I get asked, or it is even assumed that travel consultants travel for free. I only wish. Way back when, travel agents did receive free travel perks but those have gone the way of dial phones and VW buses.
However, we are frequently offered discounts, some of which are pretty darn good – especially if we’re educating ourselves
Probably the most misunderstood discount, is the familiarization trip or “Fam”. These are tours or hotel stays that are offered to educate us about regions, properties, tours, etc. frequently offered by tourist bureaus such as the Hawaii Visitors Bureau or India’s Travel Ministry. These involve staying at one or more properties and touring or experiencing different activities that a variety of suppliers present.
These are not vacations. They are extremely structured and usually very, very busy (exhausting). Offered once or twice/year during off season, there isn’t much downtime - even meals are scheduled to maximize exposure to as many different providers as possible. But, they are very educational and helpful and usually well worth the time and effort. Besides, even if it is work, it is still travel! Agents are usually asked to share accommodations and the cost to us is usually low or subsidized. Airfare and travel costs are at the agent’s expense. I try to attend one/year, but since I have to work around the timing of the Fam sometimes schedules collide.
Another type of discount offered to travel professionals is when a ship or property offers to host a meeting or convention. Depending on the organization, they will offer discounted or sometimes comped rooms to the organization. This is what Club Med did for the mastermind retreat I attended last week. Our rooms were very deeply discounted (we did have to share) and they didn’t charge for the meeting rooms. Because this is an all-inclusive property the only additional cost to our members was our airfare. In turn, we spent a half-day learning about Club Med and touring the property. Again, even when I’m working, I get to travel and experience something new.
The proverbial “Travel Agent Rate” is the free travel or deep discount that everyone thinks we get all the time, but it isn’t exactly what they think it is. Many cruise lines, resorts, hotels will offer discounts to travel professionals during off-season or when sales are slow. Sometimes they are offered last minute – to try and fill space. Others are offered seasonally. If your schedule works with the dates, these are discounts that can be used for personal travel. The suppliers, frequently, will extend the discount to a travel companion. The caveat to this is that often times a sale price, being offered to the public, might be better than the agent discount. I’ve never used one, because they’ve not been available when I want to use them, but a nice perk when the timing is right.
Some suppliers will offer deep discounts to travel professionals for completing certain educational requirements for their product. I took advantage of this a few years ago when Princess offered a free cruise after completing a pretty rigorous training program. I was fortunate to score a South American cruise – pretty awesome! It was my first trip to South America and I was so impressed, I have returned several times both by land and sea. I had to pay my own travel expenses but what an awesome trip. Not only did I get to enjoy the cruise, I was introduced to a part of the world I had not previously experienced.
So, there you have a brief round-up of the discounted benefits that travel professionals receive. While they tend to be tied to an educational requirement, what other profession lets you earn your CEUs all over the world? Did I mention, I love my job?!
Where would you choose to go for your travel education?
