Travel itineraries can be a great way to draw people towards your company. Whether you offer them as a free resource, a product, or service, travelers appreciate some guidance for their dream destinations.
But if your itineraries list the same spots that every company or influencer touts, you’ll only get a cursory glance before potential customers go looking elsewhere. Offering travelers something unique or custom itineraries can entice visitors, and even be the tipping point between perusing to purchasing.
So how do you make your travel itineraries stand out?
Understand Your Audience
This is the absolute basis of any company, period. Knowing who your audience is dictates everything you create, and travel itineraries are no different. Whether you cater to families, solo travelers, adventure seekers, or hardcore foodies, the itineraries you offer should match their interests. Even if those interests are unusually niche.
To use myself as an example, I am an avid knitter. On a recent trip to Italy, I researched the cities I was visiting not just for restaurants or attractions, but to find somewhere I could buy a skein of souvenir yarn. That information wasn’t readily available for me as a tourist. But a savvy travel company could offer a free or purchasable itinerary for knitters visiting their area, listing shops with locally dyed or spun yarn, and artisans selling knitted goods and similar items.
Heck, there are entire tours geared towards knitters in some places! So don’t be afraid to create something travelers won’t find anywhere else. Consider what your community has to offer beyond standard tourism, and reach niche communities other companies aren’t even thinking about.
Of course, interests aren’t the only things that factor into an ideal itinerary. Make sure you take into account details such as their potential budget, or the constraints they may be working under. This could look like making sure a family itinerary has free time for a toddler’s nap, or making sure all recommended venues are wheelchair accessible.
Offer Well-Researched Travel Itineraries
When I said to consider what your community has to offer, what I meant was really dig in. Don’t just tell customers that a restaurant is good. Tell them it’s good because they’ve been a family-owned and operated restaurant since 1952 and their simple menu covers the traditional food of their region and uses locally-sourced ingredients. To truly offer the best and most unique of what your area has to offer, you have to deeply understand the culture and history. Even better, make connections with the artisans and citizens who are carrying those traditions into the future.
For a perfect example, look no further than the mother/daughter Minchilli duo that runs Via Rosa, an Italian food-focused tour company. Elizabeth and her daughter Sophie explore regional Italian food as a culture, connecting with locals in each town they visit. These locals share their skill and knowledge with the tour members, teaching them how the food they’re eating ties into the history and tradition of a place. Ultimately, most people want things to do beyond the major attractions (even if they want the big stuff too!) Offer suggestions like festivals or cultural events, workshops, or guided tours run by locals.
Make It Feel Natural
When you build an itinerary, the series of activities should flow well. If your clients have to run around, crisscrossing the city, they’re going to lose both valuable time and energy. If at all possible, make sure that the attractions, activities, and restaurants they visit are within a comfortable distance from each other. With comfort in mind, you should also offer them balance. Not every minute should be structured. People need time to rest, and free time to do whatever they want to do outside of scheduled plans.
Include A Call To Action
It might feel like the job is done once you hand off your curated itineraries. But there are still ways to keep in contact with the client, and let your customer service shine. You can encourage additional engagement by linking to additional booking options or other resources they may find interesting. More importantly, clearly list the availability of your customer service team in case of questions or issues.
Offering your clients high-quality or personalized itineraries is a great way of driving conversions and improving customer satisfaction. Need a hand building those in-depth guides? Let’s chat! We can talk travel itineraries, restaurant preferences, or our favourite hidden gems.