Travel agents are in a unique place in the holiday market. There is a high demand for travel and a frenzy of last-minute opportunities. The holiday season is also the perfect time to touch base with your entire client list, whether they are traveling or not. Holidays are a busy time for most travel agents, coordinating multiple client trips and working to prepare your business for the new year.
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Get ready for a busy holiday season with these tips:

You can also send holiday gifts to your clients and warm regards for their families. One of the best ways to make a positive impression during the holidays is to simply send a gift. Write a gracious holiday message thanking clients for working with you in the past and wishing them a happy holiday. Combine it with even a small digital gift and your warm message can become one of many gifts they remember during their holiday experience.
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Digital gifts can be small and universal, like an Amazon gift card or a sponsored app download. Everyone enjoys receiving gifts on the holidays, and this simple act will build your client-agent relationship.

For clients who are not traveling away from home this year, consider promoting staycation packages. A staycation is an exploration of a client's home city as if they were a tourist. Your clients will have a blast staying in local hotels and visit the museums and attractions that locals often never go see.
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For small households having a private holiday, offer romantic or luxurious short staycation experiences. This works particularly well when good deals appear because venues want to fill at the last minute. For whole gathered families, offer one-day guided family explorations of the host's city. Staycation packages can sell your services to clients even if they aren't leaving home but want some special holiday fun.

When you send your season's greetings, you have no way of knowing where a client might be in their holiday. Clients who are currently traveling, or have already planned their family-related travel, might benefit from your services mid-trip. A mid-trip service might include planning one family day.

Or you might rebook a hotel and reserve one restaurant for your client away from home, even if they didn't initially plan with you. Mid-trip services are another way to optimize the holiday season.

Travel during the holidays is hectic partly because prices can change at the last minute. Prices can rocket or drop based on demand and last-minute openings. Stay attentive to how the prices are changing day-to-day, both for last-minute deals and how prices are fluctuating on the calendar ahead.
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You may be able to save your clients a significant amount of money by recommending suddenly-discounted experiences and luxuries. You may catch a deal for plane tickets or upgrade your clients to a better hotel room. Or you may find great opportunities for family attractions or great deals for a reservation dinner.

The holidays may be a busy time for a travel agency, but you're also a person with your own personal life and beloved holiday traditions. Remember to take time for yourself and your family. Set clear boundaries and build your schedule around both sets of obligations. From there, you can really relax during family time. Kick back, eat a few cookies, and enjoy your holiday. Make plenty of time for your family and be sure to take care of yourself individually as well. Not only will you enjoy this holiday more, but your own happiness will enhance the genuine warmth when you reach out to clients.


Travel agents are often busy during the holidays, but a little forethought goes a long way. You can enjoy your own holiday traditions and take care of clients. The three things to consider are taking care of your clients, preparing your business for next year, and your personal holiday time with family. Simply check off each stage of the holidays as you take care of promotions and proceed through the holidays toward the New Year. Contact us today to find out more about optimizing your travel agent business and how to be a great independent agent. 

With the new year right around the corner, solopreneurs should be thinking about turning over that new leaf for a bright coming year. New Year's turnover is an essential part of any business owner's calendar. It is a time to take stock of your business, your progress, your successes, and to make plans for a brighter future. It's also when businesses prepare financially for the upcoming new fiscal year and tax season. As a solopreneur, you are not only your own boss but also your own team and support system, which means tackling the new year with independent enthusiasm.

How should a solopreneur, particularly a solo travel agent, plan for the new year? We've put together a handy guide that you can use as a checklist or as an inspiration to craft your new year for profitability and growth.

While you're preparing for the new year, the most important business task is to sort out your finances. Whether you've kept meticulous records or thrown your receipts into folders to deal with later, now is the time to ensure that everything is in order. It's time to line up your income vs your expenses and calculate the year's revenue.
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Go through all your records, comparing them to your notes and receipts, to make sure everything is 100% accurately recorded. Double-check your online records to ensure that they match your in-office records and that all your accounts have all the right numbers. Audit all your subscriptions, licenses, and paid services that might expire or need renewal. Make decisions on what to keep, upgrade, or cut. Then collate your records so that you know exactly where to find every detail of your finances when they are needed.

