Travel Matchmaking

Yesterday someone said at a networking function they were the 'match.com' of franchises.  That got a chuckle from the crowd and got me thinking about how that's true for most of our careers.  We're always matching the right people, products or solutions in some way.
In travel, my task is to match people to the right destination at the right time, then to the right resort and activities.  While they're gone I'm crossing my fingers that the 'date' goes well.  I love the feeling of satisfied travelers raving about how much they loved their vacations, how much fun their family had and how relaxed they feel coming back.  Those clients are usually the ones that are open with their past likes and dislikes, what their needs are for this particular trip and are honest about their budget.
People always ask me what's my favorite place, or what's the 'best' hotel.  I can see the little letdown when I say 'it depends'.  It really does depend on what you're looking for at the time.  You may hate my favorite hotels, not because there's anything wrong, but because it's not the right fit for you.  Even my own mom did not enjoy a cruise she went on with us because she really doesn't enjoy formal dining. We all love food in my house!   That is one of our top priorities when choosing our vacations.  My mom is much more into activities, so she would be more comfortable in a place with more activities. I've seen 70+ year olds with more energy than your average 20 something.  One of the reasons I 'broke up' with my first travel agent is because she had a one size fits all attitude and made recommendations based on our ages, not what our actual priorities were at the time.
So you see why it's important to delve deeper into what you want beyond the price tag. (Kinda like not picking a spouse from their pic online.) Value is key! If you don't share what's important to you, it's easy to wind up in the wrong place.  I've heard people complain that they didn't like a resort because there were too many kids, the beach wasn't big enough, the food wasn't good, there were too many foreigners etc.  Most of the time these people have decided on a vacation solely on price! Each of these concerns could be addressed with a resort in the same destination that is not necessarily more expensive. That's one reason I've stopped advertising deals so much.  When someone jumps on a great sale without considering if that is the right match for them, it's a matter of time before there's a messy break up and they think they really hate the destination altogether.