of this little shipyard town as it’s grown in the last 150 years,” she said.
Ford said tourists coming into a city with her service — Seattle, to start — will view the profiles of locals trained in storytelling, arrange a meeting and pay for the service. “It may be sitting and having a cup of coffee and taking a walk in the park. Or maybe spending time in nature and watching a beautiful
sunset over the water. We’re not taking them on a tour to see monuments or historical markers unless that local has a connection to that. The local drives what the encounter looks like.”
Heather Lane Chauny, founder and owner of Heather Lane Adventures, creates what she calls “customized travel for authentic experiences.”
“I got into this industry because I wanted to not necessarily disrupt but be part of a change and have tourism be a source of good on the planet,” she said. “To use travel and tourism to connect people, to learn from each other and to create mutual understanding.”
She thinks of meaningful travel as being additive rather than extractive.
“I see there being three different
pillars,” she said. “One is visiting local places, contributing to local economies and interacting with locals from those communities as much as possible to really get an authentic experience. Another is ensuring that the travel is not harming the environment or the ecosystem. That’s a little bit hard with travel sometimes, but at least minimizing that harm or that kind of eco-footprint when you visit a place, using sustainable hotels as much as possible and prioritizing farm-to-table cuisine. And then third, sharing that experience with people when you get home.”
“On a more macro level, it’s making sure we’re contributing to the places we’re visiting
rather than just taking as much as we can. I mean, we want souvenirs, and those are things that help local economies, especially if they’re produced by local artisans or craftspeople, but it’s about reducing our impact on a place we’re visiting.”
She said that while clients don’t use the terms “responsible tourism” or “meaningful tourism experience,” many do want that.
“I just had a client today who wants to do an ancestral tour to Italy with their matriarch, who’s 88 and whose family comes from there. That’s meaningful travel, too. It’s connecting
to a place that has great meaning to you as a family.”
Chauny starts working with a client through a discovery call, when she asks about interests and needs in detail. Like King, she’s arranged trips to places she hasn’t been before by keeping up with self-education, webinars, tour operator events and other professional development.
“I also belong to Virtuoso, which has a sustainability community I’m a part of. It’s a global network of people I can call on if I don’t know a place, and I know the network is vetted and verified by a trusted network,” Chauny said.
She says travel agents need to go that extra mile to ensure the properties they send clients to hire local people and honor local cultures and communities. “We have enough resources at our fingertips to be able to do that extra homework for our clients,” she said.
Chauny thinks this is the direction that travel is headed: “I think, as travel advisors, we have a huge opportunity to make travel a unique and beneficial experience for everybody involved, both the travelers and the host communities.”
In just a day’s drive (or less) or a short flight, your clients could be at a Princess port, embarking on their next great journey, to the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, Canada, New England or beyond. Now with service from family-friendly Port Canaveral and Boston, plus Sun Princess® – the first of our next generation of ships – coming to Ft. Lauderdale in October 2024, there’s a whole lot to love at a homeport near you.
There’s never been a better time to book some of our most popular – and convenient – itineraries!
When you take a stroll down memory lane and journey through the evolution of the travel industry, various images pop into your head based on the destinations you’ve specialized in, the kinds of clients you’ve worked with and the types of trips that are important to you.
Travel trends have taken twists and turns throughout the years, and your customers’ needs have almost certainly progressed with those changes.
While ‘luxury travel’ seems to be trending right now, this area of the industry is by no means new. But with so many companies claiming they offer luxury travel experiences, it’s important to take a step back and figure out what, exactly, luxury travel means today — and defining it might not be that easy.
The flashy features that once defined traveling in luxury seem to be a thing of the past. When asked what the definition of luxury is, Angie Licea, president of Global Travel Collection, said, “There isn’t one anymore.” She added that while to some people it used to be a five-star hotel or resort with all the best amenities or maybe flying first class, the concept no longer fits into this specific definition.
“Now, luxury is personal, and everybody defines luxury in a certain way,” Licea said. “For some people, it might be sleeping on the plains in Africa on a bed under the stars. For others, it might still be that fivestar hotel.”
Mark Benson, associate vice president sales & strategy, Inclusive Collection, part of World of Hyatt, agrees that luxury has a personal touch. “If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then so is luxury,” he said.
If it means something different to every traveler, what aspects are important? Are there any themes that connect the various forms of luxury travel?
To Benson, it means a traveler already has what they didn’t even realize they needed. “I see it as needs being anticipated and delivery
before you even know what it is you want,” he said. “I think it’s the anticipation of the customer needs and the seamless delivery of those needs that really defines luxury.”
This anticipation of needs surely comes from a type of customer service that isn’t found everywhere. It’s an attention to detail that is taken one step further.
According to Fran Fishman, luxury travel advisor with Protravel International, there is a transformative aspect to this type of travel, where the experience is now just as important as the accommodation.
“In my opinion, luxury travel is about being taken to an environment that is transformative in many ways,” Fishman said. “That includes staying in state-of-the-art accommodations as well as feeling a sense of heightened wellness in which the travelers’ senses are touched in a uniquely memorable way.”
She’s noticed her luxury clients are looking for exceptional locations they can visit where they are not only comfortable but also have the opportunity to learn something new or take their wellness experience to the next level.
“I think the change that has occurred in luxury travel the last several years is that the traveler wants to travel to a unique location where their sense of curiosity and knowledge is expanded as well as feeling pampered while indulging in wellness which could be physical experiences as well as those that touch the many senses,” Fishman said. “The food experience has been taken to another level as well as the availability of physicality and mindfulness.”
So, if luxury isn’t a cookie-cutter, one-sizefits-all type of travel, how can advisors match their clients with experiences that work for each individual?
“That’s the part of this industry that makes it challenging but also very exciting,” Licea said. “Because one, it changes, but two, it’s diversified, and so it makes it much more fun to sell.”
Now, this might take some work, but travel advisors can start by asking their clients the right questions. Ask which features of the vacation are important to them. Are they focused on the culinary aspect? Is location significant? Is having one of the most luxurious accommodations a must? For some luxury clients, privacy and space might be the
focus. What you need to figure out is what puts your clients in a peaceful state of mind, with all their needs met.
Connecting with suppliers that offer what your clients are looking for and growing those relationships is important. And while finding suppliers you trust to care for your mutual customers is key, the attention to detail, the personalization and the luxury aspect all start with you.
You are the one who can make a luxury trip even better by paying attention to every detail. This starts from the moment your guests leave their homes. From something as simple as an airport transfer to more elaborate details like spa treatments, local experiences and choosing the best room available, it all matters. Take the time to make sure these vacations are exactly what your client is looking for, from start to finish. Help put them completely at ease in that luxury state of mind, whatever that means to them.
With results from more than 2,000 agency members spanning 50 countries, the 2024 Virtuoso Luxe Report has identified five major themes among luxury travelers this year.
• NEW FRONTIERS: These clients are set on finding under-the-radar destinations and being among the first to explore them.
• THE PARTY CONTINUES: Celebration travel is still in full swing, and luxury travelers are prioritizing time with their closest friends and family.
• HONORING THE EARTH: Supporting destinations that have suffered natural disasters in a respectful way is top of mind, as well as a focus on sustainability.
• SMALL SHIPS, BIG POSSIBILITIES: Less is more, as luxury travelers are focused on intimate settings such as small vessels and yachts.
