Agent Diary: Why social media makes fam trips more valuable than ever

Sharing photos and videos makes us all more knowledgeable, says Ponders Travel’s Clare Dudley

Having spent almost 40 years in travel, I often reflect on how the sector has changed…but please allow me to share something that I feel is absolutely great for all of us.

Back in the day, familiarisation and educational trips were few and far between. When you got one, it was fantastic and you would always be very grateful.

If I am being honest, the only people that really benefited from those trips were the staff member who took the trip and, if they shared details about it, their team.

Of course, clients would benefit too because we could share our new-found knowledge and any photos or notes we made.

I would imagine that operators had to be extremely selective and be sure that these precious places on fams were given to the right people to ensure the best results.

Photos and videos

In today’s world, with social media being so prominent, many more of us now benefit from fam trips.

The photos, the videos and the descriptions that are shared by our friends in travel are fantastic.

The result is we can all be more knowledgeable, even if we have not been to a place ourselves.

One fantastic example of this recently was the launch of Oceania Cruises’ Vista. We were very lucky to have a member of staff attending, but unfortunately I was unable to make it. However, I have enjoyed and learnt so much from all the wonderful social media posts that so many of you have shared.

These photos can be saved and then shared with clients.

The feedback and the videos have given me an insight that years ago could not have been imagined.

It is also great that we can see such a wide variety of feedback and photos. This helps to give a fuller picture and enables us to be confident when making recommendations to clients as it is clear that more than just a couple of people had similar thoughts.

It is important to remember that often it isn’t easy to be able to take the wonderful opportunities that are sent our way. This may be because we might have small teams; staff who have children and find it hard to be away; or many other reasons.

So, for the benefit of all these people, it is wonderful that those who do attend are able to share their experiences.

Travel influencers

From a tour operator’s perspective, they should be aware that the fam trips they provide are so much more effective than they used to be because of the wider audience.

Thank you to the trade press, the tour operator reps, organisations such as cruise trade body Clia and the Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers, and all in the travel industry for your coverage of such trips. Did you realise you have all become huge travel influencers?

I also love looking at websites from operators such as Somak, which have allowed us to see client diaries and blogs from previous agent trips. These articles are fabulous and help us to understand the product so much more. I would really love to see more of this type of content shared on websites.

A shout-out to ambassador

We have a family who want to cruise next year but they raised some concerns as they are a single mum who has three children with autism. She had a lot of questions. Many cruise lines would have said ‘Sorry, we cannot accommodate you because of your specific needs’, but Ambassador went above and beyond the call of duty to help us and the family.

The mum has been invited on a ship visit to allow her to familiarise herself with the product so she can work with her children to help with the anxiety they may feel. This has been received so gratefully and is helping the family to embark on a trip that many of us take for granted. Well done, Ambassador, and thank you.