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18


talking shop


WISE COUNSEL


Barbara.Charltontravelcounsellors.com  0845 0587 290 


Blagging it and bucket-lists


ACT NOW! It’s offi cial, winter has arrived and it's


time to strike while the iron is hot and grab bookings before the inevitable lull and fi nancial stresses of Christmas hit demand. We are lucky these days that


we have so many ways to reach out to clients. 20 years ago, we had to rely on people walking past our shops but now we can attract their attention by emailing offers, posting ideas and holiday chit chat on Facebook, or starting a conversation on Twitter. So whilst people may be busy thinking about grandma’s sherry and gifts for under the tree, we can gently remind them to also think about themselves and plan a stress-free trip to look forward to.


BE CONFIDENT I have had some interesting enquiries this month such as two ladies taking a ‘wander’ from the north to the south of Vietnam. This is not a destination I have


visited so it’s nice to know there are real experts out there to rely on for advice. I always make sure to give the impression I know where everywhere is when really I just know ‘a man or woman who does’


DON'T PANIC AT AN


ENQUIRY FROM SOMEONE TRAVELLING TO UNFAMILIAR WATERS, IN TRAVEL YOU JUST HAVE TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION YOU KNOW WHERE EVERYWHERE IS AND THEN FIND SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY DOES!


CHECK ONLINE FOR DAILY TIPS AT SELLINGTRAVEL.CO.UK


Hot tips galore!


“The Maldives has a reputation for romance but is developing its family and mid-market


From feeding penguins to RTW trips and iconic rail journeys, experiential travel is a big earner


because ultimately that's what really counts. If you can convince the client that you can source everything for them, and indeed make additional suggestions to enhance their trip, then you learn a lot for the next time someone asks you about the Hoang Lien Son mountain range or how to rent a dugout from the village of Jun across part of Lak lake and back. Other nice enquires have included a 70th birthday trip from Vancouver Eastbound in Gold Leaf class on the Rocky Mountaineer, another one I haven't done myself but a popular trip on a lot of bucket lists.


BUCKET LISTS People seem keen to complete these bucket lists at a younger and younger age. My daughter, at the ripe old age of 22, recently arranged one from her boyfriend’s list. It was simply to ‘feed a penguin’ and she arranged it easily enough at London Zoo. It was not the fact that she arranged it that surprised me, but the fact that her 24-year-old boyfriend had written a bucket list at all! I suppose it makes sense to start early and means great potential business for us in the travel industry as most are a little more elaborate than the penguins. My son, at 24, is ticking off some of his during his year working and


“Tap into the bucket list trend. Clients want to tick these off at a younger and younger age”


playing in Australia. He and his girlfriend have just spent 23 days travelling from Cairns to Sydney in a campervan and we've been following him in real time thanks to the magic of Skype. I'm not sure I could manage that myself these days, in fact I think my dream is more of a RTW trip starring Club class seats, top city hotels and possibly a large luxury RV for the coastal roads. With an HGV driver for a husband, I'll let him do the driving whilst I enjoy the scenery and ‘direct’! So, I better get back to my sales if I want that dream trip to become a reality or else I'll be the one sitting in my armchair with fi ve cats thinking ‘why didn’t I?’


appeal too.” AMANDA STATHAM, TRAVEL WRITER


“Cambodia and Laos are still considered exotic destinations not yet overrun by tourism, but that may not last long.” LESLEY WRIGHT, TRAVEL INDOCHINA


“Out of peak season, travellers can pick up great deals to Cyprus from a wide choice of


UK airports.”DAVID SKILLICORN, PRESTIGE HOLIDAYS


sellingtravel.co.uk


Be inspired!


BARBARA SAYS


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