In designing my photo tours over at Far Horizon Photo Tours I have been thinking a lot about what I want the guest experience to be. I know I want people to learn something and enjoy each and every trip. I also know I want to exceed their expectations.
To that end I realize I need to up my Welcome Packet game. In the past my welcome packets were simply emailed Word or PDF documents. Lists of this and that as well as forms to fill out. Kind of boring stuff.
For my 2019 Nepal Photo Trek, and all other tours going forward, I came up with what I think is not only a cool welcome package (as compared to just a packet) but it serves a unique purpose after the trip. A Sneak Peek is in order:
The box is approximately 12″ x 10″ with a nice felt lining on the inside and laser engraving on the outside. It will hold not only the Welcome Package, but all the fun and varied souvenirs collected during the trip. My family always collects a lot of items during our travels, mainly entry tickets to museums and attractions, some local currency, maps, etc… These item usually end up in a bag, so I thought if my guests had a nice box to store all their items, it would make remembering and reliving the trip that much more enjoyable.
I like this idea so much, I plan on getting some boxes for our own previous trips.
When the box arrives it will be filled with goodies. Such as:
A map! I love maps as they help me study where I’m going and feel excited about plans. This map is our main route from the airport at Lukla to Gokyo Ri and back, with some side detours. It’s easy to get the wrong map of our trek so I want to make sure my guests are heading in the right direction (they can follow along with the intended itinerary here).
There is more inside but as my first guests have not received this package yet, I want to keep them in suspense.
And now I have a question for you, in my quest to always improve my trips. What is something a tour operator has done for you that made your trip memorable?
Drop a comment below when you have a chance. Thank you!