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June 2007
Supplement to Travel Trade

Multigenerational land and sea vacations are increasing in popularity — and it’s a great niche market for a Home Based agent. Our experiences on a recent trip to our nation’s capital convinced me that this is an excellent destination for all generations.
Like a growing number of families across this country, we have made it a tradition to take vacations together. Our children and grandchildren live in the same area as my husband Franz and me, but because of increasingly busy schedules we don’t get the same “quality” time together as in years past.
Our yearly sojourn usually involves a trip to Orlando for a visit with “The Mouse” and his neighbors, but this year we decided to head to Washington, DC and let our grandchildren learn first-hand a little bit more about their country. This was the first time our three grandchildren, ages 9, 13 and 17, and our son-in-law had flown, so the anticipation was tinged with a bit of apprehension.
Our travel agent was very good about keeping us all up-to-date and explained many different tour options, online check-in for our flight as well as pre-registration at the hotel and arrangements for hotel shuttle pick-up. The agent also selected an affordable, centrally located and family friendly hotel. Before you gasp at my using someone else for the arrangements, let me tell you that our travel agent was none other than Franz (gotcha, didn’t I?), an industry veteran.
Rusty Pickett of Shellback Cruises (a Home Based Trade contributor who has a new blog regarding airlines, www.wearenotcargo.com) and other agents will be happy to hear that airfare out of Charleston, SC started becoming much more affordable on mainstream carriers when AirTran announced service from Charleston (this has been a major obstacle for years). Franz ended up with fantastic rates for our flight on USAir. The flight was nonstop for around $179/person.
When you have 10 people flying — and with children — price is extremely important and can mean the difference in making the vacation happen or changing plans. An interesting note on the flight aspect is whether we should have elected to go as a group or booked the flights individually. As we found out, in this instance, booking as a group would have cost us $40 more per ticket! If you have a family or other group that you are booking air for, be sure to price both options.
Having lived in the Washington area for several years in the 1980s, we were somewhat familiar with options others might not know about. We knew that getting around in Washington is a piece of cake. The transportation system is very good.
Knowing this gave us more options as to where to look for accommodations. We decided to go with a Crystal City option because it is near both Reagan National Airport and The District of Columbia itself. Franz did extensive research to find out how close the Metro (subway system) was to the hotels he was considering.
With children in tow, it was also important to have different options for dining that were close by. In addition, we wanted a hotel with a swimming pool because, after all, what is a vacation for children without a nice pool to use?
After reviewing recommendations and hotel reviews, Franz finally settled on Radisson Reagan National located on Jefferson Davis Highway. Good choice! Although the dining was a little too pricey for our budget, the hotel itself was great. It is one of the cleanest facilities we have stayed at in a long time. The staff was very courteous and attentive. There was a nice rooftop swimming pool, which was popular with lots of children. Around the corner from the hotel was a row of small restaurants with an array of choices and excellent service. Best of all, the Radisson is only two short blocks away from the Metro.
Getting around DC on the Metro is pretty easy and we never had to wait very long at any stop. It is also extremely affordable. For example, our most expensive ticket was $2.70 roundtrip from Crystal City to the Smithsonian. Tell clients to be attentive when purchasing tickets from the machine, however, because it is quite easy to put in $5 and end up with one $5 ticket instead of three $1.45 tickets. If you are not familiar with how the machines work and can’t figure it out on your own or end up with an expensive ticket for one (yep, experience talking here), have no fear. There are usually two attendants at each station who are ready to assist you and, if need be, correct your ticket error.
Arlington Cemetery offers a tram tour with a hop on and off option. For example, if your clients want to get off at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and stay for the Changing of the Guard and also the placing of new wreaths at the tomb, they can simply hop on the next tram.
There is a fee for the tram. Visitors have the option of touring the cemetery on their own, but by taking the tram, which includes a guided tour, some things are pointed out that might be missed otherwise. In addition, Washington is hot and humid in the summer and can be quite cold and snowy in the winter and the tram is a comfortable, fast way to tour.
Some highlights are the graves of President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy, along with two of their children, Sen. Robert Kennedy, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Arlington House, as well as learning more about the different sections of the cemetery.
Since this was a short vacation with only two and one half days of sightseeing, we decided to purchase a Gray Line Tour — another option you will want to point out to your clients.
Gray Line offers certain membership discounts to customers for their tours. These discounted tickets cannot be purchased in advance and must be purchased at Union Station — and this is where the problem lies. Union Station can be quite a journey on the Metro and most of these day-long tours start at 8 a.m.
In addition, depending on the size of the group and the length of the trip, taking the Metro to Union Square in order to get the discounted tickets can eat away at that discount.
Several of the hotels offer the option of purchasing tickets right at the hotel, but there’s no discount. In our case, although we qualified for several discounts, we opted to purchase the tickets at the hotel and be picked up and dropped off right outside. When we weighed the difficulty of getting to Union Station in time and the cost of the roundtrip Metro tickets, it only made sense to forgo the discount.
Gray Line has some excellent tours and we opted for a 9-1/2 hour version. Some the U.S. Capitol, Ford’s Theater (now closed as of June 2 for the next 18 months for renovation), the Peterson House, The White House Visitors center, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History as well as the Air and Space Museum. We also visited the World War II Memorial and drove past many places of interest. There is no way we could have visited all of these places in one day any other way.
Our last day of sightseeing was accomplished on foot and by Metro. We got up at a more leisurely pace and after a quick breakfast, headed to the Metro and made our way to the National Mall. Our first stop was the Washington Memorial. Next we made our way to the Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials. Because of the sultry weather, we took it slow and made several water purchases. The Korean memorial, which none of us had visited previously, was next on the list. Then we walked back to the Smithsonian.
The Smithsonian Castle Visitor Information Center was our first stop. Next we headed to the American Indian Museum where we enjoyed a bite to eat. The food pricing at this museum was fairly reasonable, offering more of a selection than at most of the other museums, good food and special items for $20 that easily fed two people.
The fourth and third floors are the main exhibit areas and though the adults enjoyed it, for children, the Museum of Natural History and the Air and Space Museum are much more appealing.
Both have many hands-on leaning opportunities for all ages. We learn more by actually doing than simply observing and the Smithsonian certainly utilizes this form of learning. Unfortunately, the Museum of American History was closed for renovations, but some of its all time favorites, such as the Ruby Slippers from the “Wizard of Oz” and Archie Bunker’s favorite chair from “All in the Family” are on display at the Air and Space Museum.
All in all, it was a great trip and, aside from family “bonding,” we all came away a new appreciation for our nation’s capital — and of our country.
If you get a family group as a client, chances are they will travel together time and again and, as satisfied customers, will continue booking with you. Sometimes their family trip may have a tight budget while at other times you may receive a surprise and end up with nice Europe cruise! The business is out there and I believe this segment will continue to grow. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to tap into this market.

Tips for Home Based Agents