Women's Travel
October 2011
Welcome to the October edition of TRAVEL GUARD UPDATE, a monthly review designed to provide you with up-to-date industry information direct from seasoned travel retailers. This month, we'll be exploring womens' travel trends, providing a helpful travel tip and sharing a travel tale about how a travel insurance plan came to the rescue.
Travel Guard invites your comments and suggestions on any areas you'd like to see covered in this regular update. E-mail your thoughts to us at klamourt@mmgmardiks.com. For more information on our travel insurance programs, please visit www.TravelGuard.com.
In this month's issue:
- PULSE-POLL: WOMEN'S TRAVEL HABITS
- TRAVEL TIP: SAFETY FIRST
- EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS: COVERED IN CABO
PULSE-POLL: WOMEN'S TRAVEL HABITS
Travel Guard recently polled travel agents to learn more about women's travel habits. Results are below.
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun:
Women enjoy traveling together. According to travel agents, the majority (91%) of female clients who book trips with other females are traveling with their friends, while only eight percent are traveling with relatives.
• Flying Solo:
According to the majority (55%) of travel agents, the most common reason women travel solo is because they value their independence and are sophisticated enough to travel alone. Some agents (28%) believe it is because they are interested in visiting an unusual destination others may not be, while nine percent indicated their clients do so because they prefer making their own schedule. Only four percent of travel agents noted their female clients travel solo to reconnect with themselves.
• Shop ‘Til You Drop: When women book travel, the majority (27%) of travel agents believe sightseeing and shopping are the most popular activities, as opposed to one percent who believe women book travel for voluntourism. Travel agents noted their female clients booking solo and group trips travel for a variety of reasons, including history, culture and education (17%), beach escapes (16%), adventure travel (15%) and cruises (13%).
• Golden Years:
According to 80% of travel clients, the majority of solo female travel clients are over 45 years old, while only 13% are between 35-44 years old. Only six percent of solo travelers are between 25-34, and one percent are between 18-24 years old. Following the same trend, the majority (68%) of women who travel in small groups are over the age of 45. Women ranging between 35-44 years old make up 26% of those traveling in groups, while five percent are between the ages of 25-34. Only one percent are between 18-24 years old.
• Play it Safe:
An overwhelming 94% of travel agents noted their female clients purchase a travel insurance plan when booking a vacation. Only six percent of female clients choose not to purchase a travel insurance plan.
TRAVEL TIP: SAFETY FIRST
Whether it's an experienced solo traveler, a mother-daughter duo planning a vacation or a group of women booking a getaway, even the most experienced female travelers should never let their guard down. Seemingly minor safety nets, such as knowing where the nearest police station and U.S. Embassy are located and packing a photocopy of passports and prescriptions, can make all the difference. The same goes for purchasing a travel insurance plan. After all, female travelers can never be too prepared or cautious when it comes to planning for the unknown.
Travel Guard's comprehensive plans come with 24-hour assistance services, making representatives readily available to help prepare for a vacation or assist should the unexpected occur. Coverage typically includes baggage loss, delay and damage, medical expense, emergency evacuation and trip interruption and cancellation. Travel Guard also has plans that cover children under 17 at no additional cost.
The My Travel Guard plan even lets female travelers customize and build their own plan tailored to each individual trip so that their costly investment is covered and to help put their worries to rest.
For the complete line of travel insurance and assistance service plans, visit www.TravelGuard.com.
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS: COVERED IN CABO
When Cheryl and her daughter Katharine jetted off to tropical Cabo San Lucas to celebrate Katharine's high school graduation, they never expected their trip to take a turn for the worse. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened when Katharine became ill in their hotel room within hours of landing. The on-site doctor took one look at Katharine and personally drove them to the local emergency room. Despite administering an IV and running several tests, the doctors were unable to make a diagnosis and ultimately discharged Katharine. Cheryl knew they needed to cut their trip short and immediately booked a flight home the next morning which cost $1,500.
Thankfully, Cheryl had insured the trip through Travel Guard. After one phone call, the representative recommended a better hospital in the area, arranged medical bill payment through a Spanish translator and helped Cheryl begin the claims process for her lost vacation investment and the airline tickets home.
Upon their return, Cheryl said, "I will never travel again without a Travel Guard plan, and I will definitely spread the word about the incredible service I received from everybody at Travel Guard."