As demand for authentic, immersive experiences grows, guided tours have continued to evolve. But with such a wide array of options, how do travel advisors ensure they’re finding the right fit for each client?
“It starts with understanding what’s available — and what today’s travelers want,” said Jason Block, CEO of WorldVia Travel Network. “In many cases, clients may not be aware of the many possibilities. I think the instruction, ‘We want a tour,’ is really just the opening move. It tells you that a given client wants support, but it doesn’t tell you what kind of support. The advisors I see getting the best outcomes are the ones who start by exploring how the traveler wants the trip to feel, rather than jumping straight to product.”
Lauren Cardinale, a luxury travel advisor at Travel Design Co., agrees, noting that the term “tour” can mean “everything and nothing” at the same time, making thoughtful qualification questions essential to matching travelers with the right experience.
Jen Rosa, a travel advisor and owner at Cruise Planners, also begins by zeroing in on the client’s true interests.
“When someone says they want a tour, I don’t assume they mean a traditional escorted trip,” she said. “I start by understanding what prompted that word. Are they looking for ease, structure or guidance in an unfamiliar destination?”
Matters of Pace, Personality and Preferences
For Erika Commisso, a travel advisor at Journey With Erika, getting into the mechanics of trip preferences early can help speed the decision-making process. She asks a variety of questions — including whether travelers want every day planned, prefer day trips from a centralized location and what level of activity they crave.
Block, meanwhile, describes matching clients to tours in interesting terms.
“I look at it as translating personality and behavior into structure,” he said. “Pace is one of the clearest early indicators: When someone tells you how many moves from one property to another they can tolerate in a week, you quickly see whether they belong in a fast-moving, see-it-all format or a slower, more immersive one.”
Rosa notes that a client’s willingness to pack and unpack is a strong indicator of the tour type they might like.
“Clients who prefer a single home base throughout the trip often align well with river cruising, while those open to changing locations may be better suited for a land-based journey,” she said.
Cardinale groups her qualifying around three areas: logistics, personality and travel history.
“Personality is what I would consider the strongest qualifier of all,” she said. “Is this person energized by other people or depleted by them? Do they want to be told what’s great, or do they want to find it themselves?”
Small Groups, Big Appeal
Small-group tours are appealing to many vacationers, according to Block.
“Small-group travelers are people looking for a middle path,” he said. “They don’t want the anonymity of a big bus, but they also don’t need everything to be private and bespoke.”
Commisso notices similar characteristics among small-group clients.
“For small-group tours, we are seeing these as clients who want the FIT experience but are not comfortable just arriving on location, hopping on a train and exploring on their own,” she said. “These clients are of all ages who like the sense of exploration with a safety net, but do not want to navigate logistics, language barriers or local cultural customs.”
For Rosa’s clients, meaningful experiences matter more than saving money.
“Small-group tours tend to attract travelers who value a more personal and thoughtful experience but still want the ease of having the details handled,” she explained. “They are also typically more experience-driven than price-driven.”
According to Cardinale, these travelers seek more affordable private travel options, exclusive access or the social element of group travel.
Families and Luxury Tours
Clients who book small-group tours come from many demographics, and travel advisors know how to ensure the best fit. Multigenerational clients can be tricky because family members often have different preferences, according to Block.
“It’s sort of a different design challenge,” he said. “You’re balancing multiple ages, energy levels and expectations.”
To handle these situations effectively, Commisso identifies who holds the most sway in the group.
“The most important thing is establishing the decision-maker — and the main influencer on the decision-maker,” she said. “This will determine the success of the trip.”
The luxury segment can present even more factors, according to Block.
“The important question is: What are they trying to buy emotionally?” he said.
When it comes to selling tours, Rosa offers advice that applies to every traveler type.
“The goal is always to match the experience to the traveler, rather than forcing a specific style,” she said.
Trafalgar and Insight Vacations Position Advisors for Success in Small-Group Travel
With Trafalgar and Insight Vacations leading its small-group expansion, TTC Tour Brands is helping advisors serve the needs of today’s travelers across two distinct guided travel styles.
“What we are seeing now is travelers who want to feel something, not just see something,” said Melissa DaSilva, the company’s deputy CEO and chief sales officer. “There has been a real shift from checking destinations off a list toward wanting to be genuinely inside a place, understanding it and connecting with the people who call it home.”
To serve that demand, TTC Tour Brands has expanded its small-group portfolio through Trafalgar and Insight Vacations, giving advisors more ways to match travelers by style, pace and price point.
“TTC Tour Brands is particularly well-positioned here because we are not starting from scratch,” DaSilva explained.
“Our classic tours are incredibly successful, with overwhelmingly positive feedback from a loyal audience of travelers who love that experience. But small-group travel speaks to a different kind of traveler — one who craves more flexibility and a closer connection to the places they visit. Now, we have a dedicated product that advisors can sell to that traveler.”
