Richard Turen
When your client Mrs. Livingston seems concerned that she has been assigned business-class seats on Turkish Airlines by Royal Caribbean, how do you respond?
Do you mention that Turkish Airlines is a "four-star" airline while each of the major U.S. carriers is listed at three stars in the current Skytrax Ratings?
When your client Mr. Wainwright wants to know how the Oberoi in Marrakech, Morocco, compares with La Mamounia, do you consult Tripadvisor reviews? Or do you say, "I don't know, I've never stayed there"?
Or do you provide him with a copy of the latest professionally written, ad-free Star reviews of the properties from Travel42? (Disclosure: It's published by Travel Weekly parent Northstar Travel Group.)
Then there is Ms. Robins. She is thinking about booking the newest Celebrity ship, but she would like a list of the staterooms on the ship that you think she should avoid. Does your agency maintain such a list?
If your agency doesn't have such a list, please create one. Call it "Staterooms Other Agencies Book -- But Never Us." Or "The Not Recommended for Our Clients" list.
We are, ever so slowly, becoming more professionally adept at sourcing the very best and most accurate information for our guests. Going forward, that is what will help us defeat Internet-generated misinformation and AI chatbots.
As we have shifted away from the "agent of the airlines" model and into the family advisor role, the number and complexity of the questions we are asked has continued to grow.
Let's look at a few suggestions for dealing with some of the most prevalent lines of questioning. For instance, I believe every consultant needs to maintain an ever-growing "air strategies report" that can be shared with clients and contain information about how things really work. Changing your seat. Securing an upgrade. Dealing with cruise line-supplied air. If your agency does not have its own "agency air book," please start one. Self-publish it and give it as a gift to clients.
A true travel advisor maintains listings of thousands of reports about destinations around the world. Your clients are going to Japan? What do they need to know about etiquette, tipping, dress recommendations? It should all be there at your fingertips. You don't need to create the content; you just need to know how to curate it.
So how much should you budget for these reports? Nothing. Your nightly news feed should feature dozens of articles from travel sources around the world. Save a copy of the best ones each evening and then format them for client presentations. As a client, if my advisor doesn't tap into available worldwide data, I'd prefer they not plan my vacation.
Every travel pro I know has a file of reports on current weather patterns in Africa, with the best months for game viewing noted. But -- and here is really my point -- your research needs to be better, deeper and more professionally presented than what a consumer can find doing a five-minute Google search.
If you are an independent contractor, store your personal database on your home computer so it always remains in your possession. It is an important professional tool that cannot be duplicated. Your saved research represents the care and energy you have put into every trip you have planned. The travel professional of the future realizes that the best global travel advice they can offer resides on their hard drive.
We are, dear friends, what we know -- or what we know how to access. We are no longer order-takers. We are now researchers seeking only the truth about global destinations. Our store sells "Everything You've Never Seen."