The most experienced travel planners know that peak season sometimes equals “pull your hair out” season.
Summer months and major holidays are the busiest times in the travel industry, but in some destinations, peak season is based around local events, weather or a particular phenomenon, like fall foliage in New England or northern lights in Alaska. Either way, busy season must be approached with a little more care than other seasons to make sure everything goes smoothly for passengers and planners alike. After all, busy season can also be the ticket to high profits and a booming business.
Here are five tips for surviving busy season and building a thriving group travel operation.
Consider Less-Traveled Destinations
During peak travel times, destinations that experience overtourism can be packed to capacity and downright unpleasant to visit. They’ll also be more expensive. For an alternative to these crowded and costly destinations, opt for lesser-traveled destinations. Sometimes it’s a matter of booking a trip just across a county line. Instead of planning a trip to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, try taking your group to Baton Rouge, Lafayette or Mobile. Instead of taking them to Zion National Park during its peak season, look to some of the other local state parks in Washington County, which offer similar natural beauty. These smaller destinations may not have the exact appeal of the original destination, but they’ll offer your group virtually the same experience. And in some cases, it will even be even better.
Book Well in Advance
Booking during peak travel times requires you to plan much further in advance than trips during shoulder season, which can often accommodate last-minute passenger additions or itinerary stops. But for busy season, you’re going to want to make reservations at least a year in advance. This is particularly important if a destination is well known as the site of an event or if your group trip is planned around that event, like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or the Kentucky Derby. And don’t forget to book lodging early, too; hotels tend to sell out quickly for major events.
Have a Strong Network in Place
When you’re traveling during busy season, the last thing you want is to be left in the lurch. That’s why it’s important to have a strong network of vendors and travel industry partners in place in case contingencies are required. If your hotel that’s been booked for a year unexpectedly closes due to a plumbing issue and can’t accommodate your group for the first two nights of a trip, the local DMO can use its connections to help you find another hotel that can accommodate you. The same goes for transportation and attractions. If weather causes your plans to change, the DMO can help you select alternate activities that will equally please your group.
Design Resilient Itineraries
For a group trip during peak season, you need to design flexible itineraries that can handle the ups and downs of in-demand destinations. It’s critical to build in more time at every stop because it’s likely that everything from restaurants and attractions to roadside rest stops will be much busier. That could triple the wait time at every stop. If you want your group to be comfortable and not feel rushed, a little extra time can go a long way. It’s also important to have backups to many of your activities, attractions and restaurants. You’re building itineraries and booking these trips far in advance, but a lot can happen in a year — closures or changed hours can make it necessary to find an alternative. If you already have one selected, you can pivot nearly effortlessly.
Accept the Limitations
There are going to be some limitations to traveling during peak seasons, especially if your group wants to go to a top attraction or event. Your group won’t necessarily get to experience the same VIP treatment they might experience when they visit a destination during shoulder season simply because of the volume of visitors. That might mean foregoing the welcome from the town’s mayor or not getting choice seats at a performance, which destinations are often happy to provide if they have the capacity. Another limitation is cost. Rates will be less competitive when destinations are packed, and that’s just something you have to be prepared for. And, finally, there will be less flexibility for things like attrition. Hotels are much less likely to give you a break if some of your travelers cancel at the last minute; those guest rooms would have been guaranteed to bring in revenue during the hotel’s busiest time of the year.
