People love to travel with like-minded people. Shared
interests are exactly why special-interest tours remain so popular. A group
that already loves the same thing has a sense of community.
Do you have a hobby you are passionate about? Some hobbies
are expensive. Equestrian sports, motor sports, scuba diving, golf and aviation
all come with high price tags. Maybe you are a sports fanatic who travels
wherever your favorite team is playing. Or perhaps you follow a musician or
band around the world, the way Deadheads and Swifties do.
You already know how quickly the costs of these pursuits add
up. Why not cover them? Better yet, why not make money doing what you love?
With the right plan, your passion can become a travel business, and you can
have fun building it.
So how do you get started? In three stages: test the idea
with a quick feasibility study, write a simple business plan, and then plan
your first trip.
Stage 1: Test Idea With Feasibility Study
Before you invest time or money, find out whether your
passion can carry a business. Grab a notepad and finish each sentence below
honestly. Your answers will show you where your advantages already lie.
Your passion. “I love doing ___. It’s fun, I’m good at it,
and I associate with people who enjoy it as much as I do.” Your answer tells
you whether you have genuine expertise and a ready-made community.
Your contacts. “I have contacts at these companies: ___”
(health clubs, wine shops, ski shops and so on). These are the people who could
help you promote or co-host your trips.
Where you hang out. “I frequent these businesses: ___” This
is where your future travelers already gather.
Your destinations. “I have visited these destinations: ___.
I know where to stay, where to eat and where to go.” These are the trips you
could lead with credibility.
The bottom line. “Can I make money doing this activity as a
business?” This question decides whether the idea is worth pursuing.
If the first four answers come easily, the fifth usually
follows. A strong community, real local knowledge and a few friendly business
contacts are the foundation of a profitable niche.
Stage 2: Draft Your Business Plan
A business plan doesn’t need to be 40 pages. For a
passion-based travel niche, a few pages that answer seven questions will keep
you focused and help you talk confidently with suppliers and clients.
1. Define your objectives
Decide what success looks like. Is your goal to cover the
cost of your own hobby travel, earn a side income or build a full-time
specialty business? Put numbers on it: how many trips a year, how many
travelers per trip and how much income you want each trip to produce.
2. Do a SWOT analysis
Take an honest look at where you stand. A SWOT analysis
weighs your internal Strengths and Weaknesses against the external
Opportunities and Threats in your market.
Strengths. Your expertise in the activity, your network of
fellow enthusiasts and your first-hand knowledge of the destinations.
Weaknesses. Gaps in time, budget, experience or marketing
skills that you’ll need to fill or work around.
Opportunities. Underserved hobby groups, upcoming events in
your niche and suppliers eager to partner with a specialist.
Threats. Competing tour companies, rising costs, and
economic or travel disruptions beyond your control.
3. Create your expert persona and voice
Your travelers aren’t buying a generic tour. They are buying
you: a fellow enthusiast who knows the sport, the music or the scene from the
inside. Decide how you want to be known, whether as the golf pro, the wine
insider or the diver who knows every reef. Use that voice consistently.
4. Draft your message and pitch
Write a short, compelling explanation of what makes your
trips different. Describe who they are for, what experiences they include that
travelers can’t easily arrange on their own, and why traveling with you and a
like-minded group is better than going alone.
5. Build your mailing list
Start with the people you already know from the hobby, then
expand through the clubs, shops and businesses you identified in your
feasibility study. Every interested traveler you capture now is a potential
booking for your first trip.
6. Line up your travel suppliers
List the partners who can help you deliver the trip: tour
operators, cruise lines, destination management companies (DMCs), tourist
offices, hotels and other accommodations.
7. Create a marketing calendar
Map out when you will announce trips, send reminders, open
bookings and close sales. Work backward from each departure date and from the
key events in your niche, such as tournaments, race weekends, or concert tours.
Stage 3: Plan your first trip
With your plan in hand, it’s time to put a real trip on the
calendar. Think of it in four parts: the basics, the logistics, the guest
experience and the money.
The basics: Where, When and Who
Start with the destination you know best, since your
first-hand knowledge is your selling point. Choose dates that line up with a
signature event or the best season for your activity. Then picture your ideal
traveler: their skill level, their budget and how many of them you need to make
the trip work.
Logistics
Work through transportation to and around the destination,
transfers, and any tickets and admissions your group will need, from race
passes to concert seats to tee times. For international trips, add passports,
visas, entry requirements, currency and travel insurance to your checklist.
Guest Experience
Decide exactly what is included in the trip price, then add
the perks and guest amenities that make traveling with you special. A private
clinic with a pro, a behind-the-scenes tour or a welcome dinner with fellow
enthusiasts is the extra that turns first-time travelers into repeat clients.
The Money
This is where a hobby becomes a business. Before you set a
price, total what it will cost you to plan, market and execute the trip and
make sure the price covers it.
Add up four things: planning (site visits, research and your
time), marketing (advertising, mailers, website and social media), trip
delivery (your own travel, hosting costs and on-site expenses) and your
earnings (supplier commissions plus any planning or service fees you charge).
Finally, negotiate with your travel suppliers. Group size is
your leverage: ask for group rates, complimentary spaces for the host, upgrades
and added amenities, and use them to improve both your margin and your
travelers’ experience.
Build a Business and Have Fun
The advisors who thrive in special interest travel aren’t
just selling trips. They are sharing something they love with people who love
it too. Start with one trip, learn from it and build from there. Before long,
the hobby that used to cost you money could be the business that pays for it.
Feel free to share your ideas and how you created a business
around something you love to do. Or message me directly at
[email protected]. I would love to hear about it.
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