There was a time, a decade or so ago, when my office windows looked out on the busiest intersection in Chicago's largest bedroom suburb.
Every so often, particularly on the many nights when I needed to work late, I would gaze wistfully out the windows to see commercial trucks and their whooshing air brakes, slowing for the red light.
I remember the feeling of jealousy. Their work was finished for the day. The drivers were headed home. They were not carrying around thoughts of transfers going smoothly the next morning in Istanbul.
I imagined they felt a sense of completion I've never been able to feel as a travel consultant.
More recently, I've had some of those same feelings about online travel agencies and other transaction-based services. The product is defined, and you simply package it and sell it online in an environment that discourages questions and moves the consumer directly from search to purchase. Transactional sales are designed to simplify seemingly complex travel products.
The travel consultant, on the other hand, has to care about the outcome of every vacation because our business is based on repeats and referrals. For us, planning the best moments of our clients' lives is a complex process, and we need to have all the facts at hand to counsel our clients in the same way that a really good wealth adviser might.
I was thinking about this the other day in terms of my increasing work with European river cruises. We all want to offer the best, most personalized counseling. Many of us believe that something like a river cruise is best booked by a professional travel counselor who can actually explain the characteristics of the fastest-growing segment of our industry. After all, the last time I checked, consumers were paying for counseling every time they book any river cruise, since the counseling commission is built into every fare.
But this new upstart, an increasingly important component of any leisure agent's vacation portfolio, is rather complex. I don't think any consultant, no matter his or her background, can easily address some of the fundamental questions about this growing industry. Given that, I wonder how much misinformation is being disseminated when consumers seek our guidance after speaking with friends, visiting online forums or simply arriving at the conclusion that river cruising makes sense because it is a hassle-free, more personalized cousin of sea cruising.
Here are some of the river cruise complexities I've encountered that make me think I should entertain the thought of taking a course in long-distance trucking:
How do we describe levels of quality in this sector?
We know who the top luxury tour operators are in Africa. We can describe in some detail why Silversea is a five-star cruise product and the megaship brands aren't. But just how do we rank the top two or three river lines with some degree of accuracy? Some, like Tauck, AmaWaterways and Uniworld, are more inclusive. But is that the sole differentiation? These vessels are all about the same size; they have to be about the same height to clear bridges in Europe and the same width to get through locks.
Consultants have little in the way of industry standards for gauging relative levels of quality among river cruises, complicated by the fact that some river lines lease or charter, rather than own, their vessels. In some cases, the crew is supplied with the vessel.
Personally, I do not believe that any river cruise line has achieved five-star status. To do so, the cuisine, and level of personalization, such as anticipatory service or addressing guests by name, would have to be improved significantly.
So, it falls to the seller to inform guests that they will have an extraordinary time visiting the heart of Europe, but no, "it will not be a five-star experience." That, of course, leads to further questions, more complexities.
How do we deal with issues of high or low water?
I can discuss Mediterranean cruising with some authority and a feeling of comfort. I know what the Greek islands will be like in May or September, and I know what the Sea of Cortes is likely going to be doing in November.
But the diligent seller has a hard time determining when one should sail Europe's rivers. The crowds are there from June through September. If the snow in the Alps melts too quickly, as occurred last year, the rivers will flood, making it impossible for river ships to pass under the bridges. Summer brings other water issues related to drought. A dry summer sinks the water level, making it unsafe to operate on, for example, certain sections of the Danube.
But what about water levels in France or along the Douro in Portugal? When the client asks when is the best time to go or which itinerary is least likely to be disrupted by weather issues, how informed is the typical response?
What happens if the client's river cruise becomes a bus tour?
The fact is, river cruises are rarely disrupted by water-related issues. But the consumer wants to know how various river lines will react if a disruption should happen. They have read horror stories on Cruise Critic and elsewhere.
This, too, is complex, as river cruise lines have somewhat vague policies regarding how they will handle notifications, refunds or future credits in the event a weather disruption requires the substitution of a land-based tour. One river cruise operations executive from Tauck assured me that their policy was "to do the right thing." But how do you frame that as a response to the question from a worried consumer? I wish it were that simple. It isn't.
Are there any reasons not to get a balcony cabin?
The expansion of European river cruising has not been accompanied by a comparable increase in berth-building to accommodate all the new vessels. The result is that several vessels use the same pier tie-up in many ports, requiring guests to walk across one or two other ships' decks to go ashore.
Last week, I heard from a returning client, a former congressman, who had purchased two adjoining balcony cabins for his family. One night, he walked in to check on his daughters and found their window shades open as they slept, with a fellow from the river boat tied up next to them staring into the cabin.
Is it the consultant's role to explain that you might not be able to use your balcony or even your window views at night when other boats are tied alongside? Since we are paid a commission to sell these products, I suppose the answer is yes. But choice of cabin becomes a complex matter involving issues we do not need to deal with when selling sea cruises.
Why pay a year in advance for the best price?
That is a tough one, because the experienced consultant knows that historically companies that want full payment instead of deposit have cash-flow issues. Yet, it falls to the consultant to explain why it is necessary, even wise, for some river lines to require that guests pay for their vacations in full, sometimes a year in advance, to get an advertised deal. If you are comfortable explaining this, you're a far better salesman than I am. This is just another complexity, and Europe's waterways seem to be filled with them.
Senior Contributing Editor Richard Bruce Turen was named a Superstar Generalist in Conde Nast Traveler's most recent list of Top Travel Specialists. He is the owner of luxury vacation firm Churchill & Turen and also owns and edits TravelTruth.com. Contact him at rturen@travelweekly.com.