Aside from the love of traveling, though it is the driving factor that keeps our luggage packed and vacation days used, there are several main reasons we travel.
It is important for us as group travel planners to remember the reasons our travelers sign up for our trips in the first place. Remember these seven factors when planning your next group trip and emphasize them throughout your getaway.
A Good Time
While this may be an obvious reason, remember that this entails a lot of planning. Fun can be found in many different ways through many different channels. What you have to remember is what makes traveling fun and how it is different; why is your group leaving the comfort of their own home to travel HERE?
Something to Anticipate
Trips give people something to look forward to, something to use in conversation and something to put on their social calendar. They get ready by shopping for the right clothes, reading about the destinations they will visit. It’s a good idea to boost this anticipation by providing highlight pamphlets or a “what to look forward to” handout.
Anticipation can make the pre-trip days seem easier too. Knowing that after a few hard days of work they will be traveling boosts moral.
Friendship
Friendship is one of the greatest side effects of traveling. It allows people to feel comfortable in a region foreign to them.
Friendship is tricky, though. As a tour escort, social skills are a valuable tool to utilize. Remember, not everyone is outgoing! You have to notice when people are left out or if cliques start to form. Try ice-breaker games such as “the name game” or “two truths and a lie.” Also, encourage your group members to sit with someone they don’t know on the bus or during a meal.
Good Food
One thing that almost all travelers love to chit-chat about is new and exciting meals they try while on vacation. Experienced travelers don’t order the same dish every time. You would be hard-pressed to find an experienced traveler that is a picky eater.
It’s important to make arrangements for people to experience a variety of food on the trip and give them something to taste and talk about.
Stimulate the Mind
Education is a huge part of why people travel, especially when traveling internationally. You don’t have to sit and lecture your travelers about the culture or people you are interacting with. Simply learning by doing, listening to tour guides and experiencing things for themselves teaches travelers more than an average book could.
Get out of a Rut
For a lot of us, we do the same thing day-in and day-out. Travel helps us forget our routine for a while and introduce ourselves to new horizons. During travels, people pick up on things they can add to enhance their daily lives, such as trying new food, meditating or simply taking 20 minutes every day to take a walk outside.
Memories
Of course, we travel to make memories we will enjoy and hold onto for the rest of our lives. New places, beautiful scenery and fun experiences are the things people keep in scrapbooks and photo albums. Here’s the great thing about memories: they can be passed down. Say one of your group members tells her grandchild about an unforgettable experience in London, which inspires the grandchild to travel to the same place someday. Making memories is at the root of why people travel
Your trips can enhance the lives of your travelers in many ways, and for some they can be much more helpful than you might imagine. Make the most out of the opportunities you provide your travelers and make sure to fulfill all seven of these factors to keep the love of travel alive in each and every one of your group members.
