{"id":5161,"date":"2026-10-07T10:33:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T14:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.800.com\/blog\/?p=5161"},"modified":"2026-10-07T10:33:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T14:33:39","slug":"travel-agents-wave-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.800.com\/blog\/travel-agents-wave-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Agents: Wave Season Starts in October"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

January through March is when many people book cruises and summer trips. Agents who prep in the fall catch the early bookers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What wave season means for your calendar<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Prepare for your busiest booking window before your calendar fills with consultations. Once January arrives, you’ll want time to compare itineraries and finish reservations. Writing a promotion between those conversations makes both jobs harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with the trips you expect to sell during wave season. Work backward from January to decide when each offer needs to be ready. Put supplier approval dates beside your own deadlines so you don’t promote details that are still changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set aside time this fall to prepare the material you’ll use through March. Your October marketing checklist<\/a> can help you organize those campaign dates. Leave room to update availability without rewriting the whole promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protect consultation time on your calendar, too. A campaign that brings in interested travelers still needs somewhere to send them. Offer appointments you can keep while leaving enough time to research the trip afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Build your wave season offers now<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Choose the trip types your clients already ask you about. Give each offer a clear audience, such as families planning a summer cruise. A traveler should recognize whether the trip fits before calling for details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to hold group space, speak with the supplier now. Get the deposit terms and release date in writing. Put the release date on your calendar so unsold space doesn’t become a forgotten commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask which supplier promotions you can use and when you can announce them. Save the approved details with the offer. If a benefit applies only to certain departures, make that restriction visible beside the promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Package by trip type rather than putting every destination into the same flyer. A family cruise and a couples’ getaway need different descriptions. Explain what the package includes, then make the next step a conversation about fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep the advertised offer separate from a personalized quote. Before you share a price, verify the current availability and required charges. Give yourself a clear way to remove or revise a promotion when the supplier changes it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Catch holiday planners<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Families talk travel at Thanksgiving. Have something ready that they can discuss together, with enough detail to decide whether to call you. Show the kind of trip you’re offering and the travel window it suits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Black Friday Nov 27, use a supplier-approved offer you can explain without a long list of exceptions. Put the booking deadline beside the offer. Say what the caller needs to decide before that deadline, including any required deposit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t leave the next step vague. Ask interested travelers to arrange a consultation, and explain what they’ll discuss with you. Someone planning a family trip may need to speak with relatives before choosing dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For trips as gifts, help the buyer separate the surprise from the booking commitment. Discuss whether the recipient can choose dates before money changes hands. Explain the supplier’s change terms rather than assuming the traveler can rearrange everything later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use these holiday phone campaign ideas<\/a> to plan the invitation to call. Keep the actual travel offer specific to what you can arrange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Make your number easy to remember<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Put the same main contact number on your agency flyer and event materials. Give it a visible place on your social profile. Pair it with a reason to call, such as discussing a summer cruise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An 800.com vanity number<\/a> uses a recognizable word in your phone number. Choose an available option that’s easy to say and spell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the number aloud before approving printed materials. Ask someone else to dial it from the proof. An attractive flyer won’t help if a traveler reaches the wrong place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At an event, make the number readable from where visitors stand. Leave printed material they can take home to discuss with family. On social posts, keep the invitation close to the trip details so people know what they’re calling about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Answer every call while you’re booking another trip<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A traveler calling during a consultation needs a useful next step without interrupting the person already speaking with you. Decide what information you need before the next conversation. Keep the intake focused on planning the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An 800.com AI agent<\/a> can collect travel dates, traveler details, and budget while you’re busy. With your calendar connected and booking rules set, it can book a consultation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decide which questions belong in that first call and which need your advice. Keep itinerary recommendations and final quotes for the consultation. An appointment should never sound like a confirmed cruise reservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before promoting the number, test the call from start to finish. Use a request with flexible dates, then try one with a firm departure window. Make sure the appointment appears when you’re available and the trip details are ready for your follow-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Blue<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Track which promotions brought calls<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Use 800.com call tracking<\/a> to give individual promotions their own numbers. Compare the calls from your event flyer with calls from a social promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Label each campaign before sharing its number. Keep the offer and placement recorded together so you can interpret the results later. Leave your main agency number consistent while you test separate campaign materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compare those inquiries with consultations and completed bookings in your own records. A promotion that attracts calls about trips you don’t arrange needs a different message. Use that evidence when choosing which offers to repeat during January through March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Start this week<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n