• AT EASE: Luxury travelers are not risking an unpleasant vacation and are putting their trust in professional travel advisors to create customized, laidback experiences.
Visitors enjoy the water in Mākena.
Imagine: You’re up before the sun to board the first marine spaceport for human spaceflight, Marine Spaceport Voyager (MS Voyager). Shortly after, you enter Spaceship Neptune, which was designed to be not only accessible and sustainable but also safe. You gracefully launch from the ocean, traveling up at a gentle speed of 12 mph, and witness a breathtaking sunrise. Your destination is apogee — or maybe the true destination is a shift in your perspective — and once you arrive above 99% of Earth’s atmosphere, you take it all in.
You realize you’re one of the few who have witnessed Earth from space, and the experience
is not exactly what you thought. It’s a gentle, peaceful journey enhanced with food and beverage service, comfortable seating and Wi-Fi. After two unforgettable hours soaking up an experience of a lifetime, you begin a gentle descent that ends with a soft splash in the ocean before being brought back onto MS Voyager to commemorate with a toast. You’ve secured your spot in space history.
Now, this might not seem like a realistic scenario for many travelers, but the insatiable curiosity of explorers and scientists has brought space travel within reach.
With a goal of making space travel accessible to more people than ever, Space Perspective plans to take the experience to a whole new level. According to Jane Poynter, founder, co-CEO and CXO of Space Perspective, the trends in travel are shifting, and travelers are on the lookout for this type of “unique and transformative” experience.
“Not only is the luxury experience market set to double in the next 5-10 years, but adventure travel itself is one of the fastest growing tourism markets,” Poynter said.
“Space tourism is expected to become an $8 billion industry within this decade, and we are well positioned to capture that market with a reimagined spaceflight experience that is the safest, most advanced and most accessible of any space travel option right now.”
Intrepid explorers have long been searching for the next best thing to curb their appetite
for adventure. They’ve dove down to the depths of the oceans, scaled the world’s tallest mountains and taken expedition vessels to the most remote areas on Earth. Now they’re looking to space for their next journey.
Andrea Wright, vice president, luxury sales at Opulence by Outside Agents, noticed that the COVID era heightened the realization of experiences being more important than “stuff,” and travelers are no longer waiting for retirement to check off their bucket list adventures.
“The hunger to go where no one has gone
before and the demand for experiencing something extraordinary has exploded, and space travel surely fits in that category of being one of the ‘first’ to experience something truly unique and different,” Wright said.
Selling reservations to space? This is surely hard to grasp for some travel advisors, but the future is here. Wright reminds advisors that you only get one opportunity to pave the way when it comes to new experiences in the travel industry, so it’s important to keep up with the latest trends.
“I’m certain most of the advisors have never even considered the thought of selling a seat to space, but that’s where the ‘out of the box’ advisors will continue to lead the way, and be more successful,” Wright said.
The savviest of advisors know that keeping up with market trends is imperative. It’s crucial to be able to deliver on what your travelers are looking for. The second your client approaches you with a new idea that you either know nothing about or completely disregard, they’ll instantly walk the other way — into the hands of someone willing to work with them.
Poynter reminds travel advisors to think about how rapidly other travel markets have taken off and encourages them to embrace space travel and position themselves as experts in this emerging field. “I would encourage advisors to think about how quickly commercial aviation
Space Perspective Primary Capsule Structure
took hold or where the cruise industry was 50 years ago and then consider what these markets look like today,” she said.
Think back to when you first started out as a travel advisor. There was surely a specific product or travel type that you never envisioned yourself selling. Now think about all the milestones you’ve hit along the way, all the unique experiences you’ve booked for your clients, and ask yourself this question: Why not me? Why can’t you be the one to book a seat to space?
When it comes to working with Space Perspective, the company is committed to supporting the travel advisor community.
This futuristic product, and space tourism in general, feels intimidating to many advisors, but there are resources available to get a grasp on the offerings.
Whether it’s to learn more about how it works or to work together on marketing initiatives, Space Perspective encourages advisors to engage with their team and set up training to discover more about what this experience entails for their clients.
“Space Perspective is deeply committed to supporting the travel advisor community,” Poynter said. “For starters, we specifically chose Edyta Teper, our VP of Global Sales & Trade, to lead our sales strategy because she comes from this world and understands the value and benefit that is realized through engaging
WHY CAN TRAVEL ADVISORS FEEL COMFORTABLE WORKING WITH SPACE PERSPECTIVE?
this community. We have also established generous commissions and flexible policies because we know from experience how to create a win-win dynamic and build lasting relationships with our partners in the industry.”
Interested in selling this life-changing journey? Travel advisors who would like to learn more details about this opportunity can visit the Space Perspective website: www.spaceperspective.com.
“We know that looking down on Earth from space will completely change one’s perception of the world and our place within it,” Poynter said. “And we believe that the more people who have this perspective shift, the better off our planet will be into the future.”
“Space tourism is still very new and next, and to be most comfortable and confident selling our experience, we recommend engaging with us for ongoing training to best capture this high-growth market. It’s an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime moment we are in presently, but it requires knowledge and expertise, which we are here to offer — with an emphasis on how we are building the experience in a highly tested and safe way, and how our gentle flights are far different from what the public still thinks of when they think of traveling to space. It’s a pleasure and an honor to work with our partners in this way.” — Jane Poynter
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TRAVEL TO EUROPE MIGHT BE TRENDING RIGHT NOW, BUT THE SIGHTS and experiences the continent has to offer are timeless. And, with the ability to cover more ground for what’s often a great value, river cruising proves to be one of the best ways to see this classic destination. After all, many of the region’s most glorious cities, like Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne, Vienna and Budapest (just to name a few), are situated parallel to Europe’s essential waterways, and each year, millions of travelers experience these destinations from the comfort of a ship.
To learn more about this archetypal experience and gain tips for exploring some of the region’s most beloved bodies of water, we chatted with three river cruise line brands.
Home to dreamy castles, impenetrable fortresses and historic cities, Europe’s impressive Rhine River — which begins in the Swiss Alps and flows 760 miles before emptying into the North Sea — is exactly what comes to mind when one thinks of river cruising. Touching six sought-after destinations (Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Liechtenstein), the mighty waterway has earned itself an
appearance on nearly every river cruise line’s roster, including AmaWaterways, which offers over 10 itineraries on the Rhine’s main tributaries: the Main and Moselle.
Of the brand’s many offerings, AmaWaterways shared that its 7-night Rhine River itineraries — which visit Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands — are its most popular. And, with the cruise line’s ability to allow travelers to take in the majestic beauty of the region’s iconic sights
like the picturesque Rhine Gorge, vineyarddotted hills and recognizable city skylines from the solace of one of the brand’s Rhine River ships, it’s no surprise these swoonworthy sailings are fan favorites.
By land, the fun continues with exciting shore excursions tailored to suit travelers’ needs and activity levels. “A highlight for active travelers on our 7-night Enchanting Rhine itinerary is our Strasbourg bike tour which takes guests through the romantic Parc
As they sail past 40 (yes, 40) hilltop castles and fortresses, travelers might find themselves yearning for the chance to go inside. Luckily, like a fairy godmother, AmaWaterways delivers. “We also offer an exclusive visit to Burg Lahneck, a private 13th-century medieval fortress located in Lahnstein, Germany, where guests enjoy a special tour,” said AmaWaterways. “Their guide will regale them with a treasure trove of legends, including those inspired by the Archbishop of Mainz and the twelve Knights Templar. When offered in the evening hours, the castle is illuminated only by candlelight, adding a mysterious ambiance in the shadows.”
