The following is the view of a Karryon reader working in travel. They ask: if famils are really about education, why do the same names keep ending up on them? And what does that mean for newer advisors and support staff missing out on the learning that could help them sell better?
Too many famils are not about learning at all. They’re rewards for people who are already winning.
We all know what a famil is meant to be. You experience the product or place properly, you come back sharper, and you sell it better. It’s not meant to be a gold star. It’s meant to build knowledge.
But from where I’m sitting, that’s not really how it works.
I’m newer to the industry. I haven’t had years of supplier relationships. I’m not the senior advisor whose name sits at the top of the booking. I’m one of the people doing the work underneath. Quoting. Chasing. Fixing. Learning as I go. Trying to get good fast.
That’s why this gets under my skin.
The people who would get the most out of a famil are often the people not getting picked.
The people still learning a destination. The people trying to build confidence in a product. The people who haven’t walked the resort, seen the ship, done the transfer, asked the questions, worked out what actually suits which client.
People like me, basically.
Instead, the trip goes to the senior advisor.
I understand that rewarding top sellers is important. That’s not the issue. The issue is calling something educational when it keeps going to people who are already educated.
If it’s a reward, say it’s a reward. If it’s an incentive, fine. If it’s about thanking top performers, just be honest. But please stop acting like it’s all about learning when the people who most need the learning are the ones left behind.
The rest of us stay here, still trying to sell the thing from PDFs and webinars and whatever someone decides to tell us when they get back.
That’s what feels so off.
Because first-hand experience actually matters in this job. You can hear the difference when someone’s been there. That kind of knowledge helps people sell. Full stop.
So why does the industry keep giving that edge to people who already have an edge?
Who exactly are famils meant to develop?
We talk all the time about bringing new people through. Supporting the next generation. Training. Development. Growth. Then one of the best learning tools in the industry gets treated like a perk for people who are already established.
Famils can be so useful. They can change how someone sells. They can give a newer advisor the confidence to stop fumbling through a destination and start owning it. They can turn someone curious into someone credible.
But only if that person actually gets to go.
We’re told to sell with authority, but not always given the chance to build it. We’re told to specialise, but locked out of the experiences that create real specialisation. We’re told to prove ourselves first, even when the whole point of the trip is supposed to be learning.
You build a stronger industry by giving newer advisors a shot. You build it by looking beyond the obvious names. You build it by recognising that the person who made the booking possible is not always the person whose name ends up on the booking. You build it by asking who will come back changed by this, not just who has earned a nice trip.
That’s the question I wish more suppliers would ask.
Not who sold the most. Not who they already know. But who actually needs this?
The people with the deepest knowledge now will not be here forever. They will retire. They will move on. And if we keep giving the richest learning to the people who already have it, who exactly is being prepared to replace them?
You cannot keep talking about the next generation while locking them out of one of the fastest ways to learn.
At some point, this industry has to choose. Keep using famils as perks for the already established, or start using them to build the advisors who will keep this industry alive.
Because the people coming through are watching.
And they can tell the difference between education and reward.
This piece reflects the personal opinion of a Karryon reader.
