EasyJet holidays hails success of Unpacked Fam with plans for another trip

EasyJet holidays is planning another ‘Unpacked Fam’ after the recent success of its first ‘race across the Balearics’ themed trip.

The unusual educational tasked 30 agents, separated into five groups, with finding their own way to hotels and excursions in Majorca and Ibiza using clues in a specially designed app.

Agents had limited knowledge of exactly where they were going, similar to the TV show Race Across The World.

Head of trade distribution Natasha Marson said: “We wanted to break the mould of a traditional fam trip, to create interest and intrigue.

“We didn’t reveal everything in one go, so the excitement would build during the trip. We wanted to ensure all agents had a memorable experience that would come to life when selling the destination to their customers.”

Plans for another fam come as the operator celebrates four years of selling through the trade.

Agents were entered into a draw to attend after booking holidays during the operator’s 2024 peaks sales campaign. They were flown from Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and Gatwick to Majorca for the five-night trip accompanied by 12 easyJet holidays trade, social media and partnerships staff.

The twin-centre trip featured surprise elements such as full group excursions to the Pirates Reloaded entertainment show in Magaluf, a sunset cocktail party at Elba Sunset Hotel, a sunset cruise from San Antonio in Ibiza, and a night at Ushuaia Ibiza with DJ David Guetta.

In my 23 years in travel, it’s safe to say I’ve never experienced something quite like the easyJet holidays Unpacked Fam trip

In total, agents stayed at more than 25 hotels and visited more than 60 properties, with each group staying and visiting 12 to 14 hotels, from five-star luxury to independent ‘design’ properties and family favourites.

Marson cited an “impressive plethora” of hotels partnering with easyJet holidays to feature in the trip. The hotels were featured on the bespoke app, which gave ‘push’ notifications to agents on what to pack for the trip and included a social chat room to meet their fellow Unpacked Fam agents.

The groups competed against each other and were awarded points in a ‘race’ on public transport, including a ferry to Ibiza, on foot and by private transfers, to reach hotels and excursions, with a leaderboard in the app keeping score. Clues appeared on the app each day and evening in anticipation of the next part of the trip.

Marson said it was important for the operator to “put its money where its mouth is” by promoting sustainable modes of transport while also putting the agents into their customers’ shoes and ensuring they had a true experience of the destination by gaining knowledge of how long it took to reach places by public transport or on foot.

A prizegiving ceremony took place at the Grand Palladium White Island Resort & Spa where awards for engagement, creativity, kindness and support of the trip were handed out. The overall agent winner received a £1,000 easyJet holidays voucher.

Marson said the feedback from agents had been that it was refreshing to get such an insight into the resorts they sell, with the mystery elements adding more excitement and camaraderie to the trip.

“We’ve already had bookings from agents and we are already planning the next Unpacked Fam,” said Marson, adding: “Everyone got on brilliantly and said they had never experienced a fam trip like it. We want to do another with a similar theme.”

Agent views

Lorena Kondrova from Sunlounger Travel
“The easyJet holidays Unpacked Fam trip was definitely one of the best trips I have ever had. It was my first familiarisation trip and I was very impressed with the intricate itinerary and the hard work the team put in to deliver such a fabulous trip.

The concept of the trip was ‘’Race across the Balearics’’ involving a variety of challenges, clues and many hotel visits in Majorca and Ibiza. The itinerary was full of surprises such as a ‘Pirates Reloaded’ night out in Majorca, sunset cruise in Ibiza followed by an unforgettable party at Ushuaia with David Guetta. Visiting the hotels and experiencing all the facilities has definitely helped me gain confidence in selling and presenting the properties we visited to my customers.”

Lynsey McGill from Bonny Travel
“In my 23 years in travel, it’s safe to say I’ve never experienced something quite like the easyJet holidays Unpacked Fam trip. The use of the team’s app was genius, and kept all agents engaged throughout the trip. I was able to get real insight into the dynamic differences between hotel chains and room types, and what easyJet holidays offer for a variety of customers – there really is something for everyone and staying across five different hotels, meant I was able to truly immerse myself in the easyJet holidays product offering. Good work, team!”

Cat Bottomley from Hays Travel
“You can tell right from the moment we landed that the easyJet holidays trade and commercial partnerships team had put so much energy and creativity into this event, with lots of surprises for us lying ahead – such as a visit to Ushuaia to watch David Guetta, accompanied with a stunning sunset cruise.

Fun experiences aside, I was able to visit a huge array of hotels, to better inform myself when selling to my customers. The team did a really good job of not overloading us with information, meaning I was able to learn a lot from each visit, retaining as much information as possible upon returning home. Can’t wait for the next one!”