Scroll through social media accounts and you see one athletic photo after another. Travelers biking, hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, diving, skiing, skating…you name it.
Gone are the days where vacation photos were all about palm trees and sand, tropical drinks by the pool. The bar has been seriously raised with how athletic travelers want to be on their trips, many of them working towards goals. Some of them are “collecting” experiences including bagging famous peaks, rafting some of the earth’s toughest white-water rivers and running marathons in cities around the world. All very inspiring…but what does this mean for you? More opportunities to expand your business…but challenges as well. Here’s what you can do to attract and keep your active clients coming back.
Know Their Fitness Level
Get to really know your clients’ hobbies and interests. If you know your client loves kayaking, you can be very proactive suggesting trips that involve kayaking experiences around the world. Same for just about any other active pursuit.
Don’t rely on your agency’s Traveler’s Profile to understand fitness levels. Forms can be very misleading. For example, if your client has to indicate her level of fitness for a trip to Peru, she might check off “very fit” because she walks five days a week and is more active than her couch-potato neighbors. A “very fit” 25-year-old is very different from a 73-year-old “very fit.” Truth is, can she hike at high altitudes for seven hours? And how is her agility? Can she handle scree while descending steep slopes? Talk to your client. Ask specific questions. The last thing you want to do is have a client get hurt on a trip, because it was more than they could handle.
Keep the whole family happy. Not everyone in your client’s family might want to try via ferrata in the Dolomites. But that doesn’t mean they don’t go! While a couple members of the family might like to go out with a guide working their way up the rocky mountain faces, the others can have a leisurely morning in the village, maybe a helicopter ride, and afterwards, take the cable car up the mountain—all meeting for lunch on the sunny deck of a rifugio.
DIY & Insurance Protection
Test-drive experiences your clients are seeking. We all know that having first-hand experience is like gold when it comes to selling. While many FAM trips focus on hotel rooms and other property features, pull away from the pack. Add a day onto a trip. Get out and do the experiences you want to promote.
Learn how to best protect your clients. If you have clients that are seeking great adventures, be sure to stay updated on necessary insurance products and medical evacuation plans that might benefit them.
Susan Farewell is the owner of Farewell Travels LLC (FarewellTravels.com), a travel design firm based in Connecticut. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @FarewellTravels
