Know Your Abcs When Choosing a Tour Operator

KNOW YOUR ABCS WHEN CHOOSING A TOUR OPERATOR

Knowing the ABCs of choosing and working with a tour operator will ensure a successful pre-tour, on-tour and post-tour experience for your student group. Six Flags Great America

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About the author Lisa S. Curtin has more than 20 years of experience operating tour for one of the world’s largest tour operators. She now consults to the tourism industry and speaks on topics related to tourism and business continuity planning. Currently, Lisa is the Chief Operations Officer at Caldwell & Companies, a Certified Public Accounting Firm in Bethesda, Maryland. Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator A AUTHENTIC

hen seeking out a tour operator, keep “authentic” in mind. Does the tour operator have a website? WCan the operator provide references or testimonials from schools that you can verify? This consideration becomes even more important when choosing a tour operator outside of the US. For example, if traveling to Costa Rica, a quick Google search may result in multiple hits. Digging deeper is paramount to the authenticity of the operator. In cases such as this, one question to ask is if the tour operator accepts payment in U.S. currency. Does the tour operator belong to any of the premier travel associations such as the American Bus Association (ABA), Student Youth Travel Association (SYTA), National Tour Association (NTA) or World Tour Operators Association (WTOA)? 1 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator B BUDGET

udget is always a topic that should be addressed early in the conversation with your tour operator. Knowing your Bbudget helps the tour operator customize a trip that will work for your group. Be realistic in your expectations. Don’t expect a 4-star hotel if your budget won’t allow. Do, however, expect a quality hotel, tour itinerary and quality motorcoaches.

2 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator CANCELLATION C POLICY

he tour operators cancellation policy should be clearly stated in the Terms and Conditions of the tour agreement T(may also be referred to as a contract). Pay attention to the Cancellation Policy. Tour operators often front money on your behalf to suppliers such as hotels and coach companies, and are bound by the contracted terms with those suppliers. As they are obligated to pay the costs, they must pass those along to you if numbers fall short of expectations or participants cancel. Most tour operators need final counts at 60-90 days prior to travel. Do be diligent in communicating to your tour participants that cancelation penalties will apply as stated in the Terms and Conditions.

3 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator D DELIVERY

elivery of a successful tour depends on a number of factors. The single most contributing factor to successful Ddelivery of your tour is clear communication between you and the tour operator. Ask questions, lots of them, pre- tour, to ensure you and your tour operator are on the same page. Questions to ask may include how tour emergencies are handled, who pays for extended stays due to flight cancellations and how food allergies are handled.

4 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator E EMERGENCIES

mergencies happen on tour. Just as in everyday life, people may become ill, flights cancel, flat tires happen Eand traffic delays occur. A quality tour operator will have contingency plans in place for almost every occurrence that can possibly be imagined.

5 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator FLIGHT F CANCELLATIONS

nfortunately, flight cancellations happen. Your tour operator will work to rebook your flight, but this process Udoes not happen in the blink of an eye. In advance of your trip, discuss with your tour operator how flight cancellations are handled, who pays for hotel rooms should an overnight stay be required, and how are meals and activities accommodated should the cancellation warrant additional time in a destination. To learn more about the reality of flight cancellations, click here.

6 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator GUARANTEED G COUNTS

our operators contract services on your behalf and are bound by guaranteed counts with suppliers. Suppliers Tdepend on these counts to manage staff, inventory such as food and revenue projections. It’s almost like supply chain management – one service depends on another. Know that when your tour operator asks for a final count of participants at a certain number of days prior to travel, this is the reason. Tour operators can manage one or two additional participants after the final count, but cannot absorb the cost of lost participants. Additionally, managing 10 additional participants can prove challenging, especially during peak travel season, when attractions, airlines, restaurants and hotels are filled to capacity.

