There are a lot of folks out there who think that you don't need a travel agent to book a vacation. A lot of people like to book their vacations online, thinking that they can receive the best possible deal, but what they don't know is that a good travel consultant (notice how I did not use the word 'agent'), can take away the hassle of searching for the best deal from the equation. Here is what takes place during the life of a booking through my eyes, a cruise & vacation consultant.
1. Meeting with my prospective client
First step is to meet with my prospective client. Now this is not always in person, number of times it is over the phone or via email. My job as a travel consultant is to find out what it is that he or she is looking for, in other words a cruise vacation or a land vacation. Once we figure out what sort of a vacation the client is looking for, then comes narrowing down dates of travel. The next step is to figure out exactly what my client is looking for in a vacation, and that comes with asking the right questions to get a better sense of what sort of an adventure they're looking for. Some people just like to relax and unwind and some like to be very active and get the most out of the destination(s) they visit.
2. Research
Once I have all the necessary information gathered, than it's time for research. Using all the necessary information given to me by the client, I can now narrow down my search into exactly what my client is looking for. Either a cruise or a land vacation, there are 100's of choices of out there and it's my job to narrow down the information into a nice and easy to understand choice(s) for my client.
3. Quote
People think that this is an easy thing to do, but really it's more complicated then it sounds. Now that I have all the necessary information and research done, I can look for the best possible price(s) for my client. It is my job to decipher all the deals out there and outline the best possible one(s) for my client. There are factors that go into finding the best possible deals, such as time of travel (valentine's day, spring break, high season, low season, etc. ), if my client wants to take a cruise have they sailed with the cruise line in the past, province of residency or sometimes the age of my client.
Those are not just factors that I have to take into account when I'm providing a quote to a client, I also have to take into account the right product (ie. cruise line or resort) for my client. I would not want to place my client on the wrong cruise line or at the wrong resort. Placing my client on the wrong cruise line or the wrong resort can have catastrophic consequences. It will not only ruin their vacation and be a waste of money for them, but it can also cost me a client, which I would never want to have happen.
Once I have the quote put together, it is now time to pass that onto my client.
4. The waiting game
Once I have passed on the quote to my client, I will have to wait for my client to make their decision. If I've done my job correctly, the wait will not be long, and my client will get back to me with either a question or a final decision of 'go ahead with the booking'.
5. The booking process
Now that my client has given me the green light to go ahead with the booking, I will now have to follow the necessary steps to make a booking for them. I will now need to make sure that I have proper names of passengers (as they appear on their passports), dates of birth, full address and credit card number for payment. During the booking, I have to make sure that all passenger names are entered correctly on the reservation, otherwise my clients could be denied boarding either their flight or their cruise, so double or even triple checking all the information is critical.
6. Insurance
Once I have booked my client's vacation it's now time to quote them travel insurance. Most people think that travel insurance is not necessary. That simply is not true. Travel insurance is a necessary part of travel. Lets say that your on a cruise and your coming out of the pool and you slip and fall and break your ankle, and you have to be airlifted off the ship and taken to a medical facility. The air ambulance can cost you upwards of $25,000. Travel insurance can take care of this cost for you. Paying a small fee for travel insurance can save you a lot of money if you ever should need it to. I travel no where without travel insurance. Having a peace of mind is priceless.
7. Confirmations
Once all the bookings are done, it is now time for me to put together all the necessary confirmations together and forward them to my client.
8. Invoicing
Now that I have the booking done and confirmations given to my client, it's now time to put together an invoice outlining what they have booked and paid for. This can be a time consuming process, since I have to break down everything into their own category and make sure everything matches the confirmations.
Most people think that this is where the booking process ends, but that is not where my work is done.
9. Final payment (cruise only)
If my client is taking a cruise, I have to ensure that their final payment is taken care of with the cruise line. You're probably asking 'wait a minute isn't their payment taken care of prior to you giving them them confirmations?'
That would be true in most cases, but with a cruise depending on the time of travel, the cruise line gives the clients time to pay off their cruise, a cruise has to be paid in full 90 days prior to sailing. This gives the clients time to cancel the cruise in case something takes place prior to the 90 days without losing money. And it is my job to make sure that my clients do not lose money if I can help it, but we all know unfortunately life does happen and things happen along the way that force someone to cancel their vacation.
10. Follow up
Now that I have provided the complete vacation experience to my client, it's time for me to follow up with them and ensure that they have all the necessary documents for their vacation and that they're all set to go. Once I ensure that they are set to go, it's time for me to forward a Bon Voyage letter wishing them a great time on their vacation.
11. Be ready to help
My job is not done once my client departs on their vacation. I now have to be sure to be ready to help my client if they should need to once they're on vacation. Things can happen and my clients have the peace of mind that if they should ever run into an issue with their vacation I'm here to help them to the best of my ability.
12. Welcome home
Once my clients are back from their vacation, it is now time for me to follow up with them and see how their vacation went. I love following up with my clients and hear their stories and hearing that they've had a wonderful time. It's a great feeling hearing that they've had a great time. It means that I've done my job.
This has been a bit of glimpse into the life of a booking process from beginning to the end with my client. I strive to give the best level of service to my clients, something that no one will ever experience booking a trip online. Yes you can go online and search a trip and be given loads of different prices and options, which can be overwhelming. But if you come to me, I take the hassle out of deciphering all the prices and information, and ensure that you are getting the best possible deal. Not only I provide you with the best possible deal, but I also ensure that your taken care of from day one until you get back home from your vacation. That is something that you will never experience booking a vacation online.
Having read this, I hope that you will let a travel consultant such as myself help you book your next adventure.
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