On Tour
2
WE OFTEN TEND TO THINK that once someone has enrolled in one of our tours, that’s it. Nothing else to do until we send out final documents and then departure day when we all meet and off we go. Not so. You need to keep in touch with trip participants at various intervals to keep their interest and excitement high and to keep a tight umbilical cord between you and them. You don’t want them canceling out of your trip because something more interesting appeared on their horizon. And you want to keep them informed so they may learn to be better travelers and not drive you crazy calling with questions every few days. So, when do we contact them, what do we send them, and what additional information do we give them? ACKNOWLEDGEMENT MAILING Once someone has enrolled, I send them an acknowledgement of their booking – not just a cold computer receipt but a gracious letter welcoming them to the trip (the receipt can be attached if you wish). I enclose my first information bulletin preparing them for the trip. Since the initial brochure or flyer you’ve used to solicit their enroll- ment can’t possibly include all the pre- trip information they need, this post- enrollment bulletin picks up where the initial publicity material left off. Some of the topics I like to cover are anticipated weather, clothing and pack- ing suggestions, and baggage limitations. If it’s an international trip, a must would be requirements such as passports, inoc- ulations and visas (if required). Foreign currency and suggestions for handling monies en route are also important for international trips. I also touch on health issues and, of course, travel insurance. The subject of cameras and photog- raphy, seat rotation on motorcoaches, and en route medications are also worth mentioning. I like to suggest a couple of books they might like to read (or movies they might like to revisit) to give them background information on areas they’ll be visiting. Right now I’m plan- ning a fall 2011 trip to Berlin and East- ern Germany so I’ve suggested some of the old Cold War spy stories such as the John le Carré’s 1965 The Spy Who Came In From The Cold with Richard Burton. Some trip organizers like to do some- thing more elaborate (and costly) such as sending a special T-shirt or flight bag (of course, these have to be priced into your trip budget from the outset). EN ROUTE MAILING If there’s a fairly long flight involved at the outset of your trip, I like to give them some fun handout en route. It could be a puzzle you dream up or a vocabulary lesson of common phrases or words they’ll be likely to encounter at their destination. Do your travelers to New Orleans really know what beignets are or do visitors to San Francisco know that Nob Hill and its old mansions represent wealthy homes of the so-called “robber barons” who built the first transcontinental railroad? On a trip to England last year, I ran a contest throughout the entire trip with a prize to the tour member who could come up with the most words wherein British English differed from American English – they came up with over 100 and still counting. ON YOUR RETURN Your participants also deserve a return-home mailing, welcoming them back to the “real world” of bill pay- ments, medical appointments, family squabbles and other less glamorous parts of life. Give them something to remember with pleasure their time with you: a photo, a souvenir, news of an upcoming reunion or just a welcome home letter. And a questionnaire to complete and let you know how they felt about the tour. (Be sure to put a place on this form for them to refer friends to you). Do keep them on a mailing list to receive advance notice of your next tour so they feel they’ve been given special treatment. All a lot of extra work? Perhaps. Worth it? You betcha. 8 April 2011 LeisureGroupTravel.com Marty is founder of the travel industry program at Berkeley (Calif.) City College, where she taught all aspects of group travel for 32 years. She is a Certified Travel Coun- selor (CTC) and continues to design and lead tours as well as provide consulting services.You may reach her at josemarty@ yahoo.com. For information on her book How To Plan, Operate, and Lead Success- ful Group Tours, click on Premier Tourism Marketing's educational website, groupuni- versity.com. Keeping Tour Members in the Loop ❖ marty sarbey de souto, ctc You don’t want them canceling out of your trip because something more interesting appeared on their horizon. On Tour
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ON YOUR RETURN Your participants also deserve a return-home mailing, welcoming them back to the “real world” of bill pay- ments, medical appointments, family squabbles and other less glamorous parts of life. Give them something to remember with pleasure their time throughout the entire trip with a prize to the tour member who could come up with the most words wherein British English differed from American English – they came up with over 100 and still counting.