“AmaAcademy” course on the Rhine, Main and Moselle Rivers to help advisors stay current with the latest information and promotions.
de l’Orangerie and the stunning Alsatian city, pedaling among charming pastel-colored shops and along the cobblestone to the awe-inspiring rose façade of the towering Strasbourg Cathedral,” said AmaWaterways. Another highlight is in Rüdesheim, Germany, where travelers on select sailings can embark on a scenic gondola ride, soaring above award-winning vineyards before enjoying a taste of the same famous Rieslings upon reaching the top.
“AmaWaterways works primarily with travel advisors as the majority of our business is thanks to the hard work of these dedicated travel experts,” said AmaWaterways. To learn more about the brand’s Rhine River offerings, AmaWaterways encourages advisors to log into its Travel Advisor Portal, where they’ll find a curated Rhine Toolkit that includes sales tips, marketing collateral and more to help them sell these itineraries to their clients. Additionally, the portal features an interactive
The second-longest river in all of Europe, the mighty Danube begins in Germany’s legendary Black Forest and traverses 10 countries — Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine — before emptying into the Black Sea. For millennia, the fastflowing waterway has played an essential role in the formation of the continent as we know it today, its banks acting as natural borders and its waters serving as a liquid highway for trade and transportation. For the great cities built along the river’s shores, the Danube is worthy of celebration, inspiring musical masterpieces like Johann Stauss II’s “The Blue Danube” and acting as a source of innovation for new resources like hydroelectric power.
The Danube is special, and each year, millions of people feel the call to experience it. Luckily, river cruise lines are here to deliver, including Riviera River Cruises,
which offers a variety of itineraries for travelers to choose from. “The Danube is one of our most popular rivers,” said Marilyn G. Conroy, executive vice president of sales and marketing North America for Riviera River Cruises. “Riviera differentiates itself in this marketplace by starting our cruises in Budapest which is just a 20-minute ride from the airport versus Passau, which is two and a half hours by coach.” As eager travelers know, every minute counts when exploring a new destination, and with this kickstart to their adventure, cruise-goers can dedicate even more time to exploring the Paris of the East.
Upon sailing west toward Vienna, travelers will look on in awe as sprawling landscapes and twinkling city lights dance on the horizon, a view perhaps best appreciated from boats like Riviera River Cruises’ MS William Wordsworth and MS Thomas Hardy. Of course, cruise-goers will have the opportunity to roam this foreign terrain too, with a variety of shore excursions offered by the brand. And, while their options will vary depending on itinerary length, there are some experiences and attractions Conroy says travelers won’t want to miss.
The first of said experiences is a full-day tour of Salzburg, an Austrian city best known
for its ties to the 1965 hit film “The Sound of Music.” Here, travelers can imagine themselves as members of the Trapp Family as they tour the iconic city in the company of an expert local guide. They’ll learn about Mozart, the Hohensalzburg fortress and the Hellbrunn Palace, all with the snowcapped peaks of the Eastern Alps and charming storefronts selling Mozartkugel — a delectable treat donning the famous composer’s face — in view. Another prominent destination along the Danube is Vienna, Austria’s capital city known for its famous former residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund
Freud. The region’s penchant for raising some of the world’s most talented minds has earned it the nickname “The City of Music,” and music, and the arts in general, are indeed a large source of entertainment. While in Vienna, travelers can visit the Vienna State Opera, marvel at impressive works of art at local museums and be wowed by incredible architecture at places like St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Schönbrunn Palace.
HOW ADVISORS CAN LEARN MORE
“We only work with travel advisors, and we support them 100%,” said Conroy. “If we get a direct client, we take the booking and turn them over to a travel partner with whom we are working proactively and give them full commission.” To learn more about Riviera River Cruises’ Danube sailings, advisors can access the Riviera River Cruises Agent Portal, where they’ll find informative fliers, brochures, videos and more. Additionally, Conroy recommends visiting the brand’s website for special offers and promotions.
As the only major river flowing directly to the Mediterranean Sea, the Rhône has played a significant role in trade, commerce and relaxation since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The famed waterway lives up to its Alpine name, beginning at Switzerland’s Rhône Glacier and enduring a rugged course through gorges, basins, valleys and lakes before joining the Saône in France. From here, a calmer journey begins as it meanders through the French countryside, passing notable cities like Lyon, Arles, Avignon and Vienne, which made a cozy home of its banks.
Today, the Rhône and its surrounding cities are incredibly popular among travelers who spend their days sampling the region’s seemingly endless variety of cuisine and firstrate vino, most notably reds. Pair this with the Rhône’s historical treasures like Palais Idéal, Palais des Papes and more, and it’s no surprise the desire to visit this outstanding waterway is on the rise — especially among cruise-goers. To learn more about sailing on the Rhône, we chatted with a spokesperson from Viking who told us all about the brand’s most popular itineraries.
“France continues to be among the most popular destinations for our guests,
who are curious travelers interested in its history, culture and cuisine,” said a Viking Spokesperson. “Our award-winning fleet of Viking Longships sail the Rhône River on itineraries including the 8-day Lyon & Provence voyage between Avignon and Lyon, the capital of French gastronomy. During this itinerary, guests can enjoy a wine tasting in Châteauneuf-du-Pape from one of the centuries-old vineyards, traverse one of France’s most picturesque corners during a steam train ride in Tournon or visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Avignon and its renowned Palace of the Popes for a guided tour.”
For those who feel eight days in paradise just isn’t enough, Viking also offers a longer, two-week journey to help travelers take in more of France’s most coveted sights. “Our 15-day journey, France’s Finest, is also very popular and combines our Lyon & Provence and Paris & the Heart of Normandy cruises into one tour,” said a Viking Spokesperson. “During these voyages, our guests sail both the Rhône and Seine rivers, experiencing the culture and historic sights of Paris, and visit Giverny where Monet drew inspiration for his impressionist paintings before sailing to Normandy to pay their respects at Normandy’s World War II beaches.”
“We have a longstanding partnership with travel advisors who help us share the world of Viking,” said a Viking Spokesperson. “The Viking Travel Advisor Academy is our training program designed to provide travel advisors with the tools to promote Viking and the opportunity to earn exclusive benefits. The four-module academy allows advisors to become a Viking Certified Expert and learn the sales and marketing tips that have proven successful to sell Viking’s river voyages, like those on the Rhône, as well as the ocean and expedition voyages.”
IN THE FAST-MOVING WORLD OF SOCIAL MEDIA, YOUR TRAVEL BUSINESS CAN SHINE — IF YOU KEEP THINGS FOCUSED.
WORDS / JENNY HART
When Hannah Breckner, an advisor with Fora Travel, decided earlier this year to get serious about her travel advisory services, one of the first things she did was create a new Instagram account, @TripsByHannah. “It was daunting to start from scratch,” she said, “but I knew that sharing travel content was going to be an important part of growing my business.”
In the few short months that she’s been actively posting, Breckner has already received inquiries that have turned into bookings. In one instance, an Instagram Reel she created about a boutique hotel caught the eye of a prospective traveler already interested in the property. Once they learned of the VIP perks Breckner could offer them as a preferred partner agent, they chose to have her book their stay.
