This is not your typical travel gift guide. There will be no recommendations for portable chargers, universal adaptors or passport holders. If you’ve been in the travel industry for five minutes you likely already have 27 of each.
This year give the travel advisor in your life what they want. What they really, really want.
What to give the travel agent who is crazy busy
It’s time for some maths. Let’s say your average advisor is working ten hours a day (and that’s being conservative). Then let’s be generous/ludicrous and give them eight hours sleep. Then two for eating and ‘un-eating’ and an hour for transport. The remaining three hours of the day can go towards chores like food prep, dishes and laundry, and/or grooming and exercise. That’s 24*.
*If they have kids, add six hours for making snacks, taxi service, pretending to watch kids do stuff (“Mu-um, waaatch this!”) and then making different snacks because the first snacks were touching or the apple they asked for was not the cucumber they wanted.
We won’t mention that mythical creature once called the weekend.
Agents are busier now more than ever. They’re dealing with more enquiries in an industry operating with fewer staff.
They want more time. But you cannot give it to them without rules. Otherwise, many will fill it with work because they love what they do and who they’re doing it for. You don’t come back from a pandemic because you just tolerate your job. It’s a calling.
Take your advisor on a bush walk, or force them to join your book club (or any other club which is really just a front for the drinking of wine). Get their nails done or hair cut or come over one night with a lovely dinner that they did not have to cook. And please, take their kids to a movie.
What to give the agent who worked for nothing during the pandemic
Money. Give them money. Seriously.
Agents are busy, you say. Loads of people are booking, you say. They are! But for many advisors, until their clients travel, that money isn’t reaching the person who made all that travel happen!
Pay a service fee when you book with your travel advisor. And know that fee will likely be eaten up in the first of many hours they will be on hold with an airline for you.
For many agents, charging service fees is unchartered territory. They will fight like the devil to get your refund back, but can be reticent about charging you for the time and hard work they put into your booking.
Remind them they’re worth it. Remind them of their value. Because while the best things in life are free, the ancillaries are commissionable.
What to give the burnt out travel agent
A hug has some serious healing power. After actual years of social distancing, open your arms and get your hearts touching.
The travel advisor in your life needs some nurturing and support. A little gesture that shows you’re thinking of them goes a long way.
Give them a fabulous review online, tell your friends and family how wonderful your experience was.
But more than anything, give them some kindness and understanding.
And maybe chocolate.
If you want a more traditional pressie, please consider donating to WIRES. The pandemic came on the heels of our terrible bushfires of 2019/20 that sometimes it’s easy to forget that nearly three billion animals – mammals, reptiles, birds, and frogs – were killed or displaced. Three billion.