FRONTLINE
did a lot of training about Abta, Atol, regulations and compliance when I started, along with the hundreds of partners that we have, which was a challenge initially.
Q. What is trending in sales? Most of my customers are women over the age of 55. They could be empty nesters, recently retired from high-powered careers, widows, don’t have children or have a partner who doesn’t want to do the same trip. I mostly chat to them over messages or voice notes, and they all want to do something adventurous, not a fly-and-flop beach holiday. They can relax with a book when they‘re at home, so they want to feel like they’re doing something different. Spending the summer in cooler destinations such as Norway and Iceland is coming through more, plus destinations people have not tried before, such as Albania or Estonia. I’ve booked a range of holidays for solo travellers focusing on walking, cycling, cooking or yoga, for example, but most are for off-the-shelf touring packages to Japan, Vietnam and South America or expedition cruises to Antarctica. It is fairly hefty pricing for a solo person, but my customers are at that point in their lives where they have the money and want to spend it.
HEIDI FRITH
The Plymouth-based InteleTravel agent speaks to Ella Sagar about selling adventure holidays to solo travellers
Q. How did you get into travel? I got into the travel industry on the service side, working as a yacht skipper and doing ski seasons after leaving my job in the NHS 20 years ago. I loved working on yachts, and I did private charters in the Caribbean along with a bit of work as a chef. I came back to the UK a few years ago and started a marketing business in the marine industry when an advert about becoming an independent travel advisor popped up on my Facebook. I thought it sounded good, so I joined InteleTravel in February 2024.
Q. What was the biggest lesson that you learnt after starting? I had travelled a lot independently. I have been backpacking in Asia, South America and Central America, plus I have lived in the US, France, Spain and Belize, so I would say that my knowledge of the world is pretty good. However, my knowledge of five-star hotels and packaging was not so great, because that is not how I typically travelled. We
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Q. How do you find your customers? I started a Facebook group for solo travellers, which now has 14,500 members. I put up 11 posts per day with different deals and itineraries. Then people come to me and say they want this package, ask if I can change the airport, dates or things like that. I may need to look at another company to accommodate them, but I’m already about 10 conversations further down the line in terms of understanding what they are looking for, rather than spending lots of time and energy finding and sending them options that will not work for them. Most of my customers have reached an age where they’ve got money from their pension or an inheritance, so they can go on that long-haul adventure they have always wanted to do. They want rooms to themselves in nice hotels and do not want to spend months planning it. They want it to feel safe and protected, which is what you get from a packaged adventure holiday.
Q. What is your advice for other agents? I would advise people to sell what they know and go on trips on agent rates, so that you can experience them as your clients do as a holiday. I did that with Antarctica in December and found out so much. I have sold four expeditions since then, amounting to about £100,000.
Q. What’s next for your business? I want to keep increasing my average sale price. It’s quite hard to achieve that with solos because you are only selling to one person at a time, unless they take a friend. Last year, my average sale was about £2,500 and now it’s nearing £4,000. It’s all about making more money for less work and enjoying it while you do it.
travelweekly.co.uk
HOW DID YOU GET INTO SELLING SOLO TRAVEL?
I thought it was best to lean into what I know, which is
travelling as a solo person. I didn’t see many other agents with that niche, and particularly for adventure
travel. A lot of people think going on a solo holiday is because you are single and ready to mingle, which is not the case for most of the people I have worked with. They are happier to go in a mixed group rather than a solo-dedicated tour. I always ask people how old they feel, to help choose the trip that is right for them. That affects which activities they want to do and who they want to hang out with – that’s much more important than their actual age. I have a lot of discussions with customers about solo supplements, because many feel it’s unfair to be charged more. Ultimately, businesses will make less money from a solo traveller, so I think it is fair to pay an additional amount. Either way, I would love for more companies to publish their solo pricing from the outset, rather than having to request it.
Heidi on a trip to Antarctica
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