Is It Possible To Become A Travel Life Coach?
You're here because you're probably wondering - is it possible to become a travel life coach?
I'll elaborate more here throughout this blog post.
But to answer your question quickly, yes - it's absolutely possible to become a travel life coach!
I've helped hundreds of people do this through my Travel Coach Certification Program.
The best part is, that you get to choose exactly how your travel business looks.
Don't want to do 1:1 coaching? You don't have to!
Not a fan of the Instagram influencer world? You don't need to be one.
The Travel Coach Network is all about disrupting how things are done in the travel industry.
Free Economy Class TCN Membership: Learn About Travel Coaching
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- Downloadable Beginner's Guide to Travel Coaching
...
A New Level of Trip Personalization?
The Chief Product Officer at TripAdvisor, Sanjay Raman, was asked at the Travel Trends AI Summit 2024 today what a few travel trends that stand out to him right now (and in the future) in the travel industry are. One of the three that he said was personalization.
And I couldn’t agree more.
But for centuries now, personalization in the travel industry has remained at a very surface level:
In the traditional travel agent role, the traveler is asked typical questions like:
“where do you want to travel to?”
“how many people will be going on your trip?”
“where have you traveled to in the past?”
“what is your dream travel destination?”
“what type of activities do you enjoy doing?”
“what type of accommodations do you prefer?”
“what are your travel preferences?”
“what is your budget?”
“how long do you plan to travel for?
But none of those questions...
Implementing Travel Coaching at each stage of the Traveler Journey
Integrating travel coaching into the traveler’s journey can transform the client's overall journey into a more profound and enriching experience, allowing them to not only enjoy their trip but also to grow and learn from it.
Awareness phase
Through your content, whether it’s through social media, video written, presentations, webinars, or media and publicity, use your story and core message to bring awareness to what is possible for your ideal clients. Touch them emotionally and make them see themselves in your messaging. During this phase, they might not know what they really want or need at that point and they may not have even considered going on a trip.
Inspiration phase
Get visible and inspire your ideal clients to use travel as the vessel for change, transformation, finding clarity, reaching their personal goals, self-discovery, or satisfying another specific need or desire.
Discovery phase
Through powerful and effective questioning, get to...
How Travel Coaching is Making it Easier to Intercept a Traveler Much Earlier than at the Booking Stage
It’s one thing to learn about a traveler during the planning and researching phases of a trip and then use that information to suggest destinations, flight and hotel details, and itinerary recommendations and it’s another to understand your consumer before the planning and researching phase even begins.
So how is travel coaching making it easier to capture the attention, attract, and inspire the traveler before the desire for a trip even happens?
It’s at the root of what travel coaching is even about which is to use travel as a tool for wellbeing, relationships, transformation, personal development, professional growth, and reaching other specific goals.
When travel coaches, and other travel companies and experts, tap into the emotional and personal value of travel in their marketing, it’s easier to paint a picture of how a travel experience can satisfy someone’s needs, even if they aren’t aware of what their needs are at that time.
That is...
Why We Don’t Actually “Sell” Travel
I use the term “sell” in this post loosely because I believe that there’s no such thing as “selling” travel. Here’s why.
When someone “buys” a trip, they are looking to get something out of it beyond an itinerary that aligns with their interests, logistics, or past preferences.
Just like when we buy anything, such as new fitness equipment, a brand new little black dress, or a popular inspirational book, we are giving over our money in exchange for a certain outcome, change, result, a feeling, or a transformation.
It’s the same with traveling.
Going on a trip, even just the booking and planning phase of it, provides us with a level of satisfaction, joy, fulfillment, excitement, and meaning that we crave on a deeper level. There are studies that speak to that.
But how do you “sell” travel without being salesy?
You want to speak to the desires, needs, dreams, and pain points of your ideal clients. That’s why...
