Airline strikes, lost passports, political unrest: dealing with the unexpected is probably the most predictable part of the travel business—and we pride ourselves on being prepared for whatever comes our way. This past January presented a conundrum of a different sort: we had nearly 40 travelers booked on two New York Times Journeys departures of Winter in Yellowstone—and the U.S. government was shut down indefinitely. We immediately contacted our partners on the ground and were able to run the full itinerary with a few logistical adjustments. As the first group arrived, our quick-thinking tour manager Caroline Ogden made contact with an area non-profit and found out that local businesses and vendors had come together voluntarily to keep the park running—cleaning and stocking the bathrooms, emptying the trash, providing freebies to the furloughed park staff. In the evenings, our groups sought out those businesses, including two restaurants in Gardiner, Montana. We ended up meeting the owners and getting to know members of the local community who were volunteering their time to take care of this national treasure. Over the past 50 years, ATA has faced its fair share of crises great and small, and we’ve weathered them all by being nimble, creative, and building strong relationships with our partners. Instead of being hampered by the shutdown, both of these trips became something more than any of us expected: our travelers forged an intimate connection with Yellowstone’s community and became involved in the inspiring local effort to help the park. Says Caroline, “When things don’t go as planned, there is almost always a silver lining if we reach out and talk to people. I think ATA does a great job at building connections whenever possible. Those are the unexpected experiences that participants will remember, and I will too!”
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Meet Our Newest Program Managers
When you have discerning clients like we do, your team has to be discerning too—but also creative, well informed, perceptive, and above all, passionate about travel. Our creative team comes to work each day with a tall order: to craft unique travel itineraries that embody our clients’ individual attributes and core values. This often means teasing out pertinent themes—from architecture to military history to culinary traditions—or putting a fresh spin on iconic places. They know how to craft seamless and engaging travel experiences, build strong relationships with our overseas partners, keep up with current events and foresee the unexpected. And they have to wear all kinds of hats: researcher, events coordinator, negotiator, dreamer, writer and diplomat. We’re excited to introduce you to three new program managers on our team. Two are familiar faces at ATA, and one comes to us from the world of environmental consulting. Between them, they have lived in Costa Rica, England, and Madagascar; visited 34 national parks on one road trip; sailed to 12 ports during a semester at sea; and set out on a bucket-list trip to seven European cities as far-flung as London and Istanbul. Without further ado, we present our newest travelsmiths: Jennifer Kefer, our new Senior Program Manager, joined us this past January. An inveterate traveler, she spent three months in an immersive field studies program in Costa Rica, has been to five continents, and takes summer road trips all over the U.S. with her family, exploring everything from factories and roadside attractions to national parks. Her love for travel and her passion for preserving the planet drove her into environmental consulting, where she spent nearly two decades working on climate change and energy policy. Jennifer earned a BA from Brandeis University in environmental studies, a master’s in environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a law degree from Yale Law School. She considers herself a life-long student with a deep curiosity about the world—which is what led her to put her skills to use at ATA, researching, building coalitions, and inspiring others to care about the world by experiencing it firsthand. There’s a chance you or your travelers have already spoken to one of our new program managers, Megan Burden. She joined ATA in 2012 as a reservations agent, booking travelers on the trips we operate for our clients. In 2016, she was promoted to manager of the entire Guest Services team. Her experience directly communicating with our clients’ guests gives her a valuable perspective when crafting itineraries. A native of Seattle, Megan developed her passion for travel during a Semester at Sea, when she explored 12 ports on four continents. After achieving a B.A. in international affairs and history from the University of Colorado, she joined the Peace Corps as an English as a foreign language teacher in Madagascar, and was posted to a village in the island’s remote central highlands. She has worked as a staff intern at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and at International Peace Initiatives, a non-profit in Kenya that works to improve local livelihoods. Baltimore native Julie Elias came to ATA in 2015 as a program assistant, helping the team with background research and development for new and existing trip concepts. She was promoted to program coordinator in 2017 and became a full-fledged program manager this January. Julie has a B.A. in American Studies from Dickinson College, and a wide range of interests that include cooking, film production, books, trivia nights, and of course travel. She studied abroad in Norwich, England, and set off after college on a far-ranging trip that took her to a number of places on her bucket list, including Istanbul, Israel, Salzburg, Budapest, France, Germany and back to England. We are pleased to welcome Julie, Megan and Jennifer to our team of program managers, and look forward to the compelling adventures they concoct for our clients!
How to Launch a Successful Travel Program
Try not to panic, but imagine launching a new travel program from scratch. There are so many details to consider! What is your target market? Where will you travel? How much should a trip cost? How much revenue will the program generate? What do your travelers want? Are you overwhelmed yet? Creating a new travel program can be a daunting task, but if it is done properly, it will pay off for years to come. Here at Academic Travel Abroad, we’ve been navigating the travel industry and providing guidance to our partners for over 65 years. We are experts in the field and have a few tips to share that will help even the most seasoned travel planner launch a new travel program. Get the Whole Team on BoardMany organizations often designate a small team to champion the development of a fledgling travel program. While it is important to have individuals focused on the success of your new travel endeavor, it is equally important to have support all the way up the ladder. Be sure to set clear and definable goals and seek buy-in at all levels of the organization. Give Yourself Enough TimeRome wasn’t built in a day and neither is a successful travel program! It takes an average of 18-24* months for most organizations to get a new travel program off the ground. While this may seem like a long lead time, there are several important decisions to make before marketing trips. After establishing brand standards and designing core programs, trips should enter the marketplace 12-14 months before departure to maximize enrollment. Cutting corners may hinder the success of your program’s initial year, leaving stakeholders questioning its value. This can be avoided by working with a tour operator to clearly outline a timeline from conception to launch. Research, Research, ResearchYou can’t have a successful travel program without travelers. Researching your target market is arguably the most important factor to your success. We cannot stress enough the value of gathering data to support your initiatives. You may already have several innovative ideas for trips that align with your company’s mission and goals, but will your patrons be interested? Analyze your customer list, send out a preliminary survey, and gauge interest in the early stages of program development. Ask questions to identify key market demographics and get a sense of the price point, destination, and trip duration your travelers are most interested in. Work with a Trusted PartnerLast, but certainly not least, find a trusted tour operator to help you navigate your way. Tour operators have an in-depth knowledge of the industry and experience launching new travel programs. They can offer advice and guidance, collaborating with you throughout the process. When you work with a tour operator you gain an invaluable resource and partner. If you are still searching for a tour operator, you’re in the right place because we happen to be one! To learn more about our process and how we can help visit: https://acadtrvlp.wpengine.com/about/what-we-do/. *Please note: A shorter time of only 12 months is generally required when launching only a single trip.