In addition to sorting out your business finances, you'll also be preparing for tax season. As a solopreneur, you will be filing self-employed taxes based on your personal business incorporation and how you 'pay yourself' through your enterprise. Like any independent professional, no one is setting aside your taxes out of each paycheck. Instead, you should have been putting aside your tax percentage monthly in preparation for next April.

Calculate your tax amount this year and ensure that your tax account is ready. If not, correct the balance now during your new year's preparations. It's a good idea to run your finances by an accountant or financial advisor just to be certain.
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Don't forget to line up your tax deductions. For a solopreneur, there are tons of tax deductions available for your small business, from energy deductions to business expenses. Because you're a solo business owner, any spending you did for the business can count as a business expense tax deduction. If you bought equipment, software, outsourced services, and so on, be sure to calculate those into your deduction plans. Again, run this by an accountant or tax lawyer to be sure.

As a travel agent (or any self-networking solopreneur) your network is an essential part of doing business. The holidays and the new year are a great time to touch base with your entire network, from clients to venues. With each network contact, send a friendly message that reaffirms your connection and invites them to reach out with any plans or opportunities that might be mutually beneficial.

Send holiday greetings to your clients. Wish them a happy new year and invite them to reach out with their travel plans for the upcoming year. This might be just the reminder they need to start planning a future vacation, months in advance.

Send a friendly greeting to your business contacts as well, wishing them a good business year and reaffirming your positive relationship. A warm thank you to your clients and fellow businesses is also a wonderful way to reach out. A few simple seasons greetings can go a long way.

The year is changing, and maybe the details of your business have changed as well. Anywhere you have personal or business information shared online, it's time to double-check your facts and keep your information current. For example, if your LinkedIn says you've been solopreneuring for two years, update that to three. If you've changed location, phone number, primary payment card, or built a web of support email addresses for the business, plug those into your agency's online listings.
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You may also want to take this time to write new blurbs for your business description and personal information on the various websites where you advertise or share information. The new year is the right time for a fresh look at your information as well as factual updates.

Speaking of online updates, take a look at your website with new eyes, as well. Your business website is the host of all landing pages and the funnel through which your clients go through when deciding whether to hire you. This means that you want your website to be fresh and attractive year after year.
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While you don't need to do a full website overhaul, find a few small things about the website that you could improve during your new year's preparations. Update a few pages, add a splash of color, or take notes on developer-handled changes you'd like to commission this year. Make your website a little more attractive each time you look at it.

As you prepare yourself and your business for the new year, reflect on your goals. Looking at your finances, you probably developed a good idea of your success in this last year. Naturally, your goal next year is to do even better. Consider the ways you'd like to do better and the steps you can take to get there.
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Would you like to attract more client leads, plan more personalized trips, or handle your internal finances more neatly? Turn these into the kind of new year's resolution for the business. The new year is a perfect time to shape your business with new goals and techniques.

Finally, put some thought into how to expand your network of vendors and venues this year. Consider building a relationship with a new line of hotels or getting to know a new airline's policies in detail. Make plans to expand the services so that you can confidently recommend and coordinate for your clients. Make a list of new brands you will purposefully reach out to and types of experiences you might gain a better understanding of to offer your clients a better service.
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As a solopreneur, your edge is your ability to customize your service to exactly what your clients need. Your collection of contacts and resources defines that. In the new year, make a to-do list to expand your network.
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The new year is a wonderful time for solopreneurs, but it's also very busy. Once your finances and paperwork are in order, there are so many ways for you to make positive plans for the year to come. From setting powerful goals to building your network, solopreneurs can turn that wonderful New Years energy into motivation to start 2020 on the right foot for your business.

​Having an impressive website is crucial to generate leads, and it sets the tone of how your business operates. Your website is your best salesperson—it’s the first thing people look at when researching a company. Because it runs at all hours, there are more opportunities for people to stumble upon your business. However, if your website is hard to navigate, outdated, or confusing, you lose out on potential customers and relationships. It’s crucial to maintain a quality website, so you don’t miss the opportunities that await your business.

