Be careful giving Travel Advice. Travel experience is not the #1 key … It’s, can you crawl out from under a problem !

Day in and day out, I see folks, especially on facebook, asking friends for travel advice.  I'm not here suggesting someone doesn't know what they are talking about ... I am only reminding folks ... Be careful what you advice !  What about ...Are you covered by advice-insurance like a travel agent ?

Reminder ... Travel agents don’t usually charge, when you buy something from them !  It only makes sense to use a travel agent, and get your advice from the experts (but again, you need to find an expert agent - see below, what makes an expert) !  And truly, I fear folks confusing my advice, with that of what they heard from someone else !  I don't even want my staff giving my clients advice !

 

Since bad advice can be known to have disastrous consequences, I have 2 thoughts to consider when giving travel advice:

1.How do you know, that person will like (or react to) everything you like ?

2. Experience is not all about, how many times you have done something.   It’s about how many times have you run into problems and crawled your way out !

 

I often here folks say, you don’t need an oceanview or balcony cabin … Just buy the cheapest.  I could only agree with this statement, if the client said, “This is all the money I have to invest”.

Ever heard of claustrophobia (restriction or suffocation)?  Or cleithrophobia (fear of being trapped) ?  How would you know if someone else has this ?  Many folks don't know they even have, till the situation happens. 

 

I bring this up, because I once took my father on a Cruise West … Due to unforeseen circumstances, my room was downgraded from balcony to inside (an agent thing).  He took one look at that room, and almost ran everyone over, to get back outside (no exaggeration) !

ChaCha says, “Anywhere from 2-5% of the world population is affected by severe claustrophobia”.

MNT says, “It is not necessarily the small spaces that trigger the anxiety but the fear of what can happen to the person if confined to that area, hence the fear of running out of oxygen”. 

 

I’ve also heard folks say … It’s your first cruise, so 3-4-5 nights will do you fine.  I would never tell a customer they would  be satisfied with a short cruise, again, unless this is all the amount of time a person has, or limited funds !

Know that a 3 night is like a party boat.  Most folks stay up all night and many are there just to gamble and party.  And a 4 or 5 night … You barely get unpacked before you are coming home. 

 

A short cruise is like a “tease” vacation … And most folks, once there, do NOT want to leave !  What I hear from most folks ... Why didn't you talk me into choosing longer !   And my bigger thought, after you have driven or bought airline tickets, why come home so soon, if you don’t have to ! 

According to the industry, Cruising has the highest customer satisfaction and value, than any other vacation.  So we’re not talking boredom here !  There’s always something to do on a cruise !  Matter of fact, here are some myths about cruising: 

http://cruises.about.com/od/tipsforfirsttimecruises/tp/cruise_myths.htm

 

I’ve actually even heard folks, whom I don’t know, say, you don’t need a travel agent.  Apparently these folks have NO connection to the travel world … They are not reading the travel news … They are not following Travel Writers !  More importantly, they’ve yet to have a travel problem.  All I can say … LUCKY THEM !

I’ve been on 127 cruises.  This is not what makes me an expert in cruising.  It makes me an expert in what “I like” !

And since I like to save on the “all mighty dollar”, for my own cruises, then yes, I may know quicker, a deal when I see it.  And I know how to get myself by train or bus, to cities with low airfare cost.  That makes me my own travel agent !  But it doesn’t make me the travel expert.

Travel expert comes with knowing how to "get yourself out of a problem” ! 

 

In my travels, I’ve had to climb out of a disaster several times:

1.  Once I was in South America and Delta forgot to give me a return ticket (they put me on another airline) and the airline would not let me fly back without buying another ticket.  There were 3 of us, and I was the only one with a credit card !  Took me 3 months to get my money back !  But I also had Trip Cancellation Insurance that covered at least $300 pp of the air cost !

2.  I was in Seattle once, prior to a cruise.  I bought a pre-package from Greyline.  I wasn’t to pick up tickets till I got to the airport.  The woman failed to give me the transfer vouchers.  I had to pay, out of pocket too get everywhere.  She apologized when I returned to the airport, coming home, however, Greyline never returned my money !

3.  Again in Seattle, after a cruise.  I bought a reasonable all day private tour.  My driver stayed lost.  What was to be an 8 hour tour, turned into 11.  I barely made it to the airport before my flight.

 

All-n-all, I take chances to save on a dollar, but I won’t buy travel for clients that way !  I know I can get myself out of it.  However, I never advice folks of things I’ve done, if I don’t feel they will be ok.

It’s one reason I don’t like to provide hotel to clients.  Remember … Folks don’t always really mean “cheap” when they talk of hotel !  I prefer clients buy hotel on their own; they can only blame themselves if they don’t check it out first !

Cruises Inc sells over 100,000 cruises a year.  The average agency sells 200-300 a year.  The more packages sold … The more problems one encounters … The more experience !   Sometimes I feel I get every problem (a different kind each time) !

 

So it’s not personal experience that makes the expert … It’s encountering and resolving PROBLEMS !  Be careful giving travel advice !  How would you feel, if your advice hurt a friend !