Breckner’s instinct to promote her business
online mirrors the advice of many successful marketers and executives in the travel and tech industries alike: If you’re keen to increase your sales, it’s more important than ever to create content and nurture a following on social media.
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to grow and elevate the reach you already have, consider these tips to ensure you’re making your clients’ scrolling work for you.
You may be tempted to post across multiple social media platforms, but not only is that unnecessary, it’s a quick way to burn out or risk seeing your growth stifled if you fail to keep up. Users flock to each respective platform for a specific style of content, and algorithms favor accounts that follow unique trends and use in-app features. The content you develop should feel natural and authentic to your brand, your audience and the platform. When choosing which platforms are best for you to use, consider the following questions:
• Who is your target audience, and where are they spending time online?
• What type of content does your target audience regularly consume and engage with?
• Which platforms are you most familiar with?
• What type of content (e.g., shortform video, graphic posts) do you feel comfortable creating?
The most important consideration when choosing a platform is where your audience is actually spending time. Consider who you’re trying to reach: Retirees who love to cruise, young families headed to theme parks and millennial travelers with remote jobs all use social media very differently. Keep demographics like the ages and locations of your prospective clients in mind, and don’t be afraid to ask them what platforms they use.
In general, older travelers tend to be more comfortable on long-established social media networks, such as Facebook, whereas younger generations quickly adapt to the newest platforms and technologies.
That said, don’t rule out the ability to reach your target demo on a specific platform. A little experimentation — and staying openminded about who your audience is — can also go a long way.
Alle Pierce, an advisor with Scorby
Travel
Alle Pierce
& Cruise and founder of Gals Abroad Getaways, which offers bespoke group trips for women, initially dismissed the value of having a TikTok account. She was convinced that her target clientele, affluent travelers in their 30s to 60s, wouldn’t be using the app enough to make it worth her time. She then had three different travelers join a group trip she organized to Italy, each mentioning that they booked it after learning about it on TikTok. After this experience, she quickly pivoted to prioritize posting on her TikTok.
“The TikTok algorithm is fantastic for new discoveries and a wider reach,” Pierce said.
“If I see that my audience growth on a given platform is stagnant, I experiment sharing the content on TikTok to see if it reaches a
wider audience.”
Take this example, too: Breckner chose to launch her social media strategy on Instagram because it was the one she used most in her personal life; transitioning to sharing professional content there “seemed less overwhelming and risky,” she said. She recommended the following tactics given the early success she’s seen in growing her account:
• Follow other travel advisors and influencers to gain inspiration for the types of content that perform well.
• Templatize your social media posts to make content development more efficient.
• Take the time to learn, through workshops and webinars.
• Maintain an editorial calendar. For Breckner, that takes the form of a working list of content ideas in her Notes app, from hotels she wants to spotlight to different trends of Reels to customize.
• Experiment with boosting posts to expand reach. Identify high-performing, organic posts and allocate a small paid budget to promote your content to more people.
• Study your own content’s performance to understand which formats and styles of content result in more views, follows and direct messages.
• Don’t branch out to other platforms until you’ve mastered the one you’re currently using.
Determining which social media platform is the best fit for your audience is a critical first step. But once you’re ready to execute and create content, where should you begin?
First, be intentional about the value your account offers your audience. Each post should serve a purpose and have a specific job: Are you educating clients about a new destination? Inspiring your audience by sharing a luxurious experience? Offering a discount designed to drive leads? For each post, set a tangible goal that you can use to measure success. You should also:
• Study your audience on an ongoing basis to understand their needs and questions. According to Prabhakar Raghavan, a senior vice president at Google who oversees Google Search, nearly 40% of young people use social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, as their preferred search engines. Create content that answers specific questions (e.g., “best hotels in Paris”), and use relevant keywords and hashtags to get more eyes on your profile.
• Start with your expertise. If you have a niche, like selling travel to a specific region or booking a certain style of accommodation, make that the focus of your content.
• Don’t be afraid to weave yourself into your content. That could mean showing your face on screen, or simply sharing personal perspectives on travel.
• Get specific. Not only do travelers want to know where to go and stay, but they also want to know why. Mention specific locations and travel tips,
“IT WAS DAUNTING TO START FROM SCRATCH, BUT I KNEW THAT SHARING TRAVEL CONTENT WAS GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF GROWING MY BUSINESS.”
@TRIPSBYHANNAH
experiences that you can book for them and any potential perks that go along with it.
Pierce, who’s known as “Alle Abroad” to her followers, said she would not have a client base without social media. When she launched her first group trip online, it sold out immediately. She regularly dedicates time to observing trends and planning posts that she wants to create to provide value to her current audience and attract more followers. When she sees a trending video that she’d like to recreate, for example, she saves it to a reference folder and then creates a checklist of all the shots she’ll need to record and splice together. This can be particularly useful to do in advance of a trip so you can plan which days you’ll want to shoot content, and where. “When you start shooting travel footage with no advance plan, you wind up with a bunch of random shots that you don’t know what to do with,” Pierce shared. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed and, ultimately, not create anything.”
There are many resources that can help you share content and engage with your audience. One industry favorite is Travel Agent Collective (TAC), a tool that provides paying members with a vast library of social-media-ready images, videos and caption prompts that can be edited, customized and shared directly to your Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn feeds. It’s a great option for advisors who may not be naturally savvy at social media but want to maintain a professional and high-quality
presence, and for those who truly don’t have much extra time to invest in their accounts. Breckner shared that she’s gotten ideas for her own content simply from following TAC on Instagram.
If you have the budget, it also can be a worthwhile investment to hire a social media specialist to work on your accounts. This is especially valuable if you want to reach bigger audiences using trending audio and themes on Instagram Reels or TikTok but aren’t much of a video creator yourself. You can provide the specialist with your own photo or video assets to create something upscale or have them source the content themselves.
If you’re confident creating your own content from scratch, general social media management tools like Later and Planoly can help you visualize and schedule your upcoming posts. Once you determine the days and times that your audience is most active online, aim to have your posts go live then for a better chance at increased views. (This information is usually accessible through your platform’s account insights, but you can also pick up on it yourself. Do your clients like to scroll while drinking their morning coffee or at night before bed? Take note of when you’re receiving the most notifications and lean into it.)
Sharing valuable content on a consistent basis will build trust with your audience and strengthen your brand presence. If your brand is continually in front of your audience when they’re on a platform, you’ll be top of mind when they have a booking need. Plan ahead to ensure you have a posting strategy that meets this goal.
Whether you’re traveling independently or on a FAM trip, it can feel overwhelming to create content on the road. Pierce recommended capturing content while traveling but waiting until you’re home to share any posts so that you can be thoughtful about what exactly you want to share. The occasional in-the-moment sunset selfie is fine, but you’ll better serve your clients and yourself if you can be fully present on-site and then reflect properly on and share your findings once you return home.
Don’t feel the need to post all your content immediately, either. You can spread it out over the course of a year, or even longer. It’s a great way to continue posting consistently even if you haven’t traveled recently.
“THE TIKTOK ALGORITHM IS FANTASTIC FOR NEW DISCOVERIES AND A WIDER REACH, IF I SEE THAT MY AUDIENCE GROWTH ON A GIVEN PLATFORM IS STAGNANT, I EXPERIMENT SHARING THE CONTENT ON TIKTOK TO SEE IF IT REACHES A WIDER AUDIENCE.”
