Trip Planner 2016-17 Trip Planner For Group Leaders | Page 8

Ask the Experts
· MMGY Global’s 2016 Portrait of American Travelers Survey
revealed some important micro-segments found within today’s
travelers, including families with children 12 and under. The
majority of those families say their vacations are entirely childfocused. Travel planners, then, should target their message to
the preferences of children.

for you. We handle restaurant reservations and coordinate daily
sightseeing, and we take guests off the beaten path to enjoy authentic
cultural experiences they’d never be able to have on their own.
For larger family groups, we can simplify the process of reaching
consensus. A family traveling on a Tauck Bridges trip needs to agree
on just two things: which itinerary to travel on and which departure
date to book.
Larsen: If you have the vision, the tour operator has the expertise
to help you enhance that vision, save you time and dollars, and help
you avoid mistakes. A tour operator will tell you when you need a
reservation and how to avoid long lines. And the tour operator is your
backup in case of travel de lays or cancelled flights. You are not on
your own.

TRAVEL OREGON

Tell us about some trends in family travel.

River rafting in Oregon

Why should people use a tour operator to plan family travel?
Armstrong: We do all of the advance planning, which can take
substantial effort and time. And once a Tauck Bridges trip is underway,
all the time-consuming hassles of executing a vacation are managed

Carl Preussl (1894-1951).
Old Faithful, 1929. Oil on
canvas. Buffalo Bill Center
of the West. Designated
purchase. 3.01

Larsen: We are seeing more families traveling together, and oftentimes
there is a theme to it, such as following Martin Luther, exploring
the small villages in Europe where the family grew up, or seeking
adventure in Costa Rica. We have grandparents taking grandchildren
on tours, with the grandchildren helping plan the travel. One of the
grandparents told me, “We are spending their inheritance. Their
inheritance is the gift of travel.” The rewards are evident in faces of the
grandchildren.
Armstrong: We continue to see more extended family groups, which
we attribute to the geographic dispersal of families. Fifty years ago
most extended family members lived in relatively close proximity. Today
getting an extended family together often involves vacation time and
airfares.

the wildest
way into
yellowstone:
It all begins in Cody.
Buffalo Bill Center of the West
■ Cody Nite Rodeo
■ Old Trail Town
■ Buffalo Bill Dam...and more!
■

Call your group tour pros in Cody, Wyoming:
claudia wade, Cody Country Visitors Council
yellowstonecountry.org | 307-587-2297

debra elwood, Buffalo Bill Center of the West

centerofthewest.org | 307-578-4114

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