7 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator H HOTELS

otels vary in quality and levels of service. In general, student tour operators use quality hotels with varying Hlevels of service. A quality tour operator will use a variety of metrics to determine if the hotel meets its expectations (one metric I’ve used in the past is “would I stay here myself”), and if the hotel meets the criteria, chances are your group will be placed in the chosen hotel. To learn more about hotels for student groups, click here.

8 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator I INSURANCE

our operators carry liability insurance and other coverages. While not necessarily an insurance policy, tour operators Tshould have in a place a form of consumer protection to protect consumer deposits should the unfortunate occur and they cease business. Check to see if your tour operator is a member of ABA, SYTA, NTA or USTOA, which make consumer protection a criteria of membership. Don’t be afraid to ask your tour operator about insurance and consumer protection coverages. It is also wise to ask your tour operator if its liability insurance expressly covers you as a chaperone should a claim against you ever be filed. In most cases the answer will be yes, but check to be sure and get it in writing.

9 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator J JET LAG

n long-haul trips, especially those from coast to coast or destinations abroad, work with your tour operator Oto ensure the first day’s itinerary allows for jet lag. The trip will be much more pleasant with well rested tour participants. Also note that jet lag often sets in on the second day, as participants are excited about the trip and adrenaline may be present on day one.

10 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator K KEEP

hen traveling with your group, be sure to keep a list of all tour participants’ cell phone numbers, Wemergency contact information and medical release forms. Obtain a medical release form template from your tour operator and be sure you have one for every participant on tour.

11 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator L LENGTH OF TRIP

etermining the length of your trip will be managed by several factors – budget, educational objective of trip, Ddestination and age of participants. Younger participants, for example fifth graders, may only be able to handle being away from home for three days. Older participants, especially teenagers, can often handle trips of five or more days. They welcome the opportunity to be away from home and the chance to be “adult-like” with the supervision of their chaperones.

12 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator M MOTORCOACHES

our operators generally use their own internal rating scale when selecting motorcoach partners. Transporting Tgroups safely is of paramount concern and a top- rated carrier with an excellent safety record is a priority. It’s important to note that many motorcoach companies no longer allow drivers to drive through the night. Years ago it was commonplace for groups to depart from home in early evening, drive through the night and arrive in their destination the following morning. In today’s world, multiple studies have shown that drivers experience fatigue at night, and the U.S. Department of Transportation has multiple regulations in place to protect drivers and their passengers. For more information on driver hours of service, obtain the latest fact sheet produced by the Federal Motorcoach Carrier Safety Association or visit its website at www.fmcsa.dot.gov

13 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator N NON-PAYMENTS

any tour operators will accept payments from parents directly, thereby alleviating the group leader Mof bookkeeping responsibilities. Collecting directly from parents also allows the tour operator to monitor counts and make a group leader aware of participants that have fallen behind. Talk with your tour operator about how it handles participants in arrears and at what point it might drop them from the tour manifest. Be sure this information is clearly communicated to parents so there are no last-minute surprises.

14 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator O OPERATIONS

ehind the scenes of every tour operator is the operations team. Depending on the size of the tour company, the Btour company person with whom you work may not be part of the team that actions your itinerary. Action items may include securing the coach, hotels, restaurants, sites and guides. The operations team generally is handling multiple tours and deals with volume, managing reservations based on times and site availability. Remember that a great tour operator will ensure that all of your itinerary components are met and the itinerary flows nicely, but they may not be able to secure a particular site, on a particular day, exactly as stated on a proposed itinerary. The key to a successful tour is flexibility and knowing that your tour operator’s goal is to ensure the group experiences the destination to its fullest.

15 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator P PARENTS

’ve often said a tour company has three clients: the group leader, the parent and the student. The group leader decides Ion the destination and chooses the tour operator, the parents generally pay for the trip and the students experience the trip. Be sure to choose a tour operator who values the parent client group. Parents are excited to provide a travel opportunity for their student and often go to great lengths to pay for the trip. Easy payment plans with clearly stated terms and conditions, with compassion and understanding in challenging financial situations, is important. No doubt payment terms must be met in order for the student to travel, but a bit of compassion and understanding on the part of the tour operator when the exception arises and a parent reaches out for an extra day or two to pay goes a long way.