@ALLEPIERCE
WELLNESS IS SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS, AND IT MAY BE JUST WHAT YOU NEED TO BOOST YOUR BOOKINGS.
WORDS / ALESANDRA DUBIN
New traveler priorities in the wake of the pandemic triggered a sharp rise in the wellness travel trend — and there’s no sign of it slowing down. In fact, operators in all categories are taking wellness themes to new heights to meet customer demand.
These days, hotels, cruise lines and other travel brands are making it easier than ever for travelers to keep up with their wellness routines through well-equipped fitness centers, healthy menu options and wellrounded activities and programming. There’s something for all travelers — regardless of their specific definitions of wellness or how deep they intend to go.
“Wellness travel takes many forms, but at its essence it promotes a sense of wellbeing,” said Gina Morovati, travel
advisor for Northstar Cruises. “We all need to slow down a little, take time away from our smartphones, and get back to focusing on self-care, and wellness travel affords us the opportunity to do just that and to return from our trip feeling refreshed with an improved sense of mental and physical wellbeing.”
Here’s a closer look at the state of wellness travel now, with guidance on how travel advisors can find, attract and book more clients seeking meaningful, wellness-focused experiences.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to wellness travel because “wellness” means something different to everyone. For instance,
one client’s ideal trip might be more heavily focused on active fitness, while another’s focuses on relaxation and downtime.
But there are commonalities. Typically, wellness touches on aspects of both mental and physical health, including cuisine, stress levels, fitness and relaxation.
“Understanding your client’s wellness goals and expectations is vital to creating an itinerary for their explicit needs,” Morovati said, adding that there should be a balance of relaxation and exploration. “If their goal is to de-stress, design an itinerary with options such as yoga, meditation and spa treatments. Find out their activity levels and incorporate options such as hiking, biking or water sports.”
Determine any dietary restrictions as you build out an itinerary that includes healthy fare. “Healthy cuisine based on fresh food locally sourced with plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options is essential,” Morovati said.
“There may also be guest lecturers on subjects pertaining to health and longevity,” Morovati said. “Staff should include such professionals as wellness coaches, therapists and trainers. The venue should also offer curated opportunities at different levels of physical activity and outdoor wellness experiences.”
To book top-quality wellness travel for clients, advisors must be able to identify operators that deliver meaningfully and authentically on their claims. “A wellness supplier should really be one that focuses on spa and health first” rather than one that merely tacked on wellness language superfluously as the fad surged, said Jonathan Alder, luxury travel planner and founder of Jonathan’s Travels. Rob DelliBovi of RDB Hospitality
underscored the importance of wellness suppliers having a holistic approach and offering “whole-body friendly food and beverage options, experiences, Instagrammable settings and a feeling of rejuvenation when they return from their travels.”
“The best health-focused suppliers are wellness focused top to bottom,” DelliBovi said.
A formal sustainability protocol — far beyond simply greenwashing — is another indicator of an authentic wellness provider, said Samantha Hammond, owner of Jus Adventures, a travel agency specializing in wellness, soft adventure and honeymoon travel.
To identify a truly wellness-oriented operator, look for “consistency in messaging and ethos, niche offerings, unique services and partnerships, prompt and professional response and customer care,” said Revamp Retreats founder Christian Tripodi.
On the flip side, there are signs that indicate an operator isn’t sincere in its wellness claims and is merely adding the language as an afterthought meant to drive sales.
There are “fakers out there” who are peddling “not a holistic wellness experience but are using a certain element of their experience to bring in the wellness crowd,” DelliBovi said. He advises doing thorough vetting of any brand that is located in a
dense urban center or includes nightlife options in their food and beverage offerings. “Just because a venue like this may have a spa or a salad concierge doesn’t mean that you’re headed to an overall wellness experience,” he said.
Morovati pointed to other red flags to watch for, including exaggerated claims,
such as guaranteed weight loss and cures for diseases; lack of accreditation for coaches, therapists and trainers; and being more concerned with profit than the client’s experience.
When crafting a wellness travel itinerary, the most important element is to understand your client’s priorities, DelliBovi said. What does wellness mean to them? “We find, generally, that wellness is less about salads and massages and more about a general lowering of the stresses of life, which of course is a different itinerary to all,” DelliBovi said. “Like all travel itineraries, it’s most important to tailor to the traveler’s definition of wellness.”
Typically with wellness travel, the property and experience should be serene, and the itinerary should include time for relaxation and health-promoting activities. “Food and beverage doesn’t necessarily have to be calorie friendly,” DelliBovi said. “But it certainly isn’t magnums of champagne and a tomahawk steak.”
While templated experiences are quick and easy to whip up in bulk, personalizing each itinerary to each client is key for a positive experience that drives repeat business. “You must exceed expectations
and be unique to deliver truly memorable experiences — especially for the seasoned traveler,” Tripodi said.
Overall, he says, the most inspiring wellness travel itineraries allow for a “journey,” whether the transformation occurs over a weekend of tech detox and relaxation or deep learning over a longer period of time away from the trappings of daily life. “Allowing time and space for free time and flexibility is a key component as well,” he said.
Successfully marketing wellness travel to clients starts with embracing wellness in your own lifestyle and travels. “Using your social media platforms to highlight the wellness experiences you’ve done can definitely help market you as an expert in this certain niche of travel,” Alder said. “Show that you believe in the experience as well as they should.”
Hammond agreed that walking the walk is key to effective wellness travel marketing — but she prefers to focus on demonstrating
authenticity via her offline presence more than social media. “As someone who is also really into wellness, I am always in spas and yoga studios, so I make sure that I am always talking to the owners and fellow clients about my services,” she said. When permitted, she leaves flyers and business cards at such venues.
Similarly, Tripodi recommended collaborating with companies and specialists that fully align with your mission, vision and ethos — and sharing your own approach to wellness with your clients. “Share your unique personality and the faces behind the company or program,” he said. “Start the conversation authentically and foster the relationship, invest in their experience from the start, and clients will reciprocate by sticking around and returning year after year.”
Many travel buyers are actively seeking
wellness experiences as the trend continues to accelerate. But how can you encourage those who aren’t yet on board?
One way is to share the depth and breadth of the potential benefits.
“I always emphasize the fact that taking a wellness trip will help to reduce stress, promote lifelong healthy habits, enhance self-awareness and lead to better work performance, among other things,” Hammond said.
Tripodi encourages advisors to help clients grasp the potentially lasting — even life-changing — benefits of wellness travel experiences that are larger than themselves. “Paint a picture. How much of an impact will this have on the people around them — friends, family, loved ones?” he said. “Everyone around you is affected by how you care for yourself and your wellbeing; it is a part of how you show up in the world. Care for yourself and your wellbeing and everyone around you will benefit, too. Making positive changes or investments in yourself will ripple outward.”
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ACCOUNTING PROS SHARE TOOLS AND KNOWLEDGE TO EMPOWER TRAVEL ADVISORS IN 2024.
WORDS / ALESANDRA DUBIN
The success of your business depends not just on your travel expertise and customer service, but also on the strength of your financial foundation. Positioning your travel business to thrive means managing your finances in a way that’s streamlined, sustainable and savvy. We spoke to financial professionals to learn their best practices and actionable tips for travel advisors to utilize when managing their business finances — empowering you with the knowledge and tools you need to crush your goals.
