Questions My Travel Agent Will Ask
I often get general requests like “Please provide me with a quote for an Ireland trip” or “I would like a price estimate for an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean.” These requests are very vague and have many different types of responses. In order to provide you with a quote, I am going to ask you a lot of questions. I like to get to know my clients trip expectations in order to help find the right destination, activities, and type of services that would work best for them. Here are some of the questions you should be prepared to answer and what I am trying to learn about you when you submit a travel request:
Where have you traveled internationally?
Are they experienced or is this their first time traveling. What type of travel destinations do they enjoy. Are they going to need more detailed itinerary or are they independent.
What has been some of your most favorite past trips?
What their likes & dislikes from past travel experiences are. How do they travel. What types of experiences they enjoy.
Which cities do you want to visit and how many nights per city?
Are they fast pace travelers who want to see it all. Do they prefer sticking to just one location and really immersing themselves in that area. Based on travel time is their itinerary feasible. I also use this to help manage travel expectations and narrow down realistic time spent in each area or reign in the number of cities based on the number of travel days.
What are your must see sites or must do excursions?
Are they adventurous and want to go off-the-beaten-path, or do they want to do the typical tourist sites. Are they food or wine lovers. What locations would be the best for their activity wants.
What types of accommodations do you prefer?
Do they want to save on hotels and spend more money on experiences. Do they prefer the luxurious things no mater the cost. Do they want run of the house rooms or rooms with views. I also use this to manage expectations as hotels in Europe are often rated higher than what we are used to in the United States.
When do you want to travel?
Not every destination is open 12 months a year and every destination has a good, best, and better time to travel depending on what kind of trip you want. I consider weather and popularity of the destination to recommend the best time for you to travel.
What is your budget?
This one is pretty obvious as I can’t plan a trip that I don’t know the budget. Some budgets are unrealistic based on the wants and needs. I am honest with them based on their expectations before getting started.
These are just a few of the questions I use during my consultations (email, phone, or in person) to get to know your trip expectations. Get prepared by reviewing them before we meet.
