Select Traveler asked these group travel planners, “How do you utilize the internet for your travel group?” Here are their responses.
Patti Manville, Assistant Vice President and Tour Coordinator
Eagle Bank, Fairfield Bay, Arkansas
“On a trip, the most useful tool to make my people happy is to have Wi-Fi on the motorcoach. They all bring tablets and smartphones and love to be able to connect while on the bus during long travel days. I also use apps on my phone to find rest stops or restaurants while traveling by motorcoach.”
Laura Barker, Director, Senior Programs and Travel
Citizens Tri-County Bank, Dunlap, Tennessee
“Facebook has been a valuable tool for me. It is a great, easy way to post information to a large audience at one time. I also use TripAdvisor to find interesting, new restaurants that are highly rated.”
Ashley Taylor, Harvest Club Director
First State Bank, Barboursville, West Virginia
“Recently, my club created a Facebook page. Facebook is a free way to post publicly about your upcoming activities, events and trips. Facebook offers Ad Targeting for any budget. With Ad Targeting, you can select the area and age range of the people you want to advertise to. When you create the ad, Facebook can then show the estimated amount of people the ad will reach. I use this often, and I have had some great responses.”
Judy Matty, Business Development Officer and Club Director
Anstaff Bank, Mountain Home, Arkansas
“Google Maps is my best friend while on a motorcoach trip. The driver is in charge of where we are going, but Google Maps provides so many other helpful things, like restaurants, rest stops, medical facilities and traffic. The driver typically appreciates the help club directors provide, especially on travel days. Planning ahead is good, but the need for unexpected stops or finding attractions comes up frequently.”
Brenda Garrison, Vice President
OakStar Bank, Urbana, Missouri
“I use Facebook and email to contact a lot of my travelers with updates or announcements. I also use it to communicate with them or wish them a happy birthday. I would like to see us post the trip event on our website in the future to reach some who do not use Facebook. Getting the word out seems to be the challenge of this job. It seems no matter what you do or how much information you send, there are always several people who tell me they didn’t know anything about it.”