There’s no reason to wing it: You should invest in outsourcing your own bookkeeping, whether that means hiring a qualified professional or shelling out for software. A bookkeeper is responsible for managing and monitoring a company’s finances, including purchases and
expenses, payroll and sales revenue. For many, this is a small investment that will free you up to do more of the kind of work at the core of your business. (And even this small cost likely qualifies as a tax-deductible business expense.)
Various widely available and easy-to-use bookkeeping platforms — like FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online and Xero — are stocked with tools for small business owners like travel advisors. Quickbooks Online has a feature that allows a CPA to access your reports, saving you time when it comes to working with that professional, too.
These apps are available on smartphones, have easy-to-navigate interfaces and offer reporting tools that are powerful for small business owners and freelancers. And with interfaces integrating payment platforms like PayPal and Zelle, they help make sure you get paid on time — or give you the information to follow up with clarity when you’re not.
CPA and tax expert Tom Wheelwright prefers to work with a human bookkeeper. “I don’t want to waste my time doing something that is a really low cost. And somebody else can do it better than I can,” he said. “I find my time is more valuable to be spent on my business than doing bookkeeping and administrative things.”
That said, he advised working with a professional who uses software to which you have access so that you can view reports at any time. These reports can be critical to business operations and important to keep a pulse on, such as aging reports, time to payment, revenue by client, expense reports, total profit and profit by revenue stream, to name a few.
“When it comes to managing expenses, you definitely need an accounting software in place,” said Christian Maldonado, co-founder
of the accounting firm Finsult.com. “I see too many businesses who are apprehensive to jump on a platform in the first year, but it really puts things into perspective when you see all of your expenses going out the door. A lot of business owners just don’t know how much their businesses spend, and accounting software helps account for all of those under-the-radar expenses so you can budget for operation and project cash flow and profitability.”
Once you’re comfortable with hiring a bookkeeper and you have accounting software in place, reporting add-ons like Fathom can add even more value when it comes to benchmarking and transparency.
Consider this sample workflow: A bookkeeper enters all invoices and expenses into the accounting software, empowering the business owner to then run sophisticated dashboards and reports in Fathom showing the financial health of the company over time — without double data entry. (All the major tools allow you to run reports, but a dashboarding add-on can take learnings to the next level for visual types.)
Wheelwright encourages travel advisors who work from home to take the home-office deduction but reminds them to also track their expenses and mileage while on the road.
Restaurant meals are deductible when business is discussed — and Wheelwright underscored that business can reasonably be discussed with all kinds of dinner partners. “Sometimes a meal with a personal partner or spouse relates to talking over business — that’s still a deductible meal even if it’s with somebody that you know and like,” he said.
People who work in the travel industry have many potentially deductible expenses related to being out on the road. But if you’re not aware of them, or you’re not maximizing them, you’re
leaving money on the table.
Note that rules for deducting travel vary by destination, Wheelwright said. For domestic travel, you have to spend 50% or more of your time on business. “You can’t just take your laptop on vacation and call it business travel,” he said.
If you spend many hours each day scouting local hotels in that location to potentially recommend to clients, 100% of that travel is deductible. But if you spend less than half of your time on business at the domestic destination, none of it is deductible. (International travel plays by different rules entirely and depends on the country you’re visiting.)
He added that the taxpayer has a choice between deducting actual expenses or a per diem based on the location. “If you’re pretty modest in where you stay or what you eat, per diem could be a bigger tax deduction than the actual expense,” he said.
Overall, “any expense that is used for the continuous operation of the business is deductible,” Maldonado said, whether that pertains to travel, advertising, marketing, printing or continuing education.
Your tax deductions are only as good as your documentation that supports them. “I always tell people, if you pretend to document it, you get a pretend deduction for it,” Wheelwright said. If you get audited, “the first thing the IRS will do is ask for documentation.”
He warned that a credit card statement does not qualify as a receipt. But printed receipts may fade over time and be “worthless to an auditor.” So, as you go, scan your receipts into any one of the many apps designed for the purpose. Many of the popular apps allow you to upload pics of your receipts right from your mobile phone — like when you’re running through an airport to catch a flight.
“For a meal receipt, you need to write down not just who you were with, but what you talked about,” he said.
Maldonado recommended this method: “If you get emails about every transaction you make through your business cards, just file them into an email folder. They’re easily accessible, you can search for them and you can print them on the fly if needed.”
You owe it to your business to continually reevaluate as you go — year after year, and even month after month.
If you’ve been in business for a long time — and things seem to be going well — there’s a tendency to just stick with what’s been working. “What many business owners don’t understand is they can actually keep more of their money” rather than send it off in the form of taxes, Maldonado said.
Let’s say you have a huge windfall mid-year — massive travel bookings related to a special event in a far-flung destination, for instance. “You can still open an S-corporation mid-year and have it count for that calendar year.” Or perhaps you might open a trust or get a rental property in your name to offset some of those taxable earnings.
There are many different vehicles and tax criteria that can determine just how much of your money you can keep — and the difference can be stark.
Reworking your company’s structure for tax purposes may not be glamorous, but it could be the path forward to managing your money as your travel advisory business grows, evolves and thrives.
“It’s not a small thing,” Maldonado said. “I’d rather be the guy that takes the time and spends the extra money to have a CPA sit down with me.”
FOR BILLING AND BOOKKEEPING, TRY THE FOLLOWING:
• Bill.com (from $45 per month)
• Fathom (from $59 per month)
• FreshBooks (from $17 per month)
• QuickBooks (from $15 per month)
• Wave (free)
• Xero (from $15 per month)
FOR RECEIPTS AND EXPENSES:
• Expensify (free)
• Fyle (from $6.99)
• Mileage Tracker by Everlance (free)
• Receipt Scanner (from $2.99 per month)
• Rydoo (from $10 per month)
• Shoeboxed (from $18 per month)
• Zoho Expense (free)
TRAVEL ADVISORS AND INDUSTRY FIGURES
SHARE THEIR INSIGHTS ON AI.
“Afew ways that I incorporate AI for my travel business are definitely regarding my marketing efforts. I have used AI to assist me with creating content specifically around REELS and Carousels that outline the subject that I am introducing. I have used AI to create the scripts for me. It’s been very beneficial as it creates an opening shot, title card, visual highlights, quote, call
and closing shot for me to then share with my team and easily put into our content calendar for the month. It has cut down on the time it takes to put content together for sure.”
COURTNIE NICHOLS, FOUNDER AND CEO OF TRAVELBASH + TRVLB
“AI
is an instrumental tool that should be welcomed by all
“AI has been a cornerstone in elevating our travel business’s efficiency. We have used it to structure marketing campaigns, create the perfect tone for email exchanges from beginning to end with all of our customers and help with forecasting financials. The thrill, however, lies in developing our CRM that we are bringing to market in 2024, Trazel. Here, AI transcends being a mere tool to become an innovation ally. We’re leveraging it to understand SaaS sales cycles and analyze potential CRM integrations like FlightAware and Twilio. It’s more than just upgrading our operations; it’s about propelling the entire travel agency industry into a new era of smart efficiency.” businesses. It serves as an incredible free resource used for saving time, sourcing and formatting information, and helping develop new ideas. AI tools must be used in a way that supports you and your business rather than doing the work for you, as it can’t replace your experience, critical thinking and fact checking.”
