How many times have you confirmed a booking and assumed you had all the details covered? There are certain things in this business that aren't optional knowledge. They're not extras you figure out along the way. They're the foundation and when they're missing, it's usually your client who feels it first and you who deals with the fallout. Before any booking is finalized, you should be able to answer these five things without hesitating: What happens if the trip gets cancelled on your end and theirs? Supplier policies and your own policies need to be crystal clear, communicated, and documented. Can your client actually enter that country? Passport validity, visas, entry requirements this changes more than people realize and it's on you to verify it. Who is picking them up and where, exactly? Transfer details feel minor until someone lands in a foreign city at midnight with no ride and no contact number. When do you actually get paid? Know your commission structure and payout timeline before the invoice goes out, not after. What happens when something goes wrong at 2am? Your clients need an after-hours contact. So do you. These aren't things clients double-check on their own. They're trusting that you already handled it. Which one of these caught you off guard early in your career? Drop it below ... your answer might save someone else a really bad day.

What if instead of only earning when someone books, we created a Travel Concierge Retainer for frequent travelers? The idea would be a yearly access model where clients pay for ongoing planning support, not just one trip. This could include things like: • destination recommendations throughout the year • trip planning guidance when they’re deciding • priority access to group trips • flight monitoring or timing advice • help comparing options before they book • ongoing travel relationship vs one-off transactions The reason this model could work: Most frequent travelers don’t just take one trip ... they take 2–3 per year and constantly ask questions in between. That’s time advisors already spend, but it’s not always compensated. A concierge-style retainer turns: random questions → structured service one-time bookings → ongoing relationship inconsistent income → predictable baseline revenue reactive planning → proactive travel guidance It also helps position the advisor as a year-round travel partner, not just someone who books trips. Curious if anyone here has tested something like this or considered packaging their ongoing support into an annual concierge-style model?

** This is long but well worth the read I promise you!!** I had a really interesting conversation with @Christine Berencz about targeting teachers as travel clients, and it sent me down a rabbit hole doing more research. The more I looked into it, the more I realized this isn’t just a niche — it’s a predictable, repeatable prospecting strategy for travel agents. If you're looking for ideal clients, stop thinking in demographics and start thinking in time-off patterns. Teachers are powerful because they have: • Predictable summers off • Spring break travel windows • Winter holiday travel windows • Built-in group travel (coworkers) • Advance planning habits • Repeat annual travel behavior But here’s the bigger realization… It’s not just teachers. It’s the entire school ecosystem. That includes: • Teachers • School administrators • Paraprofessionals • School counselors • Teacher aides • Bus drivers • School office staff • School nurses All of them share the same travel windows and often travel together. This creates: - Built-in group travel opportunities - Repeatable annual trips - Easier marketing messaging - Predictable booking cycles And once I started thinking this way, more seasonal-off professions showed up. Other strong prospect groups with predictable travel windows: College & University Staff • Professors • Advisors • Admissions teams • Campus admin ... Often lighter summers + winter breaks School Nurses & Travel Nurses • Contract gaps • Summer availability • Flexible scheduling.... Often ready for longer trips Accountants / CPAs • Busy Jan–April • Free late spring & summer ... Perfect for May–July departures Construction & Trades • Winter slowdowns (many regions) • Flexible project scheduling • Often travel in friend groups Event Industry (Wedding Pros, DJs, Photographers) • Busy spring & fall • Slower summer & winter pockets • Group travel friendly The key shift for us as travel advisors: Instead of marketing to: "Anyone who wants to travel"

Howdy group, has anyone looked into or even bought into any of the AI virtual travel agent platforms? They're popping up all over social media. I've looked at two just a cursory look so far and I have not attended any webinars on them I just simply haven't really had the time. But I'm wondering if anybody else has and what your takeaway was. I mean if I've seen two that means there's probably 20 out there by now. You know going on the old adage "see 1 rat count 10." The one that I was semi-interested in looking into and learning a bit more is called Layla. The ad for purported that it helps create itineraries and includes access to tours and everything else. I'm typically not an early adopter although I did adopt AI about 8 years ago but I kind of spoon fed it. In the meantime I don't want to ignore it I want to embrace it more but I need to figure out where to spend my time and money. So if anybody has seen anything or heard anything or tested anything I'd love to know what your takeaway was. Thanks kindly.

Anyone taking advantage of this NCL opportunity? Where: LA to Vancouver with two sea days and an overnight stop in Victoria, BC