I recently spent five days at an amazing professional development course hosted by Virtuoso. During these intense days, I learned a lot about myself, about my business and its goals, and about the Virtuoso name – more than I knew before. I came home armed with a binder full of notes, pop quizzes, and business cards from my fellow classmates. We talked about all sorts of questions, like “what does a travel advisor do?” And we shared our thoughts on the process. A class of 16 strong, powerful, fearless women who have walked away from other powerful careers discussed our goals, hopes, and fears.
(PS I feel so lucky to know these women, just FYI.)
With the week fresh in my mind, I felt it was time to share a little bit more about what it is – exactly – that I do.
What does a travel advisor do?
As a Virtuoso travel advisor, I do a lot more than just booking flights and hotels. It’s in the details. I often say that in my weekly (every Wednesday) Instagram posts about booking with me. And it’s true. However, something that continues to resonate with me is the chance to be totally transparent about what I do. So, this post and its siblings (maybe one or two more) will discuss what I do. In detail. What does a travel advisor do? Turns out, we do quite a lot…
Ready?
I VIP you. I reach out to the hotel a few days before your arrival, I remind them of your arrival, confirm any of the details. When you arrive, they not only know you, they know your kids names and favourite animals. They’re aware of any allergies, of personal preferences. They say you can’t VIP yourself, so let me do it for you.
I handle all the details. From knowing which aircraft you’re on, so I can ensure ideal seats, to private transfers and tour guides, I can tackle any task. Think of me as a concierge, who reminds you to book your pets into the doggie daycare and pick up your new prescription.
I curate your trip. As a trusted advisor, I have personal connections with general managers, CEOs and owners, all of whom also want to ensure that your trip is perfect. These connections – through my incredible Virtuoso network – gain me (and you) exclusive access to experiences or destinations almost impossible to get online.
Everything else, and all the little things
Those all sounds great, but what if you just want a quiet weekend in a nearby city? Let me book your hotel. Need a round trip flight to go visit your sister? I can do that too. It sounds pretty obvious to answer the question, “what does a travel advisor do?” with “I handle travel arrangements,” but its true. But I do so much more than that.
When you book a hotel with me, when you book a flight, you’re also getting peace of mind. What if you were scheduled to fly to Puerto Rico two weeks ago? Chances are, you would’ve had to cancel your trip. Instead of you sitting on the phone for six hours with X Airlines, I’d be the one doing that. I’d be getting your flights refunded or changed, rebooking your hotels, and rearranging any tours or transfers. You’d be going about your day knowing that I had a handle on it all.
Looking for travel inspiration? Why not hop over to my Instagram page!
One of our in-class exercises was coming up with all of the components in booking a simple cruise. What would we need to know, what would we need to do? We put our answers on sticky notes, and then arranged them in tiers. What any travel agent can do – an online travel booking site, for example – all the way up to us – trusted travel advisors.
That top tier wasn’t as full as the others, but the meat of the exercise was there. “Contact GM before guest travels.” “Arrange welcome gift.” “Send custom final documents.” “Confirm early check in.” And so on. The personalised points were there. Anyone can book a cruise. Not everyone can book an exclusive Virtuoso Voyages cruise. I’m just sayin.
What does a Virtuoso travel advisor do?
I know it’s hard to give up control over a trip, especially when you are used to planning everything yourself. But working with me doesn’t mean you can’t research or ask for certain things. My process is a collaboration between us. I want you to be involved, to ask questions, to come to me with this new little winery you heard about.
Curious? Let’s chat!
Next time I write a post about what a travel advisor does, I’ll delve a little deeper into the above paragraph! Do you have any questions for me?? Leave them in the comments! I’d love to continue this conversation!