2018 Year in Review
Happy New Year! 2018 kept us on our toes in so many ways. As we settle into a new year, let me highlight a few wonderful things that happened last year. ATA IN THE WORLD In 2018, we fulfilled our mission—to create unique, enriching experiences for intellectually curious adults and students—for thousands of travelers, all over the world. Some of our proudest moments of collaboration included: Building a basketball court for a local community in Vietnam (Duke Engage) Managing a culinary experience to Tuscany, led by the world’s only Pulitzer-prize-winning restaurant critic (Los Angeles Times Expeditions) Overseeing a Madrid-based conference for 400+ alumni, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs (Babson College) Winning a diversity award nomination for our Hmong language and culture short term study abroad program in China (University of Minnesota) Sending an enthusiastic group of adult “students” to Oxford University (Smithsonian Journeys) Taking a deep dive into Middle East politics and the regional effects of the Syrian refugee crisis during a trip to Jordan (The Nation) NEW RELATIONSHIPS We welcomed the following new partners to the ATA family last year: Babson College, Dartmouth, Dickinson, Leadership Greater Washington, Osher Life Long Learning Institute, and the publication The Nation. BACK IN DC: OUR PRIORITIES AT HEADQUARTERS New Technology! We completed a two-year journey of implementing six new technology platforms across the company—from reservations to account management, to website performance, collaboration tools, and even human resources! This investment will allow us to serve our partners, students and travelers even more effectively. Diversity and Inclusion These concepts have informed our work since 1950, when we began to facilitate exchange between peoples of different cultures and backgrounds. However, we have been working to amplify these values within our workplace, as diversity enriches innovation and creativity, and broadens the perspective of all staff. All staff took part in a workshop this summer, and now we have a growing D&I committee to set new goals and provide additional training and resources to our teams. OUR INCREDIBLE TEAM Twenty one new team members joined us this year! We had fun on scavenger hunts, at parties, celebrating milestones and in the field! GIVING BACK Many staff and colleagues increased access to study abroad by supporting the important work of the Fund for Education Abroad. We also lobbied our Congressional representatives on Capitol Hill and discussed critical issues facing the travel and study abroad fields. OUR THANKS AND GRATITUDE We are so grateful for the travelers who count on us to enrich their lives by creating theme-based educational trips; for the colleges and universities who entrust us to shape their students into global citizens, and to the professional associations who ask us to help advance research across borders. Our best wishes for a wonderful year ahead!
Los Angeles Times’ Expeditions Design in the Desert
Los Angeles Times’ Expeditions Design in the Desert The L.A. Times has a loyal readership for architectural topics. To tap into that market, we designed a trip with Christopher Hawthorne, the Times’ architecture critic from 2004 to 2018. Hawthorne had written pieces for the paper about the architecture of Dubai. Dubai trips are fairly unusual in our corner of the travel industry, but with Hawthorne’s expertise, we saw an opportunity to tap into a new destination. With the content and activities he helped curate, other journalists were able to replicate the program for multiple departures. Participants visited a variety of neighborhoods in Dubai, learned about the city’s ultramodern architecture, and traveled to Abu Dhabi. One guest commented, “Each day was so different, it’s hard to say [what I enjoyed the most]. Memorable moments: the dinner at the Burj Al Arab, Christopher Hawthorne’s talk at the hotel, the days on the bus with Richard Wagner’s packed with informative talks, the talk on construction of Palm Island to name a few.” The trip fit the market perfectly and was an immediate sell out. The first program was led by Hawthorne himself. With the content and activities that he helped curate, other journalists were able to replicate the program on subsequent departures.
Behind the Scenes of New York Theater
Behind the Scenes of New York Theater One of the largest trip categories for New York Times Journeys is Arts and Culture. And, if you’re the partner designing a program for New York Times subscribers that takes place in New York City, the program has to exceed all expectations! “My husband and I take tours when a tour offers something that we cannot do on our own. Behind the Scenes far exceeded our expectations.” The itinerary for this immersive program changes each time we operate the program, depending on what’s happening in the world of theater at the time. This requires great attention to detail, quick decision making and flexibility woven into the structure of the trip. A certain degree of unpredictability and the element of surprise makes the program even more exciting for travelers. Past travelers have visited a well-known theater bookstore, taken a tap-dancing class, discussed theater criticism with Times’ reporters, and met cast members from a variety of productions. One traveler summed up what makes us most proud of this particular program: “My husband and I take tours when a tour offers something that we cannot do on our own. Behind the Scenes far exceeded our expectations.”
