Let’s face it: sometimes bad things happen. And usually, they don’t happen at very convenient times, either. You get pulled over when you’re already running late. Or your kid gets sick right before you leave for vacation. Or maybe you’ve got an exciting getaway planned when a hurricane hits your destination.
We understand. Our travel team here at Motivation Excellence is the ultimate powerhouse when it comes to not only avoiding bad situations, but handling them when they happen (because they will happen).
Whether you’re planning a travel experience for your sales team, employees, or channel partners, we want you to know: we’ve got you. When you book a travel program with us, you’re not only getting world-class service, you’ll be receiving years of experience and a vast network of travel partners. Here are some ways we avoid – and react to – various travel adversities.
Sunny Skies
First of all, our team would not plan a travel experience to a destination in Hurricane Alley during hurricane season, so we’ve got that covered. But sometimes nature is unpredictable and there are other natural disasters that happen. If it does, we’ve got the tools needed to seamlessly redirect your program within days. We’ve done it before!
When a volcano in Iceland erupted and produced massive amounts of ash, it caused major disruptions to European air travel. Unfortunately, our team had a program planned to depart for Ireland shortly after the volcanic event. We knew our program wasn’t going to happen because of the airspace closures, so we had to act quickly.
Not only were we able to flawlessly put together an enhanced experience to Hawaii within 4 days, including rebooking all rooms, tickets, meals, activities, and notifying guests of the changes, we were also able to negotiate for all of our existing travel plans. Instead of forfeiting the cost, we secured a deal in which the existing tickets to Ireland were 100% applied for the following year’s program.
In addition to providing exceptional customer service to our client by negotiating on their behalf, we heard back from the participants that the somewhat unexpected voyage to Hawaii completely exceeded their expectations. We were thrilled to be able to provide such an exquisite experience on short notice.
Travel Warnings
We’re constantly monitoring global events that can negatively impact travel. And once in a while, something does affect it. The US government keeps a current list of areas around the world that are considered unsafe travel zones, and they look for things like escalated crime rates (especially towards tourists or in tourist areas), sudden acts of terrorism, and relations with a country’s government. The CDC is also involved in this list, watching various virus outbreaks all over the globe. Our priority is travelers’ safety, and we will never send a group to a location where we (or the government) deem it unsafe.
Vendor Relations
We pride ourselves on the close relations we have with our partners across the globe. Many times, if there is a travel warning issued for an area, we will reach out to our vendors as our “ears on the ground.” Sometimes an alert is kept up long after the threat is over, and our partners are honest with us. Depending on the situation, we may divert the program or we will keep it on as scheduled. Again, your safety & overall experience is our priority, and we understand that peace of mind plays a huge part in your experience.
We will communicate our findings and express our expert opinion to you, but ultimately, the choice is always yours and we will honor your request – and of course, make any needed transition as easy as possible for you.