KRYSTAL AZIZ, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AT MODERN TRAVELWORKS
JAMES MCALLOON, GLOBAL RELATIONSHIP MANAGER AT CHIMU ADVENTURES
“In our business, everywhere we go, every application we fill out, every time we book travel, generate itineraries, follow directions while driving a rental car (even our own) or ask Alexa or Siri anything, we are purposely or inadvertently using AI. We recently revamped all our systems and website features to be AI up-to-date. Our fam trips are all interactive, capturing our dayby-day, uploading images and experiences, and our hotels are more and more linked to AI features. And writing this short insight, auto-correct has processed at least ten corrections. Seems we are vested on AI whether we know it or not.”
FRANCISCO BLANCH, LEISURE SALES DIRECTOR AT DISCOVER PUERTO RICO
“Communication is a very important component in operating a business. One word can change the entire meaning of a message. The capability to alter my request enables me to receive different options to find the message that best suits my needs. Using AI allows me to create clear concise
messages to send to my clients.”
EVONNE CANNON, OWNER/TRAVEL ADVISOR AT UTOPIAN TRAVEL
“We use AI as a generative tool for creating foundational marketing content, and also to assist in streamlining package builds with
our travel advisor partners. AI is an excellent way for us to maximize our team’s potential, capitalize on their skill sets and make the best use of our time and talents to serve our clients’ needs as effectively as possible.”
JUSTIN REINHARD, RELATIONSHIP MANAGER AT LATITUDEGO
“We use AI for many tasks here at LaMacchia Jet Stream, from sorting and organizing Excel files, preparing copy, to writing complex code for our websites — it’s such a time saver! In November 2023, we had our annual Travel Advisor Retreat for LaMacchia Jet Stream members on the island of Oahu, where a huge content focus was on the benefits and unique ways travel advisors can use AI to assist with everyday tasks. Since the retreat, we’ve received so much positive feedback that our advisors are using it for travel document preparation, itinerary descriptions and even proposals for their clients.”
NOLAN FLYNN, DIRECTOR OF INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT AT LAMACCHIA JET STREAM
This unique country is being added to the bucket lists of all types of travelers.
Stunning sights, flavorful cuisine, welcoming people, history, mountains, beaches, islands — all this and much more beckon travelers to explore Croatia. It’s no surprise this destination found itself on countless lists of trending places to visit this year, as more and more people discover its sheer beauty and uniqueness.
Situated on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, this European country is covered in gorgeous
views from head to toe, and there are endless reasons for travelers to visit.
If taking a deep, cleansing breath while gazing out at an incredible view is your idea of relaxation, Croatia checks the box. While Plitvice Lakes National Park is a fan favorite, the destination boasts eight national parks in total, made up of picturesque natural
attractions like forests, mountains, canyons and waterfalls.
When some people think of outdoor adventures, nothing but water comes to mind. Croatia is a water lover’s dream, with 1,244 islands, islets, rocks and reefs to explore. In addition to soaking up time at the beach and boating off the coast, adventure-seekers can also venture inland and take a canoe or kayak through the rivers.
While history can certainly be detected in cathedrals and museums, Croatia embraces a rich cultural heritage that reveals itself through the artistic, literary and musical traditions it has developed over the years. Visitors can revel in these traditions by attending one of the many cultural events that take place annually.
Those looking for an even deeper connection might choose to visit one of the UNESCO sites. Though it’s a small country, Croatia is home to 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Diocletian Palace and Medieval Split, St. James Cathedral in Šibenik and Dubrovnik Old Town, to name a few.
While many destinations have a specific time of year that acts as a sweet spot for tourists, Croatia is one of those places that has something for visitors to embrace at any time. Each season possesses its own unique personality.
Visiting Croatia in the spring means enjoying pleasant temperatures without the summer crowds. As sunny skies and various shades of green come to life, so does the spring atmosphere. Flowers begin to bloom, and the hours of daylight stretch longer.
However, those who take pleasure in feeling the warmest depths of the sun might choose to plan their trip over the summer months. The hottest days of the year allow water lovers
to indulge in extended beach days, boating, fishing, snorkeling and more — all while wrapped in the sun’s warm enfold.
As the temperatures ease into a dip, the crowds follow suit. Autumn begins showing off and proves to be an excellent time as any to visit Croatia. In addition to taking in the captivating color palette nature offers, active travelers can frolic to their heart’s desire, enjoying activities of all kinds.
While the Croatian coast stays mild, a winter wonderland awaits as travelers venture inland. Picturesque views of snowcapped mountains and frozen waterfalls are a special treat for visitors this time of year, and there
are plenty of winter activities to enjoy, such as skiing, sledding and skating.
The beauty of Croatia presents itself all year long, and travelers will find something to enjoy no matter what time of year they visit.
The destination’s beautiful architecture and landscapes have even grabbed the attention of filmmakers and have been the star of several movies and TV series, including “Game of Thrones,” “Bliss” and “Mamma Mia 2,” among others.
Whether it’s part of a larger European extravaganza or a sole trip to this destination alone, Croatia is one that should surely be on your travel bucket list.
The Compass on VAX is easier to navigate than ever thanks to an exciting redesign; here’s what advisors need to know.
WORDS / JENNA BUEGE
By now, travel advisors who regularly use VAX VacationAccess (VAX) have probably noticed that The Compass, the editorial side of the site and the digital counterpart to the lovely publication you’re reading right now, is sporting a new and improved look.
After months of hard work, and listening to valuable feedback from advisors, the VAX team transformed the popular resource by way of improved functionality, expanded category listings and a fresh layout. The result
is a version of the site that’s easier to navigate while featuring the same engaging content travel pros know and love.
VAX has always believed The Compass to be a travel advisor’s true north, and, with these changes, this is truer than ever. To give readers more insight into the project, we chatted with Sarah Kneisler, director of marketing and operations for VAX, and Ashley Perego, manager of digital marketing for VAX, to catch up on all the exciting details.
“The inspiration behind The Compass redesign was to make VAX’s editorial sector stand on its own,” said Perego. “The Compass is such a valuable tool and resource for travel advisors, and we really wanted to represent that with the updated features and functionality.”
Kneisler added that VAX’s audience and their needs were at the heart of the decision. “We were inspired by our advisors; we saw our readership growing over the years and listened to what they wanted from the site,” she said.
So, what can advisors expect from the upgraded site? Let’s take it from the top, literally. On the top third of The Compass homepage, visitors will find a selection of dropdown menus labeled “Advisor Development,” “Travel Inspiration,” “Around the Industry” and “From Our Brands.” These dropdown menus were an important addition for improving site navigability, and, upon hovering over them, readers will find a variety of corresponding subcategories to choose from, some familiar, like “Destinations” and “Making Waves,” and some new, like “Hear From Your Peers” and “Brand Features.”
Regarding these changes, Perego said the following: “Advisors can expect a cleaner,
easier-to-navigate look and feel. We have also expanded our category listings to be more precise so they can get to the content they want, faster.”
Scrolling further down, visitors will find nifty features like a trending articles section showing which content is popular among readers, rotating banners promoting recently published articles and a completely overhauled search functionality that’s more accurate and easier to use.
Perego said she’s excited about the addition of these tags, stating, “The tags added to each article will not only allow advisors to easily identify which content items they want to view, but will also allow them to filter based on these categories with just one click.”
