Ah, summer — that magical time of year when everyone you know is either getting ready for, actively on, or returning from vacation. While there is a sense of relief that comes with all those sunburned selfies and "we're home!" texts from clients telling you it was the best trip they have ever taken, that doesn't mean your work here is done.

During summer, it's likely that a huge chunk of your book of business is moving through the same cycle at once. While someone is boarding a plane right now, someone else is unpacking and deciding which of their 300 photos to post first. During this busy time, it's crucial that you strike while the suitcase is still open and don't miss this golden window of opportunity for several reasons.

The first is feedback. Not the kind you already get from a pre-trip questionnaire, but authentic, detailed feedback that will help you in several ways. Hearing what they loved, what fell flat, and which properties and experiences earned their price tag (and which ones didn't) gives you a far more accurate read on this client than anything they told you in advance. As Meredith Calloway likes to say, “You’re never more certain about what you want than when you’re experiencing what you don’t.” Some people are bad at predicting what they'll care about until they're physically there. Others think they are much more “easy breezy” than they actually are, and their real preferences can only be discovered by reading between the lines. Not only will the feedback you receive ensure you can be even more of an expert for that client, but their firsthand experience will also help when future clients are planning a similar itinerary.

Beyond just collecting feedback, this is the perfect moment to ask for testimonials and referrals. You will not find anyone more willing to share than a client who just had the best trip of their life and wants to talk about it. Figure out ahead of time where a review helps you most (e.g., Google, Facebook, Virtuoso, etc.), and include a link directly to that platform when you ask them to write one. If you have a referral program, this is the moment to remind them how it works. If you don't, a simple line about how much you appreciate referrals goes further than people expect. They're already telling their friends about the trip; might as well get your name thrown in there!

Then there's the topic of their next trip, which is the piece advisors are most likely to leave on the table. Your client will never be more excited and open to ideas than they are right now when they are still floating on that vacation high. Take advantage of their excitement and start planting seeds for what's next. You’ve already taken this step and done your research on this client, so when they’re ready to talk about their next booking, you’ll already be several steps ahead.

So why do advisors skip this step or fail to take full advantage of its potential? Because none of this feels urgent when you're buried in the middle of your own busy season. It's easy to tell yourself you'll circle back once things calm down, but then things don't calm down, and eventually this valuable follow-up window will be long gone.

As with many other facets of owning a travel business, the solution comes down to two magic words: systems and automations. The advisors who capitalize on this window aren't necessarily more on top of things than everyone else. They just have processes in place so their attention is free to go to the parts of the job that need their personal touch, like the follow-up conversation itself, instead of remembering that the follow-up needs to happen in the first place. If you don't have a system like this in place, or you set it up a long time ago and haven't looked at it since, it's worth setting aside time to develop or update it.

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FAQs

What should travel agents ask their clients during a post-trip follow-up call?

Go beyond "how was it." Ask what they loved, what they didn't expect, what they'd change next time, and whether anything on the trip sparked an idea for where they'd want to go next. Ask them about specifics, such as properties, experiences, guides, and so on. Those answers tell you more about the client than a pre-trip questionnaire ever will.

How can travel agents ask clients for referrals without feeling pushy?

Timing does most of the work for you. Right after a great trip, clients are already talking about it to the people around them; a quick mention of your referral program (or simply that you appreciate referrals) gives them a reason to say your name while they're doing it anyway. Many advisors also have a referral program in place to incentivize those who send new clients their way.

How can travel agents build better follow-up systems?

Automations and simple processes work better than relying on memory. Whether that's a CRM task triggered when a client returns or a set sequence you run every time, the goal is freeing up your attention for the personal parts of the conversation instead of spending it trying to remember the follow-up needs to happen.