If you believe in meeting once a year with your financial planner, doctor, lawyer, and other relevant professionals in your life, then it is essential you sit down with your travel consultant and plan out your “travel future”.
Gone are the days of “last minute deals” and frankly, would you want to do this for your 50th birthday celebration? Today’s savvy travellers are looking for unique insider experiences, bragging rights, dedicated service and pampering. As a travel professional, I am already booking 2019 and yes, even 2020 for a group of luxury real estate agents.
It’s time to sit down with the family and gather everyone’s “bucket list”. Next, create a timeline by taking a look at special events coming up within your family – milestone birthdays, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, celebrations, achievements or retirements. Are you long overdue for a family or friends reunion? Have you promised yourself you would finally get to a major sporting event? Are you soon to become an empty nester? Is your child doing a semester abroad? Have you reached a health milestone? Is your alumnae or club celebrating an anniversary year? Then it’s time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and create a plan. Now call your travel professional and let them help you finesse your plan.
Take a look at the realities of booking 1 to 3 years out. Travelling as a group may require 18 – 24 months of planning. Depending on the size of your group you may be looking at contracts and deposits to hold space, as well as time to get guests committed. Budgets need to be established and for this I highly recommend you use a licensed travel professional who works with travel contracts on a daily basis.
The more popular the travel experience, such as river and luxury yacht cruising, or booking limited timeframes such as holidays, sporting events, animal migration and harvest seasons, may book up well in advance. Don’t be disappointed. With proper planning, you can take over the whole ship or organize a private tour to have that exclusive once in a lifetime experience. Finding the right travel professional who understands your needs and has the necessary relationships with industry suppliers is essential. We, as travel experts know how to orchestrate everlasting memories. Let’s work together to secure your travel future – at least for the next 3 years!