The Key to Helping Your Clients Find Their "Why"

As travel coaches, we ask strategic questions so we can help our clients pull the answers from within, but what do we do with the answers we get? 

Open-ended, purposeful questions are important, but our ability to decipher and utilize the answers they provoke is just as crucial. 

As a business owner, you have likely given thought to your “why” more than once. 

Why did you start this business? 

Why do you do what you do? 

Why do you serve who you serve? 

And perhaps most importantly, why travel? 

This last question is one you probably ask your own clients. The answer they give you dictates how you are able to assist them.

The key to analyzing this lies in understanding the difference between surface-level and deep responses.

What is a surface-level response? 

A surface-level response sounds general or vague and tends to exclusively focus on the travel experience. Some examples might include: 

• I want to meet new people. 
• I want to escape. 
• I want to experience a sense of freedom. 
• I want to see cool sights. 

What should you do if you get a surface-level response from your client? 

Ask some follow-up questions to narrow down their responses and try to elicit some specific examples from them. Formulate your questions in a way that reminds them that the impact of travel can extend far beyond the physical end of the trip. Some examples might include:

“I want to meet new people.”

• Why do you want to meet new people? 

• What kind of people do you want to meet?

• What kind of relationships are you looking for? 

• What is it about meeting people traveling that might be different from meeting them at home? 

“I want to escape.”

• What do you want to escape from? 

• What does escapism look like? 

• How might a period of escapism help you when you return home? 

"I want to experience a sense of freedom.”

• What does freedom mean to you? 

• How can travel help you achieve a sense of freedom? 

• How can you take the experience of feeling free to your daily routine back home?   

“I want to see cool sights.” 

• What is it about these sights that you want to see? 
• What is the significance of visiting cool sights? 

Encourage bigger thinking - perhaps visiting cool sights means making great memories with loved ones, gaining new perspectives, appreciating cultures different from their own, etc. 

What is a deeper response? 

A deeper response can be identified by its specificity. It also tends to be more emotional, speaking to the client’s personal circumstances. A deeper response also usually focuses on travel as part of the bigger picture. Examples might be: 

• “I want to heal from trauma, heartbreak, or the loss of a loved one.”
• “I want to have a sense of belonging and feel understood.” 
• “I want to feel inspired by life again.”
• “I want to find myself, my purpose in life and my passions.”

What should you do with a deeper response? 

When you ask your clients “why travel?”, use their deeper response as a point of reference when they set intentions for their trip. Take the answer they give you and help them break it down into manageable steps. 

Ultimately, understanding the difference between surface level and deeper reasons for travel will set the foundation for creating meaningful, personalized offers and services for your clients. 

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