PHOTO: Tauck offers family vacations through its Bridges brand, and some include rafting.

Family travel is an excellent business proposition for travel agents. It’s one of the easiest ways to graduate from couples to groups, introducing the multiplier effect to your business. It’s also an excellent way to acquire new clients.

If, for instance, you book a family group with children and grandchildren, you are introducing your professional travel services to younger generations who may not have used a travel agent before.

Veteran agents who are family travel experts say one of the best ways to break into the family market is to work with tour operators. Judy Nidetz of Travel Experts in Chicago has been booking family travel for 25 years, and still finds advantages to working through tour operators. “It’s a big challenge when working with multigenerational families,” she says. “The biggest challenge is finding a vacation that appeals to all age groups.”

Working with a tour operator gives you tremendous resources, but you still have to figure out what is best for your clients. Here are some tips on how match families to the right tour vacations.

QUALIFY ALL FAMILY MEMBERS

“The most important thing I do is ask lots of questions,” says Nidetz, adding that she finds out the ages of everyone within the family group. “I like to ask what the interests of the group are. For example, if they like history or just R&R, or if they have anything in mind that they want to do,” she says. “I listen to what families’ expectations are. I ask about budget constraints. Then I make suggestions based on my knowledge and experience.”

With new clients, she asks where they traveled on their last vacation and what they did – and did not – like about it. “I like to get an idea of what types of properties people like to stay at,” she says. “Do they like larger hotels with more bells and whistles? Or do they like something smaller and more intimate?”

Nidetz asks questions relating to the types of activities they prefer. Do they want a fitness center? Do they need a kids club? Do they want a beach vacation? Is the view important? Do they need connecting rooms? Does anyone have special needs or allergies?

USE OPERATORS AS A RESOURCE

Wholesalers invariably have the latest information on the properties they sell, and agents would be well served to take advantage of that resource. “Because of our relationship with tour operators, it’s easier for us to get firsthand knowledge of destinations and resorts,” says Claire Schoeder of Century Travel in Atlanta. “If we personally haven’t been there, someone with the tour operator has been. So we’re not relying on TripAdvisor reviews by random people who may not have the same frame of reference as you.”

Schoeder recently used Classic in booking a family for a spring break vacation to Mexico. First she qualified the family on what amenities they preferred. “Then I spoke to Classic, which told me what properties would have good children’s programs. They know the resorts really well and what amenities they have,” she says. “They may have information I don’t have, or something I may have missed, such as an enhancement to a family program.”

Tour operators can also be extremely helpful when something goes wrong on a family vacation. “When working with a tour operator we are usually able to get prompter resolution of any problems that might arise,” says Schoeder.

CUSTOMIZE TOUR OFFERINGS

Even when booking independent components, a wholesaler relationship can be ad vantageous. “My specialty is doing it from scratch,” says Trish Gastineau of Simply Customized Travel, a Travel Experts affiliate in Montgomery, Ala. “But I work with different companies that will help me set up private tours and guides. I work with clients to find out what they want.”

Nidetz often books custom trips through tour operators. “Most of the time I’ll use Classic,” she says. “The advantage of booking through Classic is a higher commission than if I booked the hotel direct – and I don’t have to go chasing the commission.”

FORGE STRONG TIES WITH SUPPLIERS

Gastineau notes that she is a big believer in building relationships, and is selective in terms of which tour operators she chooses to work with. “I have certain people I use. I build a relationship with those people,” she says. “They know what my clients seem to like, what we did last year. We develop a shorthand. I really like that. They know who I am and who my clients are.”

Developing a working relationship with wholesalers is beneficial to clients as well. “Not only are tour operators and wholesalers able to provide very competitive pricing, they now even match any online pricing,” says Beth Baran, owner of Travel Leaders in Mason, Ohio, and Ft. Thomas, Ky. “So there is really no need for the general public to spend hours of their time trying to find the best deal.”

STRESS QUALITY, NOT PRICE

Though important, price should never be an overriding factor when creating family vacations. “It’s hard for the public to remember, but price is not the only thing that makes a great vacation,” says Schoeder. “It’s the experience and the memories that matter more.”

ABERCROMBIE & KENT

www.abercrombiekent.com  

ADVENTURES BY DISNEY

www.adventuresbydisney.com  

CLASSIC VACATIONS

www.classicvacations.com  

COLLETTE FAMILY VACATIONS

www.gocollette.com  

TAUCK BRIDGES

www.tauck.com

SMITHSONIAN JOURNEYS 

www.smithsonianjourneys.org