Tailoring Experiences Based Off of How Travelers Feel
“Consumers want to take their minds off everyday stressors. They need a little relief from their anxieties and a chance to break away from the mundane.” says Euromonitor in their Top Global Consumer Trends 2024 Report.
They call these “Delightful Distractions”
I call it why we travel in the first place.
Granted, stress relief and a break in the daily routine are only two reasons why people might book a trip but the point is that people turning to travel for relaxation, stress relief, and a break isn’t a new trend.
What is new is the idea of bringing traveler’s emotions and underlying needs to the forefront rather than their past trip preferences, interests, and trip logistics.
That’s exactly what Travel Coaches and the concept of Travel Coaching focus on.
Delightful Distractions, according to Euromonitor’s report, “invigorate and uplift emotions. These thrill-filled and feel-good moments can leave a meaningful impression.”
...How to Combine Life Coaching with Travel Coaching
Life is an extraordinary journey, filled with opportunities for growth, self-discovery, and personal transformation. Many individuals seek guidance and support to navigate their path and make the most of their experiences. In recent years, two coaching disciplines have gained significant popularity: life coaching and travel coaching. But what if we told you that combining these two powerful approaches could lead to even greater personal development and a truly transformative journey? In this blog post, we'll explore how to harness the synergy between life coaching and travel coaching, allowing you to unlock your full potential while embarking on unforgettable adventures.
1. Embracing Self-Exploration Through Travel:
Travel has the remarkable ability to broaden our horizons, expose us to new cultures, and challenge our perspectives. It encourages us to step outside our comfort zones, fostering personal growth and self-exploration. By integrating life coaching principles into your...
2 Mistakes that You Are Making When Planning your Client’s Trips
Let’s face it, times have changed, the travel industry has changed, and how and why people travel has changed. This means that you can no longer design and run your travel agent business the same old-school way. By acknowledging and solving the two mistakes that you are making when planning your client’s trips that are mentioned in this article, travel agents can elevate the level of service they provide, ensuring customers receive personalized attention, guidance, and support throughout their travel journey by incorporating travel coaching.
- You’re asking too general of questions in the discovery phase
It’s common to ask your clients questions like “what kind of trip are you looking to have?”, “what types of activities do you enjoy doing most?”, “how many people are traveling?”. “how long do you plan to travel for?”, or “do you prefer nightlife, adventure, luxury, cruising, or something...
It's 2024 and I Can't Believe that Travel Agencies are Still Doing This
It’s 2024 and travel agencies are still using messaging that is highly focused on commissions, selling, maximizing profits, itineraries, and old-school niches which keep travel experiences more transactional rather than beneficial for us as human beings.
Today I saw a newsletter advertising an event on teaching travel experts how to make money selling couples getaways which focused on selling romance vacations, romantic hotels, and creating itineraries, and it has me questioning why our industry talks about evolving yet continues to use messaging like this.
Instead to talking about selling romantic vacations to couples, increasing profits, and planning the logistics of a trip, how about tapping into the benefits of couples having travel experiences like human connection, creating meaningful memories, enriching their relationship, learning more about one another, building trust and confidence, or putting their daily stresses behind and spending time focusing only on one...
2024 Travel Trends + Travel Coaching
A recent TravelPulse article discussed The Travel Trends That Will Define 2024. Here’s how some of these trends fit into Travel Coaching.
Learning about and immersing into other cultures: Travelers have a natural curiosity for how other people around the world live. We saw this in our own TCN 2023 Study on the Deeper Reasons for Why People Travel where our second highest category was Learning About and Experiencing Other Cultures. When you step out of your comfort zone and dive into another culture that opens your eyes, mind, and heart to what else exists in this world, you undoubtably will have an experience that changes who you are. As a Travel Coach, suggest destinations that best suit the cultural experiences that your clients are looking for while explaining how those experiences can enhance their trip.
Making a positive impact: Travelers are becoming more mindful of the impact that they make on the Planet and local communities than ever before...
