A lot can happen in the time between booking a trip and departing for your destination. Failing to check the weather, using 20-year-old guidebooks to inform their packing decisions, forgetting to make the final trip payment — under-prepared travelers can make a lot of mistakes that will cause themselves, and you, hassles along the way. To avoid scrambling at the last minute to fill in forgotten details, you should be proactive when it comes to preparing your travelers. Here are some things to consider when helping your travelers get ready for their trips.
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1. Get all their information ASAP
First and foremost, make sure you have all your travelers’ up-to-date contact information and that you can easily get in touch with them. You don’t want to be sending something to an old Yahoo email address they never check. If you’re having trouble reaching them in a timely manner, request an alternate form of contact.
Once their contact information is updated, send them a questionnaire with all the important things you need to know about them. This is a great time to ask about dietary restrictions, relevant medical information, emergency contacts and, if you’re traveling internationally, their passports. Making sure you have everything you need up front will save you from having to chase it down later and will prepare you in case of a travel emergency. It will also help your travelers get their ducks in a row for the trip.
2. Send reminders as you go
When important deadlines start popping up, such as payment due dates or deadlines to renew any expired passports before the trip, send your travelers a friendly reminder. But not all reminders should be business-focused. Sending out a periodic email to remind travelers about their upcoming trip and share relevant information is an excellent way to build anticipation for the experience. You can tease cool parts of the itinerary or share photos from past trips to really ramp up the excitement. As the trip gets closer, these communications should become more frequent.
3. Share tips about the destination
What’s the weather like in April? What are the people like? What’s the tipping culture there? Travelers often have a lot of questions about a destination they’ve never been to, especially if it’s a foreign country or even a large city. Putting together a few tips summarizing a destination’s weather, culture and etiquette can help travelers feel more confident when they’re traveling. You can also send them some information about the main attractions and highlights of the destination to further build excitement and to help travelers get to know your itinerary a little better.
4. Consider extra factors for international travel
If many of your travelers haven’t traveled internationally before (this is a helpful question to include on your questionnaire!), they may need additional information about traveling abroad, as well as more time to prepare.
The most important thing is to make sure all travelers have an updated passport when they book the trip because dealing with the bureaucracy to apply for or renew a passport takes time. But there are lots of other things about traveling abroad that you should prepare your travelers for, from cell phone service to power adapters and currency. Remind travelers to order any foreign currency early from their banks to avoid being overcharged for it later. If they plan to use their credit cards abroad, travelers should let their banks know the dates they’ll be out of the country. Send them a link to purchase appropriate power adapters, if they don’t already have them, and remind travelers to sign up for international cell service with their carriers in order to have texting, calling and data available during the trip.
5. Share your personal packing list
Even if you share tips about the destination, including the weather, travelers are still going to have a bunch of questions about what to pack.
As far as clothing goes, the more specific you can be, the better. Tell them if there are any events they’ll need to dress up for, such as a Broadway show or dinner at an upscale restaurant. On the other hand, if there’s a sip-and-paint activity or a hands-on wildlife experience, let them know to bring something they don’t mind getting dirty. Bonus points if you include pictures, infographics or a Pinterest board with examples of appropriate outfits.
In addition to clothing and toiletries, make sure to include the things that travelers sometimes forget — rain jackets, sunscreen, bug spray and a reusable water bottle are great examples. One wise tour operator let me in on her packing secret — large Ziploc freezer bags can help you organize food souvenirs in your bag and prevent your clothing from getting dirty in case any jars or bottles break during transit. On your packing list, include a note with a reminder of airline rules for carry-ons and checked luggage.
6. Tell them what apps to download
There’s an app for almost every aspect of travel these days. Some of them are so useful, I don’t know how people travel without them (like airline apps, which tell you about everything from gate changes to baggage updates). If there are apps you recommend or require for your trips, encourage your group to download them. This includes communication apps like WhatsApp or GroupMe, as well as itinerary apps like Trip Plans. If you recommend apps like airline apps or even the apps that let you breeze through customs, tell your travelers to download those, too.
7. Send them merch
Another way to build anticipation among your travelers is to send them merch as the trip grows near. This can include things like a trip T-shirt you want everyone to wear or a water bottle with your company logo on it. It can also include copies of your itinerary or packing lists, if your travelers prefer paper instead of digital copies (another great question to ask them on your questionnaire). Sending your travelers merch lets them know you value them as a customer and lets you sneak in some extra opportunities for marketing.
