Travel is booming and travelers are eager to back on the road. But what do you do if your travel company is confronting the perfect storm of being down staff and up on inquiries from travel advisors and consumers – who may not be ready to make a booking?

One tour operator, eager to reduce the number of window shoppers, has taken a – sometimes controversial – page from the travel advisors’ playbook. Host Rebecca Tobin get into the subject with Authentic Vacations CEO Simon Russell and Travel Weekly tour editor Nicole Edenedo. 

Our summer 2022 series revisits some of the best Folo by Travel Weekly episodes. This episode was originally published May 30, 2022. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by ALG Vacations

Related: 

With more calls and less staff, tour operator turns to pre-booking deposit https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/With-more-calls-and-less-staff-tour-operator-turns-to-fees

Ire builds over hold times as suppliers rush to hire and train call staff https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Suppliers-rush-to-staff-up-train-as-ire-builds-on-call-wait-times?ct= 

Previously on the Folo podcast: 

How the rush to travel created hurdles for travel agents https://www.travelweekly.com/Podcasts/Folo/The-rush-to-travel-brings-hurdles-for-agents

Travel is booming and travelers are eager to back on the road. But what do you do if your travel company is confronting the perfect storm of being down staff and up on inquiries from travel advisors and consumers – who may not be ready to make a booking?
One tour operator, eager to reduce the number of window shoppers, has taken a – sometimes controversial – page from the travel advisors’ playbook. Host Rebecca Tobin get into the subject with Authentic Vacations CEO Simon Russell and Travel Weekly tour editor Nicole Edenedo. Our summer 2022 series revisits some of the best Folo by Travel Weekly episodes. This episode was originally published May 30, 2022. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by <a href="https://www.appleleisuregroup.com/">ALG Vacations</a>
Related: 
With more calls and less staff, tour operator turns to pre-booking deposit <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/With-more-calls-and-less-staff-tour-operator-turns-to-fees">https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/With-more-calls-and-less-staff-tour-operator-turns-to-fees</a>
Ire builds over hold times as suppliers rush to hire and train call staff <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Suppliers-rush-to-staff-up-train-as-ire-builds-on-call-wait-times?ct=">https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Suppliers-rush-to-staff-up-train-as-ire-builds-on-call-wait-times?ct= </a>
Previously on the Folo podcast: 
How the rush to travel created hurdles for travel agents <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Podcasts/Folo/The-rush-to-travel-brings-hurdles-for-agents">https://www.travelweekly.com/Podcasts/Folo/The-rush-to-travel-brings-hurdles-for-agents</a>

Travel Weekly's team of reporters, editors and contributors explore ideas, share experiences and provide insight into what they’ve uncovered while reporting on some of the biggest trends in travel.

Travel Weekly's team of reporters, editors and contributors explore ideas, share experiences and provide insight into what they&rsquo;ve uncovered while reporting on some of the biggest trends in travel.

Hosted by Rebecca Tobin, managing editor of Travel Weekly

The Folo by Travel Weekly

Travel Weekly's team of reporters, editors and contributors take a deep dive into the biggest travel story of the week. 

In each episode, we invite invite our team of journalists and their trusted sources to delve into major travel trends that industry insiders, or just travelers, want to know about.  

You may be wondering: Why the Folo? Well, a folo -- f o l o -- is a journalism term, a kind of shorthand that basically means to follow a breaking news story with more in depth reporting and analysis. And at the Folo podcast, that's what we do. 

Hosted by Travel Weekly managing editor Rebecca Tobin.

Travel Weekly's team of reporters, editors and contributors take a deep dive into the biggest travel story of the week.&nbsp;
In each episode, we invite invite our team of journalists and their trusted sources to delve into major travel trends that industry insiders, or just travelers, want to know about. &nbsp;
You may be wondering: Why the Folo? Well, a folo -- f o l o -- is a journalism term, a kind of shorthand that basically means to follow a breaking news story with more in depth reporting and analysis. And at the Folo podcast, that's what we do.&nbsp;
Hosted by Travel Weekly managing editor Rebecca Tobin.

Advertisement