Why our Travel Agency won't Charge a "Plan to Go" Fee

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Travel agents are frustrated! I see it posted in industry groups on Facebook. I hear the complaints at industry functions. Early on in our travel agency career I even researched this topic because I thought, based on what I was reading and hearing, that soon I would be frustrated too.

 

The problem?

 

Agents were spending hours with clients helping them plan and research the most spectacular vacation ever only for the client to take that research, those hours of effort, and go book their vacation on their own leaving the travel agent angry, frustrated, and pissed off. And, without any income to cover the time they spent working with their customer.

 

The travel agent receives compensation in the form of commissions for travel booked through the various vendors used to put your travel plan together. The cruise line, for example, pays a commission. The hotel, transportation, tour operator, and other vendors pay commissions too. When you add it all up, most travel plans pay a fair commission to the travel agent and it's worth their time to work with a client. But, sometimes the client takes the information; the flight details, the hotel name, the excursion details and books on their own which leaves the travel agent out of the process and out of a paycheck.

 

The Solution?

 

For more and more travel agents, the solution is the implementation of a "Plan to Go" fee. There isn't a set amount that is standard in the industry. It's completely subjective to each individual travel agent. Some will credit this fee towards your booking should you complete the process of booking your trip. If you don't complete the process then your deposit is non-refundable. Other travel agents will charge a fee that doesn't get applied to your booking period. It's just an added charge. Many excellent travel agents charge a fee and they deserve every penny because they do a fantastic job for their clients. I have no problem with this business model, for them. It's just not our business model.

 

Our solution is not to add another fee. Our solution is to improve the process on how we engage with a new client so that we're reasonably confident that when the research is finished, the client will book their trip with our agency. We've gotten pretty good at determining who the tire kickers are and who the serious travelers are because we don't want to charge a fee.

 

We don't charge a "Plan To Go" fee for 3 simple reasons.

1. It's NOT Necessary. When two people mutually agree on the process and ultimate outcome of working together charging a fee becomes unnecessary. When our clients are serious about booking their travel plans with us, we're serious about working hard to fulfill their travel desires and wishes.
2. We Want to Focus on YOU. When a travel agent charges a fee, this is about protecting themselves and the focus is on themselves and their time. Now, there is nothing wrong with a person protecting their time. We all get the same amount every day and every minute must be valued. In our travel agency, we choose to protect our time through our process of working with new clients.
3. Our Process Works. To avoid instituting a fee, we decided to improve the process of working with us. The process is rather simple but it works. After an initial call(in most cases) we instruct the new prospect to complete our Travel Planning Form. This form asks for the key components we use in order to book someone's travel, namely the traveler's name(as found on their documents) and their date of birth. There are some other questions related to their travel but those are less important than getting their travel names and dates of birth. We don't start researching or planning until this document is received. If a new client doesn't want to provide this key information then we part ways quickly and our time isn't wasted. We don't feel used. We don't get angry or upset. It's just business.

I can't say that our agency will never charge a fee but based on our philosophy and what we believe about the Principles of Persuasion it will be a long time before we ever consider charging a fee. 

 

We look forward to helping you #GetToABetterPlace

 

*The Principles of Persuasion can be found at this link. https://www.influenceatwork.com/principles-of-persuasion/

 

Author: Richard Morris

 

 

Kristin and Richard Morris are the owners of Arizona Cruise and Travel in Gilbert, AZ, a Cruise Planners® franchise. They want to travel more and help others do the same. ACT on your travel dreams today! Call us at (602) 626-3740 or toll-free at (888) 419-6640. You can visit our website at www.arizonacruiseandtravel.com and play around. Heck, you might as well search for your next cruise because you know you want to.

 

 

 

Richard and Kristin also own Southwest Premier Insurance Agency, LLC, a full service, independent insurance agency in Gilbert, AZ.