“The search feature is what excites me the most,” said Kneisler. “I’m always using the search option to find article topics or articles that we’ve published in the past. The way the new results display is so much easier to digest and find what I’m looking for, I’m confident the advisor community will see an improvement here.”
Regarding the search tool, Perego added, “The added filters, along with the updated result listings, make The Compass search a much more powerful tool.”
Finally, moving to the bottom third of the homepage, readers will find the freshest content the site has to offer with a selection of recently published articles. As they scroll, visitors will notice each article is listed beneath a category tag which they can click to navigate to a corresponding landing page with relevant content.
At the end of the day, The Compass redesign was done with advisors in mind. “I want advisors to know that everything we do is to help them succeed and we are very conscious to incorporate their feedback in everything we do,” said Kneisler.
Perego agreed, adding, “I think the VAX team would want advisors to know that we really considered every detail of this project with them in mind. Our goal, as always, is to help travel advisors utilize the tools and content on VAX to be successful.”
The team encourages advisors to continue reaching out: “We’re still listening — whether it’s feedback specific to The Compass or the rest of the site, advisor feedback drives our enhancements,” said Kneisler. “We have more up our sleeve we hope to announce soon.”
YOU ASKED: I don’t want to play phone tag with my clients to collect their payment; is there a way for them to enter their payment information on their own?
MAXWELL SAYS: Most of our brands allow you to send your clients a payment request so they can apply payments to their reservations on their own. To send your clients a link, retrieve the reservation and click the “Payment Request” link in the upper right corner. When the email pop-up opens, enter the recipient’s email address, and include your email address in the “Reply To” field and your personalization in the subject line.
From here, you can edit and customize the default email body text and closing text. Your client’s name and reservation number will auto-populate within the email body. Do not alter or edit the payment link in any way. When you’re done, review the content of your email by clicking the “Preview” button and send the final draft to your client.
Note: The payment link will only be active for 24 hours from the time the email is delivered. If no payment is applied before the link expires, you will need to re-issue another payment request.
YOU ASKED: Is there a way for me to change one or two components of an itinerary to compare the price without starting from scratch?
MAXWELL SAYS: After you have your initial itinerary set up, you can see what the impact would be on the client’s price or your commission with new components by using the duplicate option. To do this, find the itinerary you want to start with under your “Recent Searches” and click “Duplicate” in the lower right corner. This will take you back to the beginning of the booking process and allow you to adjust your brand or travel dates, and once you have done so, click “Search.”
Then, VAX will pull all of the same components from your original search to compare with the details included in the second search. If any components are unavailable for the new search, you will be notified with a message in red text. If you want to keep either the same brand or travel dates, you don’t need to modify either field.
Once you are back in the booking path, you can swap a flight, hotel or another add-on. If you want to see how these options line up side by side, go back to “Recent Searches” where you will find the option to “Compare.” Select the “Compare” box in the itineraries you wish to see together. You will be able to compare up to three itineraries by selecting the “Compare 3 of 3” box below the list of itineraries. You will see everything you need to know, including components, prices and commission, side by side.
Need more help? If you use the search field at the top right corner of the VAX homepage, you can use the keywords “Duplicate” or “Compare” to pull up a page with resources guiding you through the process.
Have a question for Maxwell? Send it to us at training@ vaxvacationaccess.com and we’ll send it his way. Then check out the next issue of The Compass magazine to see if he answered it.
VAX VacationAccess has always had one ambition:
to make travel advisors’ lives easier and provide a platform for them to succeed. In no time, VAX became a household name in the travel advisor community, and as some may call it, their very best friend. Now boasting a community of 100,000+ leisure travel advisors, VAX has established its title as the award-winning leisure travel marketplace.
But you don’t have to take our word for it. We are proud to have won coveted industry awards for the many facets of VAX: our industry-leading booking engine technology, our marketing resources, our travel advisor education and even our presence in print. We’re always striving to give our travel advisor users the best and to keep our winning streak alive.
Travel Weekly Magellan Awards
Gold Award
Booking Interface
Education Program
Travel Agent Only Website
Marketing Website Overall
Marketing Campaign
Silver Award
Travel Agent Only Website
Marketing Campaign
Trip Planning
Booking Interface
Web Marketing/Advertising
Promotional Video
Educational Program
Association of National Advertisers (ANA) B2 Awards
Silver Award
Travvy Awards
Best Travel Technology Provider
Best Travel Agent Reservation System
Best Travel Planning Technology
Travel Weekly Readers Choice Award
Best Travel Technology Provider
Nexion Awards
Best Technology/Booking Tool
Content Marketing: Magazine (Print or Digital) Category
VAX is more do-it-yourself than you think!
Did you know you can make changes to reservations, resend itineraries, refine searches to find specific availability and more on your own, right on VAX?
No need to call your supplier’s customer care center and wait on hold. Review our top do-it-yourself VAX tips and get step-by-step guidance for making these changes on your own.
Retrieving & Sharing Reservation Details
4. Sometimes referred to as the “Paris of South America,” this Argentinian city is on the rise among foodies who visit in search of tasty street food and Michelin star experiences alike.
5. Famous for its historic cities, festive lederhosen and delicious beer, this popular European country will host the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship.
7. Travelers with a passion for winter sports are packing their bags for the Land of the Rising Sun to visit this worldclass ski destination.
8. One of the most diverse cities in the world, this Canadian metropolis is on travelers’ radar thanks to its museums, street art and proximity to Niagara Falls.
9. After seeing a record number of visitors during the 2023 holiday season, travel to this European destination is still hot as it prepares to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
10. This trending destination was featured in season 35 of “The Amazing Race” for the first time in 2023.
11. This swanky resort town on the Turkish Riviera attracts celebrities and socialites with its vibrant nightlife, colorful bazaars and historic sights.
14. According to booking data from Amex, this small Mexican city has seen a 400+% increase in bookings among Gen Z and Millennial travelers between 2019 and 2023.
17. This Central American country has caught the attention of outdoorsy travelers thanks to its abundant beaches, dense rainforests, towering volcanoes and incredible wildlife.
1. This artistic U.S. city is famous for its desert scenery, soaring mountains and intriguing museums.
2. This tropical dual-island nation is situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
3. According to sources like Skyscanner and Airbnb, this East Asian country is trending in 2024 thanks to its quality food, natural attractions, intriguing culture and unique history.
6. Small vineyards and incredible scenery await in the Land Down Under when travelers visit this South Australian destination.
12. Ideal for outdoor fun all year round, the iconic Matterhorn calls this Swiss village home.
13. Situated on the Balkan Peninsula, this country in southeast Europe is expected to be one of 2024’s most popular destinations for affordable Mediterranean beach getaways.
14. Popular among adventure seekers and romantics, this chain of 115 islands off the eastern coast of Africa is having a moment.
15. Nicknamed the “White City,” this Indian destination touts striking marble palaces and dramatic domed buildings.
16. Hot on the heels of the K-pop craze, this country in eastern Asia has music lovers buzzing.
Find the answers at vaxvacationaccess.com/ thecompasscrossword.
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
—Michael Altshuler
Power your agency’s social media and content marketing with ready-made social media images, memes and articles The time to travel is now and the time to connect with travelers is now Turn to VAX’s Travel Inspo Tool Kit to get the content you need to make those connections
https://www.vaxvacationaccess.com/toolkit
