I’ve really been enjoying the challenge of relearning the travel industry, it’s been exciting to dive back in! But I’m even more eager to start helping others make their travel dreams come true. During each training session, I keep catching myself saying out loud, “I remember when…” So much has changed, not just how we book travel, but the entire industry itself!
My biggest takeaway so far? It’s so much easier to do just about anything now, everything is literally at my fingertips. Back in the olden days, booking a hotel meant flipping through massive hotel directories, reading page after page of descriptions, and having clients sit beside me doing the same. Then we’d have to call a reservations desk to actually make the booking or worse, if it was overseas, send a fax! Does anyone else remember sending a fax?
These days, with the tools I have access to, I can pull up every hotel imaginable in seconds. It still amazes me how many options there are, the world feels so much bigger and more accessible than it did back then.
I’ve been digging deep into new hotel brands that I can’t wait to recommend to someone, maybe even for myself! I tend to lean toward boutique, smaller and interesting, and unique properties, and I’m absolutely in love with two brands right now.
One is Design Hotels, a collection of private hotels that are deeply rooted in the culture of their locations. One of my favorites is in Japan: Yoruya, which is simple, minimalist, and stunning. Another is Hotel Escondido in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, which has serious surf vibes.
The other brand I’m coveting is Tablet Hotels, which shares the same boutique-hotel charm as Design. Their small hotels in southern and central Japan are simply breathtaking. I’ve always wanted to explore Savannah, Georgia, and now I really want to stay at Hotel Bardo, sit under those pretty orange-and-white umbrellas, and sip something with a tiny umbrella in it!
And remember ….. one of the perks of working with me is that Fora has incredible relationships with hotel partners, which means I may be able to secure some amazing perks for you that you wouldn’t find on your own or through hotel points. I just VIP’ed a client for next week in Vegas, will keep you posted how it goes.
Booking flights has changed a lot too. I recently sat in a great flight training, which served as a refresher on, you guessed it, the olden days of the travel business.
Back in the 1970s, the industry was tightly regulated by the government. All flights from San Francisco to New York, no matter the airline, were $200 round-trip. There was no competition between carriers. You’d book over the phone with the airline, and a travel agent would issue an actual paper ticket. There was big money in this line of work, as airlines were generous with commissions.
Then, in 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act. After that, airlines were free to set their own fares, and the industry changed even more. Agencies still earned commissions, since paper tickets were still issued, but airlines also started opening their own ticketing counters. Money was still being made, but the landscape was shifting.
By the mid-1990s, when I was working as a freelance travel consultant, airlines were phasing out the commission structure. Which meant phasing out me, too. Commissions dropped from 10% to 8%, then 5%, and eventually disappeared entirely. By the early 2000s, airline commissions were gone across the sky, and that really hurt the travel agent business.
Then came the first electronic ticket, or e-ticket, in 1994, and the industry began changing even more rapidly. Many agents and agencies couldn’t keep up, and by 2020, there were only about 100,000 travel agents left.
Flights - I’ve been getting lots of questions about helping you book them, and I really wish I could help with every ticket! I’m still pretty good at finding great flights, since I know the system inside and out, and I book flights regularly for our staff and for ourselves.
Unfortunately, airlines don’t pay commissions on basic economy tickets, so I’m unable to book those. I can help if you’re flying premium economy, business, or first class, those are the only tiers where airlines still pay commissions.
If you’d like help with flights, just ask me! I’ll happily walk you through the process and explain how it works. It is a bit of a process now.
Side note: I’m deep in the points game when it comes to finding great flight deals, and I know many of you are using frequent flyer programs (FQTV) and credit card points for your flights. Did you know there are ways to uncover amazing deals beyond just going to the airline’s website?
It’s a bit more involved and can almost become a full-time hobby, but don’t worry; I’ll be doing a separate post soon to share some of my favorite tips and tricks.