In mid-August, my wife and I popped into our local supercenter after dinner to pick up a pint of ice cream. What we found there was near pandemonium.

I had never seen the store so crowded. Carts and acustomers jammed the aisles. Bins were empty. Everyone seemed frantic.

It took me a while to realize what was happening: The customers crowding the aisles were parents. The bins sitting empty formerly contained school supplies. And class started in two days.

No wonder the parents were desperate. They had lists of mandated supplies to buy. And because they had waited until the last minute, they were having trouble finding them.

Back-to-school season probably isn’t a big deal in your travel business. But there are seasonal trends in your business. And if you’re like most group travel planners, you’re probably gearing up for your busiest travel season of the year.

With that in mind, here’s a “back-to-school” checklist of things to review to make sure you start your fall travel blitz on strong footing.

Luggage

Was your suitcase limping along at the end of your last trip? It’s easy to throw a bag into your closet upon returning home and forget that it’s on its last leg. You don’t want to end up pulling that same suitcase out the night before your next trip and realize it may not survive the journey. Check your bags now for rolling action, zipper closure and fabric integrity.

Communication Systems

How do you communicate with your stakeholders during your trips? You need systems for getting messages to your travelers during the trip, and a handwritten sign in the hotel lobby doesn’t cut it anymore. Bulk text messages are unreliable with groups of more than 10 people, so you should spend some time investigating apps like GroupMe or WhatsApp, or perhaps a custom communications solution included in your group travel software suite.

Emergency Protocol

If you lead enough group trips, you’ll encounter an emergency sooner or later. It’s important to have protocols written up for situations like medical problems, weather issues, supplier failures or emergencies back home. If you don’t already have those protocols written, consult with experts to put them together. And if you have already done that work, take a few minutes to review them before traveling again.

Social Media Plan

Social media is an essential component of a smart tourism marketing strategy, and there’s no social post more powerful than a photo or video from a trip you’re currently on. With that in mind, check the itineraries for your upcoming trips and identify a couple places each day that will be ideal for content creation. If you use multiple social platforms, think about what kind of post you should be preparing for each one.

Selling Strategy

The best time to sell people on a future trip is while they’re enjoying a current one. If you know what you’ll be offering in 2027, put together a strategy for promoting those travel opportunities during your tours this fall. Print out flyers or ask your vendors for brochures and identify a time during your upcoming journeys where you could take 15 minutes to talk about what’s coming up. If you already have a booking page live on your website, you might sell some trips on the spot.