I could not shake the feeling that everyone in the travel industry was struggling — myself included. And after connecting with several travel industry colleagues, I confirmed I was not alone.
We are all feeling it. The stress is palpable.
But why?
Let’s start by breaking down the players.
Current Challenges for Travel Advisors
Travel agents are experiencing slow wait times to receive proposals from suppliers, and often finding that these proposals do not match up with what they requested. Trips in progress have the same issues, with slow response times. It’s creating a bottleneck in the advisor’s workflow and making it difficult to manage clients.
"Staff are not as knowledgeable as they should be, and so hard to reach with long hold times,” according to Sue Hawkes, a beach and cruise specialist with Expedia Cruises.
We’re seeing suppliers who are overwhelmed, short-staffed and jaded — just like us advisors.
“We’re seeing suppliers who are overwhelmed, short-staffed and jaded — just like us advisors” added Heather Christopher, founder of Heather Christopher Travel.
The Problems Facing Travel Suppliers
Overloaded with requests, tour operators and destination management companies are getting unrealistic requests from their travel advisor clients, and there’s a general feeling that advisors are not vetting clients.
The issue here is that suppliers do not charge fees in the same way agents do, so unless a trip is booked, they are not compensated for their time, which leads them to feel overworked and underpaid.
There’s also been more expectations of extra services, which take time but do not create revenue for the supplier (for example, a travel agent asking suppliers to send welcome letters to every partner on the ground on behalf of the advisor).
Meanwhile, ground vendors are short staffed. They are inundated with business coming in, and many do not have the resources to be as quick and efficient as they have been in the past.
Additionally, many are hiring or looking for help, but the interest to work in tourism has waned. It’s understandable; it pays moderately, it’s high stress, and the last few years have been unpredictable.
Why Are Travelers Unhappy in 2022?
Clients are also stressed and burnt out. After two years in a pandemic, the average traveler is just trying to get through their everyday life. Dealing with higher grocery bills, higher gas prices, constant daycare closures and a regular barrage of bad news is exhausting.
Simply put, they want a break. They want to travel. And that’s great!
Except that these travelers, understandably, don’t know how the industry is right now. So, their expectations are not in line with what is really available.
Some of my travel industry peers weighed in on the topic.
Keri Forbringer Heatherman of Luxury Travel Works says a common reprise she hears is “But I went there in 2019, and it was only (insert unrealistic price here)!”
Travel advisor Lindsay Deevy also believes that her “clients’ expectations are higher than ever.”
"COVID-19 creates so much extra work and time, with no incremental pay for that time involved,” she said. “Many clients want a plan A, as well as plan B and C as back-up options in place. All the while, we are only paid for the one trip that moves forward.”
Many clients want a plan A, as well as plan B and C as back-up options in place. All the while, we are only paid for the one trip that moves forward.
The demanding workload and growing stress is affecting everyone — advisors and suppliers. Most of us feel burnt out and are in survival mode.
Let’s take a step back: We used to be able to sell the dream. The fantasy of exploration, the excitement of discovering something new, and that wonderful feeling of being rested.
Then, as the pandemic rocked us all, we started to sell on staying on top of ever-changing COVID-19 restrictions. We positioned ourselves as beacons of knowledge. It was a smart move. Even if we didn’t know everything, we were committed to making it easier for our clients.
But now we are experiencing the unintended consequences. Our workload increased. The time and stress involved in constantly reviewing rules — that weren’t clear — was significant. It also primed clients to expect travel pros to have all the answers.
How many of us have received a message from a client wanting to know our thoughts on COVID-19 protocols at (insert future time frame they are thinking of traveling)? I know I have.
We positioned ourselves as beacons of knowledge. It was a smart move. Even if we didn’t know everything, we were committed to making it easier for our clients. But now we are experiencing the unintended consequences.
We went from memory makers to miracle workers. We told travelers to let us take on the stress, to be their restrictions interpreter and stay on top of the industry and health concerns worldwide.
And they listened. They let us.
We’ve always been a part-time therapist in this job. We’ve been trusted with travelers' precious time off and hard-earned money. The last few years have taken that role to a new level. Now, we have leads reaching out that want us to reassure them and create a path of ease where it does not exist.
They want to escape modern life and take a dream trip, and we want to give that to them. So, we overwork ourselves trying to make it happen. After all, each travel pro I know is a people pleaser at heart.
The Solution: Manage Expectations
We can’t solve the problem of our ground partners being short-staffed overnight. But we can decide how to handle client expectations as an industry.
How do we deliver on a great experience for our clients, while also being realistic about what’s happening in our industry?
We have to shift the messaging. As a whole. As an industry. And we have set boundaries to match.
We have to shift the messaging. As a whole. As an industry. And we have set boundaries to match.
The Solution: Be Transparent About the State of Travel Now
Let’s be transparent in a way we never have before, and open up about the challenges we face. I suggest that we talk about higher pricing in our marketing, and then follow it up with a minimum budget for the leads we take.
Let’s talk about less availability, and stop accepting last-minute requests. Let’s be transparent in our communication to clients, letting them know that once we get a proposal to them, they need to review it as soon as possible.
It’s up to us to set the limits of what we will accept.
Often, I see travel professionals compare their job to a lawyer or a financial advisor in their marketing materials, making the case that they are in a long-term personal relationship and make serious investments in their clients.
Yet I rarely see any of us really hold ourselves to that standard.
The average person doesn’t expect a lawyer to work cheaply, or for free, because they simply will not do it. My accountant is not keeping herself awake at night wondering what she will do if I do not get her my tax information on time. She carries on, and it’s my problem if I do not participate in the process.
There’s no one telling us that we cannot do the same.
Let’s stop marketing ourselves as experts that hand over years’ worth of knowledge and connections for free. Let’s stop positioning ourselves as constantly available to reassure clients about the unpredictability of life right now. They are adults who opted in, and there’s no need for us to shoulder all of the responsibility of their decisions.
If you get an unrealistic request, I challenge you to leave your emotions at the door and kindly let the traveler know. We cannot keep attempting to serve everyone and expect our workload to improve.
If you get an unrealistic request, I challenge you to leave your emotions at the door and kindly let the traveler know. We cannot keep attempting to serve everyone and expect our workload to improve.
I also have an unpopular opinion: I do not think every trip should be booked through a travel professional.
Not every trip is valuable to us as an industry. And if a client has unrealistic expectations, kindly advise them of such, and let them go book it themselves.
Let’s position ourselves as a service for fewer, but more serious, travelers. Let’s open up our time to spend it on trips that create more revenue. Let’s give our knowledge, resources and connections to those who have paid us for it.
The change starts with us. Set boundaries. Treat our industry with the respect it deserves. Value our time and service.
Until we do, we cannot expect travelers to value us.
The Details
North and Leisure
Travel Pro Theory
