WE OFTEN TEND TO THINK thatonce someone has enrolled in one ofour tours, that’s it. Nothing else to dountil we send out final documents andthen departure day when we all meetand off we go.

Not so. You need to keep in touchwith trip participants at various intervalsto keep their interest and excitementhigh and to keep a tight umbilical cordbetween you and them. You don’t wantthem canceling out of your trip becausesomething more interesting appearedon their horizon. And you want to keepthem informed so they may learn to bebetter travelers and not drive you crazycalling with questions every few days.

So, when do we contact them, whatdo we send them, and what additionalinformation do we give them?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT MAILINGOnce someone has enrolled, I send

them an acknowledgement of theirbooking – not just a cold computer receipt but a gracious letter welcomingthem to the trip (the receipt can be attached if you wish). I enclose my firstinformation bulletin preparing them forthe trip. Since the initial brochure orflyer you’ve used to solicit their enroll-ment can’t possibly include all the pre-trip information they need, this post-enrollment bulletin picks up where theinitial publicity material left off.

Some of the topics I like to cover areanticipated weather, clothing and pack-ing suggestions, and baggage limitations.If it’s an international trip, a must wouldbe requirements such as passports, inoc-ulations and visas (if required). Foreigncurrency and suggestions for handlingmonies en route are also important for

international trips. I also touch on healthissues and, of course, travel insurance.

The subject of cameras and photog-raphy, seat rotation on motorcoaches,and en route medications are also worthmentioning. I like to suggest a coupleof books they might like to read (ormovies they might like to revisit) to givethem background information on areasthey’ll be visiting. Right now I’m plan-ning a fall 2011 trip to Berlin and East-ern Germany so I’ve suggested some ofthe old Cold War spy stories such as theJohn le Carré’s 1965 The Spy Who CameIn From The Cold with Richard Burton.

Some trip organizers like to do some-thing more elaborate (and costly) suchas sending a special T-shirt or flight bag(of course, these have to be priced intoyour trip budget from the outset).

EN ROUTE MAILINGIf there’s a fairly long flight involved

at the outset of your trip, I like to givethem some fun handout en route. Itcould be a puzzle you dream up or a vocabulary lesson of common phrasesor words they’ll be likely to encounterat their destination. Do your travelers toNew Orleans really know what beignetsare or do visitors to San Francisco knowthat Nob Hill and its old mansions represent wealthy homes of the so-called“robber barons” who built the firsttranscontinental railroad? On a trip toEngland last year, I ran a contest

throughout the entire trip with a prizeto the tour member who could comeup with the most words wherein BritishEnglish differed from American English– they came up with over 100 and stillcounting.

ON YOUR RETURNYour participants also deserve a

return-home mailing, welcoming themback to the “real world” of bill pay-ments, medical appointments, familysquabbles and other less glamorousparts of life. Give them something toremember with pleasure their time

with you: a photo, a souvenir, news ofan upcoming reunion or just a welcomehome letter. And a questionnaire tocomplete and let you know how theyfelt about the tour. (Be sure to put aplace on this form for them to referfriends to you). Do keep them on amailing list to receive advance notice ofyour next tour so they feel they’ve beengiven special treatment.

All a lot of extra work? Perhaps.Worth it? You betcha.

8 April 2011 LeisureGroupTravel.com

Marty is founder of the travel industry

program at Berkeley (Calif.) City College,

where she taught all aspects of group travel

for 32 years. She is a Certified Travel Coun-

selor (CTC) and continues to design and

lead tours as well as provide consulting

services.You may reach her at josemarty@

yahoo.com. For information on her book

How To Plan, Operate, and Lead Success-

ful Group Tours, click on Premier Tourism

Marketing's educational website, groupuni-

versity.com.

Keeping Tour Members in the Loop

� marty sarbey de souto, ctc

You don’t want them canceling out of yourtrip because something more interestingappeared on their horizon.

On Tour

Free meals for your driver and group leader• Ample free motor coach parking • All-inclusive nationwide pricing • Food that’s ready for a quick, hassle-free stop

• A wide variety of foods to accommodate specific diet choicesServing breakfast, lunch and dinner

© 2010 Buffets, Inc.

Service, Value, Variety

Reservations made easy. Visit www.buffet.com/leisuregroupemail: groupsales@buffetsinc.com or call 866-840-6654

Over 500 Locations