Doing and Teaching Travel and Tourism Courtesies
January 2004
Travel and tourism professionals often are so busy that they forget that theirs is a business built around all sorts of common courtesies. They also rarely have the time to treat themselves when on personal or business travel. As a gift to you, Tourism & More presents some things that all of us know but often forget in our own travel lives. If we are to take good care of our guests, we also have to take good care of ourselves. Here are some reminders on ways to take care of one’s business and also show concern not only for others but also for ourselves.
- Take some time off. Travel is not always fun. With airliners no longer serving food, tight schedules and ever changing security realities, there is a lot of stress in travel. Our leisure travelers often have the time to recover from long trips, but travel professionals rarely have this luxury. Travel professionals, however, are human beings too. Rest a bit, visit something new in a new city each year, and remember that you sell travel best to your community when you enjoy visiting other communities.
- Learn to travel light. Use the motto that if it does not fit in your carry-on suitcase, you probably do not need it. A good rule of thumb is pack what you think you need, take the money that you believe you will need and then halve the clothing/things and double your money. Buy throw-away toiletries and use only one or two colors when you travel. Mixing and matching clothes means fewer clothes are needed and less hassle in lugging heavy suitcases. Try to stay in hotels that offer free use of a computer to check your email. That way, you can leave your laptop computer at home. One less thing to schlep! Remember if you cannot lug it, you do not need to take it.
- When going out to dinner, leave the cell phone off. Other diners do not wish to hear a phone conversation and you do not need that call right away. When eating, enjoy! Dining is not a time for business but for the fun of learning about new restaurants and being with friends. Take the time to relax, have a drink and leave the business calls for the office.
- Use good telephone etiquette. If you call someone, and desire that the other person call you back, leave your number at the beginning of the message and say the numbers slowly. People in travel and tourism spend a lot of time away from the office. Remember you want to speak to the person you are telephoning and not the other way around. Are you asking the person to make a long distance call? If so, you might suggest that the other person call you collect or upon calling you, you will be glad to hang up and call the desired person. Also make sure that telephone numbers are left in a clear and slow fashion? Lastly remember that this person may be on the road and the last thing he/she wants to do is listen to a long message, make your messages short and to the point.
- When communicating by email, never send or open an unsolicited attachment. Remember that many of your colleagues spend a lot of time at hotels, and attachments must be downloaded at hotel prices. Furthermore, in an age of computer viruses it is wise simply never to open an attachment. Instead write the person back explaining that you do not open unsolicited attachments and then ask the person to send the message again in the body of the letter. Of course it goes without saying that one should never send an unsolicited photo, no matter how cute or enjoyable you may think it is.
- Take the time to check your own credit ratings. In today’s travel world everyone is open to identity theft including travel professionals. In fact travel professionals travel more than the average person and are therefore more liable to suffer all sorts of fraud. There are a number of ways in which you can protect yourself. The best way is to do an annual check of your credit rating. In the United States this can be done by contacting: TransUnion at 1-800-888-4213, Equifax at 1-800-685-1111 and Experian Credit Market at 1-888-397-3742. In other countries, speak to your local police department regarding ways to protect your identity.
- Carry your credit card numbers and the credit card company’s telephone number in a separate place. Credit cards do get lost, stolen, or misplaced. If you have the number in a separate place you can cancel it right away and in many cases and emergency card can be delivered to you the next day. Always travel with two credit cards so that in the interim you will be able to pay bills.
- No matter what, smile! Smiles are infectious and in most cases travel is an example of learning to live in a world in which we have very little control. This means that no matter how angry we get, no matter how frustrated we may be, nothing is going to change. So be honest with yourself, try to inform others when you will be late, carry a cell phone and then relax and enjoy the trip!