​Here are critical components in a website that will make your site your number one salesperson:

The title tag of your page is an essential component of your website. It specifies the title of your web page, is the headline for a given result on search engines and is an accurate, concise description of a page’s content. Essentially, it’s the big text you see in search results when you’re on Google or Bing. Making your title tag unique for each page of your site will allow you to show up in more search results. Be sure your title tag is short and includes top keywords. 

​Keywords are words and phrases in your content that allow users to find your website in search results. Think about what people type into Google to search for something. Those are keyword phrases. You want to use those in your content to signal to the search engine that this page or site has information on the phrase. When you optimize your keywords, that pushes your website to the top of search results. However, using too many variations of the same keywords can get you in trouble with search engines. It’s counterproductive and creates a bad user experience.

​Your top navigation should have no more than five menu items. Be sure that your menu items are in order of the steps you want people to take when visiting your site, and refrain from having submenus unless they’re necessary. You can link to other pages in your website within each page. For example, if you want someone to look at your “About” page, only give them that option on your menu. Once a user is on your “About” page, then you can link to other pages on your website, like a team page. 

You should think about who is coming to your website and the path they take through pages on your site. The routes will be different for each persona, a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer. The pathway a new client takes is different than a repeat customer. For example, if a new prospect clicks on your about page, you can link to a page of destinations, then deals, then a page to contact you or receive a quote. 

​Google also penalizes sites that aren’t updated regularly. Incorporate new content, be sure links are working, and make sure your blog posts are current. You want to give visitors a reason to visit your site repeatedly. When people see a website that isn’t up to date, people assume that the business closed or is no longer operating. Avoid that by serving a more up-to-date site that has been posting content frequently. For example, if you published your last blog post six months ago, that would show inactivity, and Google could penalize your website. 

​It’s crucial to establish a connection with your site’s visitor. You offer more than just travel. You provide a way for people to make lifelong memories with their loved ones. Convey that on your website. Include images of people who are making memories, laughing, and enjoying themselves on vacation. Avoid using stock photography—make it your own. However, if you have to use stock photography, look for images that show emotion. It will help establish that connection and show that you offer more than just a travel service. 

​People think about one thing: what’s in it for me? You can talk about yourself, your business, and what you provide, but if the client can’t see how this benefits them, you’ve lost them. Make the language on your website compelling and show the value in what you provide. The language on your site should be more about your client and less about you. 

​Give customers a way to connect with you. A quick way to do this is to include links to your social media. However, it’s crucial to give visitors an option to subscribe to something like a monthly newsletter or email updates by adding a button on pages. Social media sites fluctuate in popularity or some close down altogether. Having an email list that you own is one of the best assets that can’t be taken away. It’s 100% yours, so treat it with care. Email lists allow you to have a list of contacts and connect with customers easily. In fact, email is 40 times more effective at acquiring customers than Facebook or Twitter, so you want to make email a primary marketing activity. 

People have questions and want immediate answers. Make it easy for users to get those answers by giving your website a frequently asked questions page (FAQ). Look through your emails and interactions with clients to see which questions are the most popular and create an FAQ page based on that information. You can include information about a travel planning fee, a way to contact you, and answers to other commonly asked questions. Also, fine-tune the content on your website to make explanations clear for customers.  

​You should also give customers an easy way to get in contact with you or a member of your team. You should have a phone number at the top and bottom of your pages, and you can even include an option to live chat with someone. It’s a great way to resolve problems quickly, increase sales, and reduce your expenses. A live chat customer service is 17-30% cheaper than a phone call, and customers that use live chat are three times more likely to make a purchase compared to those who don’t. Some popular live chat software programs are LiveChat, Sendinblue, and Olark—some of these are free to get started, so give them a try.

​Tell people what you want them to do. Visitors need to have an explicit, desired action they should take when visiting your website—a call-to-action (CTA). If you want visitors to book a consultation, have a button that lets them do that on every page. People shouldn’t have to scroll to the top, bottom, or back to your home page to complete your CTA. However, it’s crucial to tailor your CTA to a page’s specific content or the user’s path. For example, if a user is on a page that will lead them to receive a quote, include a CTA to get a quote. If a user is viewing a page about subscribing to your newsletter, include a CTA for them to subscribe.

