Travel Consultants
Plan and book domestic and international travel, accommodation and associated arrangements for clients.
Behind the counter at Compass Travel
You are a travel consultant at a small agency, planning trips, making bookings and fixing problems for people who are about to go away. It is 9am. Your diary has three client meetings, an itinerary due by noon and a pile of emails. The phone rings before you have sat down.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I just want something simple. Mum and Dad are in their eighties and want to see the cherry blossoms. Make it cheap, and do not worry about the walking. They'll cope. They always do.
Book the cheapest option available, since she has asked for it and says she knows her parents well
The cheapest option has long transfers and a train change with steep stairs. Her parents struggle and cut the trip short. A plan that ignores the traveller is not a bargain.
Plan a gentle trip with fewer stops and easy transfers, and explain the trade-offs honestly
Mrs Kapoor is surprised, then glad. The trip costs a little more than the cheapest, but her parents enjoy every day. Good advice is part of the service, not an extra.
Ask her to bring her parents in so you can plan around them, and book nothing yet
A good idea, but the cherry blossom season is short and the best seats are starting to go. A middle step would have held a place while you checked.
Look at this ticket! You spelt my wife's name wrong. It says Cecile with one L and her passport says Cecille with two. We fly in four days. How could you make such a basic mistake?
Tell him that airlines are usually flexible on this and he shouldn't worry
At the airport she is stopped at check-in, and the family scrambles. Names on tickets must match the passport, and guessing is not good enough.
Apologise, check the airline's rules now, and get it corrected before he leaves
The airline fixes the name the same day, and you send Mr Baptiste the new ticket. He is still cross but calmer. Owning a mistake and fixing it quickly keeps a client.
Apologise and ask him to check the airline's website himself, since policies vary
He goes away and finds the fee for changes. Annoyed, he rings you back. Apologising is right, but fixing the problem is the thing he came for.
A client wants me to add travel cover to her booking, but she says it's too expensive and to just leave it off. She's going trekking in the mountains. Should I just do what she asks?
Tell Hana to follow the client's instruction, as it is her money and it is her trip to plan
Hana leaves it off. It's the client's choice, but the client hasn't heard why it matters for a trek. An informed choice is better than a quick one.
Tell Hana to add it automatically, as it is always a good idea for trekkers
The client discovers an extra charge she didn't agree to and is furious. Advice is a conversation, and adding costs without agreement breaks trust.
Suggest Hana explain what cover protects on a trek, and record the client's decision
Hana explains, the client reconsiders and chooses a basic plan. The decision is written on the file. Informing people and respecting their choice is a consultant's job.
How it went
At six you close the diary, send the last email and check tomorrow's flights. Travel consulting is detail, patience and honesty, with a bit of imagination. Would you like being the person who makes someone else's trip come together?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The trip that fell apart in a storm
A fictional case set in a small independent travel agency on a fictional high street, with a phone line open from early morning.
The situation
Leila ran the phones at Compass Travel on the morning a big storm grounded flights across the east coast. A family of five, the Moreaus, were due to fly out for their long-planned holiday that afternoon. The airline's app showed their flight as cancelled and the call centre had a very long queue. Mrs Moreau rang in tears, and Leila had a line of other callers waiting.
What they did
Leila told Mrs Moreau she would take it from here, and asked her to stay by her phone. She checked the airline's options and the next available flights, and found a seat arrangement that kept the family together on a flight the next morning. She rebooked the first night's hotel and the airport transfer, and wrote everything in an email. She also rang the family's travel insurer to log the cancellation.
How it turned out
The family left a day late but together, and the holiday went ahead. Mrs Moreau wrote to the agency saying the call had been the only calm part of her week. Leila added a checklist of storm-day calls to the office wall, so the whole team can do it the same way.
What would you do?
- Why did Leila rebook the hotel and transfer, not only the flight?
- How do you think she managed to stay calm with a queue of callers?
- What is the difference between booking a trip and looking after a traveller?