Thank you to everyone that attended last Friday’s coffee break featuring Way-To-Go Tours. Jennifer gave a great presentation on Costa Rica, which I now hope to visit one day. We received many great questions, and you can find the answers to them below. If you have any additional questions you can leave a comment below or e-mail me at smiller@mailpound.com. To learn more about Costa Rica you can visit their website at www.waytogocostarica.com or call 800-835-1223.
Q. Do you do escorted tours?
A. We are not a typical escorted tour agency. We can design a specific escorted tour for a particular group, but we do not have a scheduled departure say for January 2nd. What we can do and recommend is that you call us and we will design something specifically for your client. So rather than your client fitting into someone else’s puzzle, we can design it specifically for them where they are doing scheduled tours in a specific area. For example, if you have a client who wants to go to the beach, Playa Dominical. We will design the transfers from each individual area and will put them on tours they really want. You will receive a quote for example with the canopy tour or anything they want. It acts like an escorted tour because they are getting guided towards the beach but they don’t have to fit into someone else’s puzzle. We design it specifically for them.
Q. Living next to St. Helens, how do I tell clients that the volcano is not dangerous. Is it safe?
A. The volcano originally went off in 1968 and that is when it had its big explosion. Since then it has let out maybe a few gases here and there. It is a very safe area. I have brought my children 5 to 6 times and we have stood at the base of the volcano. There are tons of hotels, activities and people all over enjoying what the volcano has to offer. People are sitting in the hot springs every single night looking up at the volcano and really experiencing it. As far as safety concerns we have a whole safety protocol for that area but the last time any one has had to evacuate was over 5 years ago. It is an active volcano and is a good question but we have never heard of any issues or problems.
Q. Can you coordinate groups and what would be the size minimum/maximum?
A. Yes we do! We have done groups from 8 passengers to 400 passengers. We design each group based on what your client’s particularities are. We have done infinity groups for people who are birders or are concentrating on monkeys. We have also done groups for large corporations, incentives or meeting. For incentives and meetings and that type of organization Costa Rica excites people incredibly because it is very different than just choosing Mexico or another destination that people have been to a lot. Not many people have been to Costa Rica so it really excites people and we design it very specific and offer air group options. We work very intensely with our agents. We do groups very often and can provide you with any information you may need.
Q. Are most areas in Costa Rica safe for independent travelers as far as crime goes?
A. That is a very important question. Yes Costa Rica is a very safe destination. It is probably safer than say Raleigh, North Carolina. We send many single women traveling throughout Costa Rica. There is one small area we generally do not recommend which is the lower, lower Caribbean by the Panama border. That is the only area that I can see that has a small, elevated level of crime. There are some parts of San Hose at night- just like any major city I would not be flashing $100 bills, just like any smart traveler like you would do if you were going to Germany or any other destination. Costa Rica has been an extremely popular destination for single travelers and women who are looking for adventure but may not have a traveling companion. So the answer is yes, Costa Rica is a very safe and welcoming destination.
Q. On the small aircraft what is the weight limit?
A. The weight limit per person luggage is 25 lbs per person. The aircraft also has a 250 lb weight limit per physical person. Clients can purchase additional seats if needed. I have known people to purchase seats just for their luggage. Each additional pound over the baggage allotment is generally $.45-$1.00 a pound if they can carry it as they weigh the total contents of the aircraft including the passenger. Honestly though most people travel by private transfer so they can take whatever they want and don’t have to worry about it. You also have to consider issues if it’s a cloudy day and the plane may not take off. Only 25% of our clients travel via plane where most of them are traveling via private transfer.
Q. What type of amenities and tour conductors do you offer with your groups?
A. With tour amenities in each area, a lot of times we are able to get hotels to do welcome cocktails, things in the room and some special services for your guests for booking a group. When dealing with a boutique hotel and each of the larger hotels there isn’t one sweeping such as you get a tour conductor per 8 stays for example. It really depends on each individual group at a time. Certain hotels will only give you a conductor for a 40 passengers stay and some hotels will you a conductor for 6 rooms booked. So it really depends on the individual group. We can organize it that if you need to go on the trip with your client we can figure that in and make sure there is no cost for you.
Q. How does an agent using your services get paid and what is the commission?
A. Our beginning commission structure is 12% of the total package price. We offer both bulk and publish air. If the publish air is purchased most of the time the ticket commissions run between $30-$60 per airline ticket. We do have an elevated structure of commissions. If your agency writes over $25,000 you will be moved into 13% and 14% there after. So we do have a preferred agency agreement. We do pay 12% of the total package price including the taxes. So you end up making more like 13% as a beginning agency with Way To Go. We pay our travel commissions the first week of every month after your client has traveled. Of course if your client is paying by check you can deduct the travel agency commission. We also accept most forms of payment including American Express, Visa, Discover and Mastercard. We also always protect our travel agents, that is very important to us. When you call we request the client’s last name- not because we are nosey- but because that way we can keep track. Perhaps they mistakenly get our number from a quote. So we look up their name and the next call we make it to your travel agency. We will always protect a travel agent J
Q. What about immunizations? Are bothersome insects more prevalent in certain areas or certain times of the year?
A. The bug issue is not as prevalent as people might think. Most of the time we recommend something like OFF. They get up in the morning and spray some OFF and they are ready to go. We do have a mosquito population but it is really low and have not had any problems like that. There are no immunizations required to enter Costa Rica. We do recommend that they speak to their own personal doctor for what is best for them. The bug situation is really not bad at all. I am prone to mosquito bites and have had no problem. You might see weird bugs but this is a jungle and is to be expected J
Q. Do the all-inclusive hotels in Guanacaste include transfers from the airport (Liberia) to the resorts?
A. No generally we add all those individual things on and the hotel does not automatically do that. Any transfer or tour is additional and we at Way To Go package that altogether so it is easy for your client. The all-inclusive concept in Costa Rica means different things to different hotels. You can check with your reservation agent here at Way To Go to determine what that means. But it generally means that beverages, including alcoholic, are included and all meals and snacks. As far as alcoholic beverages it depends on what hotel you are looking at and what they consider the local brand to be. Fewer hotels do a premium brand, say like Sandals. A lot of them include some non-motorized water sports, some more than others. So if you have a specific question about the all-inclusive or a particular upgraded service, call one of your Way To Go agents and we will be happy to help you. Plus on top of that, the quotes we provide have that information in there for you. We provide very descriptive quotes that a lot of times give you the information you are looking for.
Q. Is Costa Rica an expensive or moderate priced destination to travel to in today’s economy?
A. Well Costa Rica is not as inexpensive as some other destinations. The air fare alone is more expensive than lets say traveling to Mexico. However there are air fare sales that I have seen ranging from $300 and up. The average ticket price is probably in the $600/$700 range, which cuts out a certain group of people immediately. I would say it is more for the 3 to 5 star clients.
Q. Where can I view this presentation again?
A. We recorded it and posted it on MailPound. Click here to view.