​Your website is a crucial component of your business. Your site can bring you an endless amount of opportunities because it operates all hours of the day. It can help you make money in your sleep, when done right. When your website has these components, we’re confident it will become your number one salesperson and bring in leads like never before. 

Once clients are back at home, it's time to send your follow-up email. Ask how everything went in a way that warmly invites travel stories and photos. After your initial friendly welcome home greeting and questions about how they enjoyed the trip, be sure to ask for feedback.

Ask your client how they enjoyed each element and if there was anything you could do better or got so perfect that you shouldn't change it for their next trip. Here, again, is where you implement that easy-going assumption that you'll be doing better next time because there will be a next time. Of course you want to make sure they are delighted with this trip, and that you understand every detail you could get even closer to perfect for any travel plans in the future.

​Offer to talk on a call, video-conference, or meet in person for lunch if your client wants to discuss their travel without typing it all out as well. Many clients would love to tell you how it went, but aren't big email-writers so open that avenue for them with a friendly offer.

Clients love to share travel photos and feel like they are part of a community, especially if they are already starting to think of you as their forever agent. If you get positive feedback and engage in a little post-trip conversation, then invite your clients to join an exclusive Facebook group just for clients sharing travel photos and stories of their wonderful experiences. Which, of course, means having a facebook group for clients to join.

Most people love to share travel photos and enjoy feeling like part of a community. And if they join, there is a much higher chance that they plan to travel with you again.

It's important to stay present in your client's life without being intrusive. So connecting about twice a quarter (eight times a year) is about the right pace for a travel agent looking to stay in touch. Unlike an e-commerce brand always looking for that next sale, you know approximately when your clients will travel next and that it (usually) won't be every weekend.
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Send friendly, personalized messages. Catch their birthday if you can and friendly holiday greetings even (especially) when you know a client won't be traveling but might enjoy well wishes. These might just catch you a few small jobs like picking the perfect hotel for a small road trip to visit family for Thanksgiving.

In addition to your twice-quarterly messages, keep your eyes open for deals and opportunities relating to your client's future travel plans that you know about. Assume you're already planning these trips and are letting your clients in on the tempting opportunities that are already brewing as their next vacation or travel trip approaches.

This serves three different purposes that can all encourage a client to become a regular for your travel agency:

- You Are Thinking of Them

First, it shows the client that you are thinking of them and are ready to serve in any capacity they might need. Clients can see that you really were listening when they mentioned that they take family trips every summer or a romantic weekend getaway each Valentine's with their special someone. It shows that you care and that you're looking out for them by casually bringing up things they might enjoy doing.

- Getting Excited About the Next Vacation

​Second, it gets clients thinking excitedly about their trips to come. Many people blank out on their future travel when work, school, and life pick up the pace. But your brochures, photos, and deals can get clients thinking about that next vacation in a happy and motivated way. They'll start making plans and hopefully talking to you about those plans so you can start putting the trip together as a team.

- Getting In on Early Booking Discounts

Third, it gives your clients the opportunity to save a ton of money by booking as soon as opportunities become available. They will see that not only are you thinking of them, but you're looking out for their bottom line. Something that they wouldn't trust any travel agent to do for them. Let them know, for example, that summer passes to a theme park are available at discounted prices when they go on sale in the spring. Or that they can book a great room in the hotel where their business event will be located if you're clever and book months ahead of time.

Finally, always be ready to work with your client again. This seems like a no-brainer, but really have your phones open and a receptive attitude. If you have succeeded in winning over a client, you are still planning on their time, whatever their crazy modern schedules permit.

​Your client may have put off planning for months and be ready to hammer it all out when you've just about given up on hearing from them. Or they might, in the middle of autumn, suddenly be ready to talk about a trip next spring. Have your note-taking gear ready and your active listening ears on. Pull up your portfolio on the deals and notes you've been collecting and be ready to search like the wind to answer questions.

