Making the Right Travel Decision
Any consultant worth his or her salt, seeks to provide their clients with the best possible information so their clients can then take that information and make the best decision possible. Making right decisions, for the most part, relies on having the correct information ahead of making that decision. We rely on experts in certain fields to provide us with that correct info whether its health related, financially related etc. We don't turn to friends who have not been to medical school to advise us on how to treat some health ailment. We don't rely on someone who has never worked on a car engine to help us determine how to fix our broken down car. We don't take advice from financially broke friends on how to better invest our money. The same logic should apply when someone is wanting travel advice. Turning to non-professionals can sometimes render bad decisions because the non-professional information was flawed and possibly even incorrect.
We see this a lot in the field of professional travel consulting. We hear of travelers being encouraged to take a cruise solely because a passport is not currently needed for a lot of cruises. But that information is only partially correct and may lead travelers to make the wrong decision for them and their family. We have clients come to us and say they only want to visit 2 of the 4 parks at Walt Disney World because a friend said they didn't think the other parks had enough for small children. Again, that is not a factual statement. Similarly we have had clients say they don't want to visit a destination like Universal Orlando Parks and Resorts because too many of the rides have a height requirement of 50in or taller. Clients were ready to not consider that option based on that one friend's comment. The friend's comment was incorrect. Many discount the idea of Mexico being a vacation destination based on friend's comments about safety in Mexico. 99% of the time, those friends are not stating facts but only passing on news stories that are also not stating facts. These are just small examples of how wrong information and opinion can alter a family's vacation plans.
It is our job to help clients sift through the gobs of opinions and counter some of those opinions with simple facts so our clients can make the best decision possible for what is right for them, not for their friends. We can help clients see that having a passport is still highly encouraged even when taking a cruise for a variety of reasons. We can help clients see what is offered for all ages at every park that makes up Walt Disney World and then let the clients decide how they want to spend THEIR time. We can provide actual ride heights showing that the majority of the attractions at Universal Orlando are under that 50in requirement. We can even provide actual crime statistics that show Mexico is safer than places like the Bahamas, Jamaica. Punta Cana etc for tourists.
We have opinions too. Clients come to us for our opinions. But even our opinions are based one what we factually know about a destination or certain type of vacation. This is why we take the time and spend the money to travel to the places we sell. We can then offer facts, personal experiences and opinion which gives our clients the best possible info so they can weed through the hoards of options and make the right vacation choice.
So the next time you get an opinion from someone who is NOT a professional travel consultant, reach out to us or find a professional who is a right fit and trust their skill and knowledge. It could make the difference between an ok vacation and a great vacation.