Many travel advisors would say one of their favorite aspects of the job is that they are always learning something new. Ongoing learning is a huge part of the role, as things are constantly evolving in the industry. This means education is not only important for new advisors but for advisors at any level.
According to Michelle Fee, Founder and CEO of Cruise Planners, education is extremely important. “Educating our advisors, that’s top of the list,” Fee said. “We realize that education is a big piece of creating successful agents, and we have a number of different ways to educate them.”
Luckily for travel advisors, this industry is always offering new ways to learn. From webinars and online training courses to in-person events and conferences, there’s always something going on giving advisors a chance to learn.
From the very beginning, Cruise Planners lends a helping hand to get travel advisors up and running. Fee said each advisor is assigned a coach who takes time to sit with the agent and help them “develop a plan to your North Star” – which might mean something different to everyone.
“We’re going to bring the processes, the tools and the expertise to help you develop this business,” said Fee.
A Variety of Ways to Learn
Not everyone consumes information the same way, and the travel industry offers several types of education. Attending in-person events is a great place to start, especially for those who are brand new to the industry. Events and conferences are ideal for meeting other travel advisors and suppliers, networking and building relationships.
One of the requirements when joining Cruise Planners is to attend STAR University, a six-day training in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Here attendees get an overview of the travel industry and learn about best practices, marketing, technology and so much more.
“I don’t want anybody out on the streets selling travel without having to have come through STAR U,” Fee said. “Before they come, they have access to a bunch of resources online so they can start the process of educating themselves.”
Other ways to learn about products in the industry are connecting with local BDMs, attending FAM trips and taking online supplier training and webinars.
Resources for Travel Advisors
There’s no shortage of tools and resources for travel advisors. On VAX VacationAccess, they are overflowing. Some of the go-to resources on VAX advisors use include the Promotions tab under Offers & Incentives and the Specialty Travel, Industry Calendar and Travel Inspo Tool Kit tabs under The Compass.
At Cruise Planners, resources available to travel advisors include everything from help running a website and marketing efforts to backend office tools. One of the newest resources for Cruise Planners agents is Live Planner, which is similar to Zoom but offers so much more. Advisors can send brochures through the call and have saved sessions with all the information they went over with their clients.
“We’re here developing ways and styles and programs and tools to help [travel advisors] grow their businesses,” Fee said. “One hundred percent of our focus is on our advisors, and how do we help them the best way that we can build their businesses.”
Fee also shared that Cruise Planners goes live on Facebook throughout the week to share the latest industry trends, news and updates and puts on Boot Camps throughout the year which cover all different topics and oftentimes have themes.
Continued education will always be an important aspect of being a travel advisor. Those who have a willingness to learn new things and embrace continued education throughout their career are the ones who will find success in the industry.
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