Clients who can be won as repeat customers for many trips in the future need to know that you're there for them on their time, whenever they are ready to plan and as their safety net away from home. And when the time comes, you're ready to wow them again with another superbly personalized travel experience.
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Winning repeat business for your independent travel agency isn't guaranteed. Many people will have one special trip to plan and have no need to come back to you. But for those who travel regularly, you have a real chance to win their repeat business again and again by wowing them with your skills and care on the first trip and staying actively in-touch once they make it safely back home.

The key is to come at each new client's travel plans as if it is the first of many. Who knows, you might become the go-to agent for someone who travels for business every month. You might hear from a once-wowed client years after the first trip when they are finally ready to make another big sojourn and remembered how well you took care of them before. Whatever the situation, it's definitely worth the effort to win loyalty with your client on that very first trip.

As a travel agent, repeat business is one of the most important ways to expand your agency. Clients who are "wowed" the first time will be delighted to come back and plan with you again to have a similarly fantastic experience every time they travel. This is especially true if you make returning to you seem as natural as going back to a favorite restaurant or asking a good friend for travel advice.

Make it easy, make it smooth, and most of all make sure your clients have a wonderfully personalized time. When you want to win more repeat business for your travel agency, following these ten tips will help you build the strong relationship you need to bring those travelers back to you again and again. 

When a client comes to you instead of planning their own trip, they're looking for something special. They could book tickets and rooms for themselves but they came to you for a concierge, worry-free experience with all the bells and whistles taken care of before they arrive. And you want to provide that to them not just once, but every time they travel.

​So start by thinking in your own mind "This is the first trip of many I'm planning for this client. I need to know everything about how they travel to make every trip amazing". Think that way, and talk that way. Subtly introduce the idea that you are now their personal travel concierge for any experience they may be looking for, now and in the future.

Next, it's all about the questions you ask and learning their answers by heart. In order to provide a truly superb and personalized travel experience, you need to know all of your client's personal travel preferences, desires, and expectations. Many clients don't know all the right questions to ask, but you do. And when they tell you, actively listen. Take notes, meet their eye, and care deeply. 

- Travel Preferences
Learn your client's travel preferences. Ask if they prefer a window seat or aisle seat, what they like best in a hotel room, and whether they expect each hotel to have room service, a pool, a gym, etc. Ask what kind of car they like to rent or if they'd rather you booked drivers. The whole nine yards.

- Travel Wishlist
Beyond basic preferences, ask what their dream travel experience might look like. What would make a room or hotel truly luxurious to them? What would they do with all the time or money in the world? Get their wishlist of travel experiences, down to the small details, just in case you can make a few of those dreams into reality along the way.

- Future Travel Plans
Don't forget to ask about their future travel plans casually in the mix. Ask if they vacation with family and, if so, what they like about those vacations and what they would change. Ask if they travel for business, or if they have other future travel plans. Assume you will be handling these and act like you're ready to have them covered. Because you do.

Once the initial interview is complete, dive into crafting a truly personalized travel plan for your client and any companions. From the moment they step out their front door, you are the invisible hand that guides them through the perfect travel experience, as described in your interview. Pick them up from home and get them to the airport in plenty of time for security, breakfast, and maybe a little shopping. Seat them in exactly the right spot on the plane. Convey them from the next airport to a hotel that perfectly fits their budget and description of an ideal hotel environment. The right room location, the right beds, the right amenities.

Every additional detail of the trip, make it right. Make it personal. Make it better than they could have planned for themselves.

All throughout the trip, stay in touch. Not intrusively, but available at any point to step in and assist. Send a friendly text message or have an email waiting for them to check on their time asking if the flight was alright and if they made it to the hotel safely. After all, part of your job is to make emergency arrangements in case something falls through along the way. Be ready to rent a backup car or rebuild their travel schedule just in case of flight delays and other common travel setbacks.

Little non-urgent messages at key points will let the client know that you are ready to be their safety net. But be careful to be quick and business-like instead of chatty so clients can focus all of their joy on the trip itself that you have planned so beautifully. And if a client mentions something isn't quite the way they wanted, you be the person who calls the hotel to make it right so that the problem "fixes itself" from their perspective.

Remember to touch base when a client is on their way home, as well, to ensure they get home safely.