Travel Specialists - What Does it Take?

by Emily Menendez

Does my travel agent really know their stuff? A fair question and one you should ask! These days you can book travel on your own--finding a tour group or a package online and click on a few buttons, then voila! You are on your way. Right? Well, not exactly.

Aside from the hassle and research you are going to go through and still not really know what you just purchased and whether or not that cruise line or airline or tour company is going to actually come through for you, the big problem for me is that you never talked to anyone who has actually been where you want to go!

And that is the main reason I love where I work-(yes, this is a shameless plug here for Brownell Travel)-our travel advisors are true experts! They have been there and they have experienced whatever there is to experience. How do I know? I am responsible each year for our destination specialist application and selection process--that’s right, every year, our agents have to actually prove that they know all there is to know about a destination before we tout them as specialists! I thought it would be worthwhile to give a little run down of what this process looks like and how our agents qualify:

First, a massive application goes out to all of our advisors. They have to apply for the categories where they want to be listed as specialists. And they can only choose so many, because we all know you can’t be an expert in everything. So they have narrowed it down to the places they really know. All of these applications roll in at once and my project begins! I evaluate every single applicant for every single destination based on a number of factors:

Travel: Have they been there? They must have traveled there personally over the past 2 years. Stopping through for a few hours doesn't count. The advisor must have true destination knowledge that is current!

Training: As a top Virtuoso travel agency we have partnerships with all the premier properties and tour companies all over the world. Our advisors are expected to keep current with knowledge on all of the properties and possibilities for travel in the destinations they specialize in. So, we look at the training they have done--are they really on top of things?

Clients: Have they sent anyone there? Do they have clients that trust them with this destination? They must have recent-within the last year-production to qualify here. We must know that this is somewhere they send clients regularly, and that their clients trust them with their vacation experiences in this destination.

Manager Oversight: As though the above weren’t enough, our team of owners and managers review every advisor that I recommend to be listed for each destination (We have just finished this phase of the process!). They have the final say if our agents qualify--and they work with them every day, so they KNOW who knows their stuff!

So, once you have made it past the flaming arrows, crossed the sulfur lake, and defeated the dragon, you can finally qualify to be listed as a specialist for the destinations you love. This is obviously difficult to maintain and our advisors work extremely hard to be true experts. I can't speak for other travel agencies, but I know first hand that Brownell Travel advisors are experts--I have spent way too many hours reviewing everyone’s credentials!

So, what does it take? See above. Then visit our website, choose a destination, and click on any name listed in that destination, since you know they all know their stuff.

(A group of Brownell travel advisors in Kenya this March)