Here’s what you’ll learn after reading this article:
- Wave season (typically the first few months of the new year) is a major spike in travel planning, especially for cruises, as people book for the summer and upcoming season.
- This is a lucrative time for travel agents because high volume and promotional deals from travel brands create opportunities for big business growth.
- New Dream Vacation franchise owners can leverage this time by starting training now to be ready to close deals and maximize the busiest season of the travel calendar.
Just like with many other industries, timing is everything in travel. For budding travel agency franchise owners, it’s important to understand how to take advantage of the natural ebbs and flows of the typical travel-planning calendar so you can set up a more sustainable business. Wave season is that time of year when there’s more travel planning activity nationwide — and more opportunity to take your travel agency business to the next level.
What is Wave Season?
Vacation industry statistics suggest there are spikes throughout the calendar year when more people book their vacations. “Wave season” is the name given to that time of year when activity tends to be highest. Typically, this falls between approximately January and March, but its effects begin around Black Friday and can easily continue for weeks or months after March, depending on client types.
This is especially the case for people booking cruises. Cruise travel agencies can bring in significant bookings during wave season, simply because the volume of people ready to make plans increases intensely. Plus, cruise lines and other travel suppliers (resorts, tour operators, theme parks, etc.) usually want to offer great deals after the holidays to attract more customers. Travel agents who are ready to connect their clients with those deals stand to see big business growth during this time of year.
Why Is This Time of Year So Important?
Wave season is when more people are on the hunt for great travel deals. Travel agents who are paying attention to that spike have access to more opportunity during this time of year. Understanding — and leveraging — consumer booking patterns can help drive business growth.
Wave season is also something that Dream Vacations Franchise Owners are particularly poised to make the most of. As your own boss, you can choose to work as much or as little as you want, during whichever hours you choose. This could mean working fewer hours in the summers, then ramping up your workload during wave season to accommodate more clients. This flexibility allows you to live a lifestyle you choose – while also helping you optimize the busy seasons so you can support more clients, close more deals and earn even more money!
How to Prepare for Wave Season
To fully leverage the power of wave season, you’ll first need to start your travel agency business. One of the best ways for aspiring entrepreneurs to enter the travel space is to take the franchise route. With Dream Vacations, you’ll get the best of both worlds – the flexibility of business ownership with the support of an award-winning, caring organization.
In exchange for the franchise fee, you’ll receive training, marketing resources, discounted travel for yourself and even the chance to take familiarization (or “FAM”) trips. These trips allow you to travel to a new destination or travel product so you can learn more about it – helping you plan your clients’ own dream vacations there.
Entrepreneurs who want to open a franchise can get ahead of the game and be ready for the next wave season by starting their training now. With the dedicated support of Dream Vacations, you’ll be able to get your franchise up and running before the market truly heats up. Lucrative opportunities await those who use this timing to their advantage!
Join the Dream Vacations Family
Travel trends show that now is the perfect time to begin your travel business ownership journey. If you’re ready to start your own travel agency franchise and positively hit the ground running during wave season, your adventure can begin now.
Discover how we are with you at every mile – and every milestone. Watch our video tour and take the next steps to owning a Dream Vacations franchise today!
