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| MTips
– M is for Mary, M is for Mayflower, M is for Mimi... |
September,
2012 |
Last
month, MTips talked about our family’s multigenerational
trip with my family and relatives. I had promised that
this month we would go into planning an itinerary and
organizing the holiday. So here goes.
When planning an itinerary, the first thing to do is determine
your priorities? For our family, here were our priorities: |
When
can we travel?
Poll the group on how long they can be gone and create
a window of travel dates when most can travel. For us,
we have grandchildren who have a window to travel the
first two weeks in August because of their activities.
The parents adjusted as we gave them a long lead time
(one year prior) of the departure dates. |
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Where
should we go?
This is a hard question as everyone has an opinion. If
you are paying, then you would get the choice. Usually,
one has been thinking about where the group would want
to go for years. Some choose cruises as it is an all-inclusive
product yet for us it was Yellowstone National Park….Old
Faithful, viewing animals and learning about the history
of the park as well as an overnight in the park was the
number one priority. |
Research
and make the call
Contact the most important supplier and check dates and
rates plus particulars. Finding two nights in Yellowstone
National Park when your family can travel is limited.
Ask about meal plans, complimentary reservations available,
times to check-in to the hotel and any other items that
the supplier can do. Arrange as much as you can with as
few suppliers as possible. In some cases, contact a receptive
tour operator who specializes in the area and let them
do the work. Yes, you may pay a little more but they are
the professionals and you want this experience to be the
best ever. |
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Begin
Developing A Book
Get yourself a three-ring large binder with dividers to
hold all your collateral information - contracts, information,
maps, etc. Begin with a date grid indicating the hotel
overnights. Add details to the grid – attractions,
step on guides, meal location etc. Each one of these should
have a divider within your book. Keeping yourself organized
is the key to all of this. Remember, the difference is
in the details. |
Where
does the tour begin?
Our family is scattered all over so we needed a city to
fly into. We choose Salt Lake City, UT because of the
lift and price point. We decided to fly out of Rapid City,
SD. This was most convenient yet on the pricey side for
air tickets. It would have been better if we drove to
Denver, CO (seven-hour drive) and then flew out of there.
By flying out of Rapid City, it gave us more time to see
Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, 1880 Black Hills Train Ride
and the Jeep Ride in Custer State Park (fabulous bison
viewing.) So everything is a trade off! |
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Tour
Managers and Local Step-On Guides
John and I acted as the Tour Managers but next time, I
would hire a Tour Manager. Our children did not like us
working so hard while they were enjoying every bit of
the experience. Local step-on guides are a must and these
can easily be obtained. |
Cost
Sheet - YIKES!
It is very important to keep track of expenses BEFORE
you announce to the group what you are doing. Create a
cost for the land portion and separate this from the airfare.
The land is fixed and the air is variable depending on
where everyone is coming from. Remember, the person who
puts the trip together always falls short on the money.
Yes, you will be devoting your time toward the project
yet somewhere you will lose an expense, which you might
have to cover. Be prepared! |
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Announcing
the Trip
Name the trip, indicate the dates, create a day-by-day
sell copy including the number of included meals, and
create a single, twin, triple and quad land pricing. Create
an easy to use reservation coupon indicating sign up for
the guests names (match their photo ID) with a deposit
amount and due date. Indicate the city that they are going
to fly out if you are going to assist in writing their
air tickets. Keep the land portion separate from the airfare
as many utilize airline points, etc. Of course, give them
the contact information including your email. Email will
be utilized! |
Itinerary
As you get closer, you will need a day-by-day itinerary
for the key person who is operating the trip to follow.
This “tour manager” itinerary is very detailed
with everyone’s flight information, hotels, meals,
attractions, step-on guides, contact information as well
as pricing. THIS IS KEY TO SUCCESS… |
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Fun
By the way, one has to do all of this with a big smile
on their face before, during and after the holiday.
It’s a good idea if you work with a tour operator
who can make this easy. I know a great one you can contact. |
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