Transcript of On Tour
WE OFTEN TEND TO THINK thatonce someone has enrolled in one ofour tours, that’s it. Nothing else to dountil we send out final documents andthen departure day when we all meetand off we go.
Not so. You need to keep in touchwith trip participants at various intervalsto keep their interest and excitementhigh and to keep a tight umbilical cordbetween you and them. You don’t wantthem canceling out of your trip becausesomething more interesting appearedon their horizon. And you want to keepthem informed so they may learn to bebetter travelers and not drive you crazycalling with questions every few days.
So, when do we contact them, whatdo we send them, and what additionalinformation do we give them?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT MAILINGOnce someone has enrolled, I send
them an acknowledgement of theirbooking – not just a cold computer receipt but a gracious letter welcomingthem to the trip (the receipt can be attached if you wish). I enclose my firstinformation bulletin preparing them forthe trip. Since the initial brochure orflyer you’ve used to solicit their enroll-ment can’t possibly include all the pre-trip information they need, this post-enrollment bulletin picks up where theinitial publicity material left off.
Some of the topics I like to cover areanticipated weather, clothing and pack-ing suggestions, and baggage limitations.If it’s an international trip, a must wouldbe requirements such as passports, inoc-ulations and visas (if required). Foreigncurrency and suggestions for handlingmonies en route are also important for
international trips. I also touch on healthissues and, of course, travel insurance.
The subject of cameras and photog-raphy, seat rotation on motorcoaches,and en route medications are also worthmentioning. I like to suggest a coupleof books they might like to read (ormovies they might like to revisit) to givethem background information on areasthey’ll be visiting. Right now I’m plan-ning a fall 2011 trip to Berlin and East-ern Germany so I’ve suggested some ofthe old Cold War spy stories such as theJohn le Carré’s 1965 The Spy Who CameIn From The Cold with Richard Burton.
Some trip organizers like to do some-thing more elaborate (and costly) suchas sending a special T-shirt or flight bag(of course, these have to be priced intoyour trip budget from the outset).
EN ROUTE MAILINGIf there’s a fairly long flight involved
at the outset of your trip, I like to givethem some fun handout en route. Itcould be a puzzle you dream up or a vocabulary lesson of common phrasesor words they’ll be likely to encounterat their destination. Do your travelers toNew Orleans really know what beignetsare or do visitors to San Francisco knowthat Nob Hill and its old mansions represent wealthy homes of the so-called“robber barons” who built the firsttranscontinental railroad? On a trip toEngland last year, I ran a contest
throughout the entire trip with a prizeto the tour member who could comeup with the most words wherein BritishEnglish differed from American English– they came up with over 100 and stillcounting.
ON YOUR RETURNYour participants also deserve a
return-home mailing, welcoming themback to the “real world” of bill pay-ments, medical appointments, familysquabbles and other less glamorousparts of life. Give them something toremember with pleasure their time
with you: a photo, a souvenir, news ofan upcoming reunion or just a welcomehome letter. And a questionnaire tocomplete and let you know how theyfelt about the tour. (Be sure to put aplace on this form for them to referfriends to you). Do keep them on amailing list to receive advance notice ofyour next tour so they feel they’ve beengiven special treatment.
All a lot of extra work? Perhaps.Worth it? You betcha.
8 April 2011 LeisureGroupTravel.com
Marty is founder of the travel industry
program at Berkeley (Calif.) City College,
where she taught all aspects of group travel
for 32 years. She is a Certified Travel Coun-
selor (CTC) and continues to design and
lead tours as well as provide consulting
services.You may reach her at josemarty@
yahoo.com. For information on her book
How To Plan, Operate, and Lead Success-
ful Group Tours, click on Premier Tourism
Marketing's educational website, groupuni-
versity.com.
Keeping Tour Members in the Loop
� marty sarbey de souto, ctc
You don’t want them canceling out of yourtrip because something more interestingappeared on their horizon.
On Tour
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