q&A
Crowd Pleaser
the ins and outs of group travel with aMa travel specialist dale Gillis
Book
with AMA
a crew
of people arriving from
various places, booking
multiple airline seats
and hotel rooms, finding
restaurants that can handle
a school trip, family reunion,
hobby group or destination
wedding. Planning group
travel is a very different
beast than organizing
a typical vacation—and
one that requires expert
navigation. Enter Dale
Gillis. Over 40 years, the
AMA senior consultant and
group travel specialist in
Edmonton has learned how
to pick the right destination,
keep schedules on track and
make sure that you get the
most out of your group trip.
I can provide a
trained escort to
handle unexpected
talk to an aMa group
glitches in person—
travel specialist about
sometimes with
your next group trip:
1-877-989-8435
very little extra cost.
And if something goes
wrong while you’re away,
you’ve got just one person
to call to change plans or
get everyone back home.
ImagIne wranglIng
What’s your favourite place
to take escorted groups?
What is group travel?
paul swanson
As you’d expect, it’s trip
planning for groups.
Most people think of it
for weddings or business
travel, but I’m seeing more
neighbours, co-workers and
friends coming together
to take advantage of the
savings and extras you can
get. Generally, a minimum
of 10 people are considered
a group that can take
advantage of deals and
benefits, such as free airfare
or hotel rooms.* Some
people split the savings
amongst the group—or give
the discount to someone
who might not be able to
join otherwise.
Isn’t it tough to round up
10 or more people?
It’s easy these days with
social media. People can
set up Facebook groups to
spread the word about a
group trip. By connecting
people through associations,
member clubs or social
groups, trip organizers can
find enough people to book
as a group. Then I come in:
I’m kind of like a party planner who helps arrange all
the details once the guest
list is set.
Are there any trends in
group travel?
Increasingly, people are
travelling together because
they share a particular
interest, like a special event,
cultural experience, food,
photography or history.
The nature of groups is also
changing: People who are
acquaintances from church
or sports leagues are travelling together now. I have
a group of retired teachers
who travel together every
so often.
Hawaii has a special place
in my heart: Years ago, it’s
where I took one of my first
educational trips. It was
a seven-day tour of three
islands: Hawaii, Maui and
Oahu. I visited about 20 different hotels to gain firsthand knowledge of the
properties. I’ve since been
to Hawaii about half a dozen
times on group tours—
which is where I nabbed my
colourful Hawaiian shirt!
What’s the best way to
book a group trip?
What if someone wants to
book on their own because
they’ve found something a
few dollars cheaper?
My motto is “Don’t try this
at home.” It’s complicated to
coordinate different departures and arrivals and airlines. By booking everyone’s
travel with one experienced
group travel specialist, you
have an advocate on your
side who shops around for
the right tour company
and customizes flights and
accommodations for people
travelling from different
locations. I can also help
negotiate terms of payment
and price. During your trip,
They probably won’t
save anything in the end
because they’ll miss out on
the group extras: private
airport transfers and
complimentary inclusions
like seat selection.* You
get so much more value
for your dollar on a group
tour. The other important
thing to remember is that
the group is more flexible
in terms of changes, fees
and substituting names.
There really is strength in
numbers!
*depending on supplier and season.
AMA InsIder
wInter 2016
11