16 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator Q QUALITY

quality tour operator has access to quality hotels, restaurants and sites. A bit of due diligence on your Apart during the tour proposal process will help you determine if your tour operator has access to the level of quality you should expect. Asking questions about criteria used by the tour operator to select hotels and coach companies, and the most commonly used hotel change or coach company, will yield the information you need to make an informed decision.

17 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator R RESTAURANTS

estaurants today are used to dealing with food allergies and dietary restrictions. Most tour operators use restaurants Rthat are group-friendly and cater to the varying needs of diners. Trust your tour operator’s decision as they select restaurants for your group.

18 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator S SERVICE

he pre-tour process will often speak loudly on your tour operator’s overall culture of customer service. Should Tyou experience service-related issues, be sure to bring the issues to the management or owner of the company.

19 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator T TOUR ITINERARY

he tour itinerary is the final product delivered by the tour operator. It’s a reflection of months of planning. The Titinerary should be concise, keep you off the bus more than on the bus, and show flow in such a way that you are not going back and forth across town. Tour operators work to keeps sites and attractions geographically clustered together to ensure travel time between sites is kept to a minimum.

20 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator UNEXPECTED U SITUATIONS

e absolutely sure to discuss, upfront, with your tour operator how unexpected situations are handled. BExamples would include medical emergencies, flat tires on a motorcoach, inclement weather or the unlikely event of a passenger becoming separated from the group. Ask if the tour operator has a 24/7 hotline for parents should such a situation occur. Don’t leave home without knowing the answers to this question. You may want to ask if the tour operator has an emergency management guide available for group use.

21 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator V VIABILITY

ost tour operators will not operate a tour unless it’s viable. Viability comes in several forms. For example, Mif you are requesting to visit a destination with limited sites, and want to spend a day in the destination, listen to your tour operator as they have the knowledge and experience to guide you in determining the right amount of time to spend in a particular place. Tours are built to accommodate the audience, in this case students, and your interest in visiting a site at a leisurely pace may not be the same as your students. Further, if a destination is experiencing a shutdown in sites such as the U.S. government shutdown a few years ago, a tour operator should not push you to visit a destination where more than half the sites you wish to visit are closed.

22 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator W WATCHFUL

eeping a watchful eye on your student group is key to ensuring safety. Best practice includes night security, Kdedicated to your group, at hotels each evening. Talk with your tour operator about the criteria they use when selecting security providers. Some tour operators contract with professional security companies and some use their own staff who are trained as “floor monitors”.

23 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator X XEROX

erox – an old-school word that at one time meant copies. Discuss with your tour operator who is responsible Xfor copies of the parent flyer and other printed items needed to distribute to tour participants. Additional examples include a medical release form and tour itinerary.

24 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator Y YES!

hen you call your tour operator for simple changes to your itinerary or for help in dealing with a dietary Wrestriction, are you hearing “yes, we can help”? If so, then you’ve chosen the right tour operator.

25 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator Z ZEST

nd finally zest! Does your tour operator’s website catch your eye? Do they offer unique opportunities for you Aand your students? When speaking with your contact at the company, do they seem happy and the majority of the time have answers without having to seek management approval? If so, then your tour operator has a “zest” for the service they provide.

26 Know Your ABCs When Choosing a Tour Operator ! BONUS TIP

lanning an enriching student trip doesn’t have to take up all of your time. That’s why we’re here. Student Travel PPlanning Guide is constantly researching and publishing best practices, emergency tips, destination advice and current trends to ensure you have reliable resources right at your fingertips. Streamline your planning process by staying connected with Student Travel Planning Guide.

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