Agent Diary: Travel agents booking through fellow trade professionals is the best way

I’ve just had the absolute pleasure of helping someone who works for a major cruise line book a family holiday with a completely different cruise line.

It was a total delight to handle from start to finish – not just because I was flattered that an industry colleague trusted us to arrange such an important personal trip, but also because the brief she provided was an absolute dream. The details were clear, comprehensive and delivered in a format that made my job so much easier.

It got me thinking about how interconnected our industry really is, and how much we depend on one another outside of our day-to-day commercial relationships. Tour operator staff need travel agents when it comes to securing their own breaks, and agents rely on operators to book theirs. Meanwhile, the travel media and trade marketing agencies rely on both sectors. The list goes on and on.

Of course, we have brilliant industry resources like Touchdown for discounted staff travel, but when you want to book a holiday far in advance, turning to a fellow trade colleague is often the best route. It serves as a great reminder that we should always look out for one another across the sector. Not only do you reap the commercial rewards, but you also gain the satisfaction of working with a client who truly understands the booking process and knows exactly what information an agent needs to get the job done efficiently.

Are you frantic too?

On another note, I wanted to pose a question to the wider trade: how are you and your teams coping with the relentless pace of demand at the moment?

I would never dream of complaining about being busy – busyness is a true blessing in retail travel and ultimately translates into strong sales figures. But, in all honesty, the pace throughout this entire year has been non-stop. While we are currently on track for our best trading year on record, my team and I are having to go above and beyond every single day to achieve these results.

Lately, I’ve been finding the hours just slip away, and getting through the daily mountain of administration, follow-ups and quotes is an increasing challenge. We follow all the standard practices – maintaining daily task lists, holding morning team huddles and prioritising urgent enquiries – but the sheer volume of business means delays in getting back to clients are sometimes inevitable.

So, I would love to hear from other agents. Do you have any effective tips or strategies for managing client expectations when workloads spike? How do you keep customers informed and reassured about response times without risking losing them to a competitor?

When demand is this high, maintaining our high standards of service while protecting team wellbeing is a delicate balancing act. If you have any tried-and-tested methods, processes or clever tools that help keep your workplace running smoothly during these intense peak periods, please share them – we could all benefit from a little shared trade wisdom right now.

Great marketing makes job easier

As technology evolves and customer touchpoints shift, how we market to our clients must keep pace. I particularly admire recent campaigns that capture the imagination instantly. The ‘Unforgettable Memories’ campaign by Fred Olsen Travel, Ponders Travel’s owner, is a standout example.

Beyond the catchy title, the content is brilliant, showcasing genuine staff adventures through real photos and authentic video footage. Seeing real agents experience destinations brings holiday ideas to life and helps clients envision their own trips. Hats off to all the travel marketing teams delivering such inspiring and creative work lately – it makes our job so much easier!