What I've Learned As A TA From The Pandemic

Adventures By Miranda just turned one year old!! Last year when I told my friends and family that I was FINALLY going to become a travel advisor most of them thought I was nuts. My rational for it was that I would have a lot of time to do my training, certifications, set up my processes, build a website and I’d be ready to hit the ground running when the inevitable wave of tourism returned. Luckily all of that has paid off big time for me! This last year has been a fascinating year in the travel industry. Even veteran advisors have had to rethink everything they were taught previously. The travel advice of 2019 simply is not applicable in 2021 or moving forward. Today I’m sharing some of my insights I’ve learned as a TA in a year of a pandemic.

1.) Nothing beats having a man (or a woman!) on the ground. Situations can change in a heartbeat and having a personal contact in the hospitality industry on the ground at a destination is worth absolutely gold. On more than one occasion, my personal connections in a destination have saved the day for my clients. The internet is an incredible resource, but when things are in constant flux information on the internet is quickly outdated or even nonexistent. Trusting your trip to a Google search is just too risky these days.

2.) There is no app that gives a rat’s behind if your trip goes sideways. I know what the commercial says, but take it from someone who has had too many phone calls from travelers in crisis because an app totally let them down. Another fun fact about those apps: They don’t come back to you with a back up plan like I do! You’ll sit on hold forever when you’re in a crisis. Travel advisors actually have different phone numbers the general public doesn’t have access to so we often get through when you’re just sitting on hold. I recently sat on hold for two hours on a TA line with a special circumstance and was eventually given a direct number that usually isn’t even given out. Believe me I’ll be holding that number on my back pocket for the next time!

3.) Get the trip insurance! That is all I have to say about that - except that you should go and read my other blog post where I have a LOT more to say about that.

4.) It’s great to be spontaneous and go with the flow, but be realistic about what that might look like. If you don’t make any dining reservations or pre-book your activities or excursions because you want to go with the flow then you need to be prepared to actually go with the flow if all the restaurants are booked and the excursions and tours have filled up. That means having a back up plan or genuinely being cool to get creative and come up with another option and be satisfied with it. THAT is the point though - being satisfied. You’ve spent time, money, vacation days, etc so if you have certain expectations that need to be met for you to feel satisfied with your trip when you get home, then you need to book some things out in advance in 2021 and 2022. I’m not saying every minute of every day - I don’t like to travel like that either. But have a frank conversation with yourself about your expectations and with your TA about the reality of the situation at your destination. Some destinations that were easy to just make last minute plans are NOT anymore and people are getting some rude awakenings when they show up to their old haunts with their old expectations. Your TA should be tuned into those changes able to guide you.

Now for my prediction for 2022:

The biggest favor you can do for yourself today is book out your 2022 travel NOW. It sounds crazy, but if you’re planning a big once-in-a-lifetime trip or even you annual beach vacation, lock that down immediately. This year EVERYONE has wanted to travel and has experienced higher prices and limited inventory of resorts and rentals. More people than ever have been and will be booking early for 2022 so I predict that 2022 will also see heavy bookings, especially for beaches, national parks and theme parks like Disney and Universal. Booking earlier will allow you access a larger pool of inventory with more pricing options.