Some destinations are extraordinary and still don't belong in your catalog, not because clients wouldn't love them, but because you couldn't get them out if something went wrong. Before I host a group anywhere, the destination answers three questions, and romance doesn't get a vote.
“If something were to happen, there is no evacuation plan.”
The three questions
- Is there a way out besides one airport? If the single runway closes, weather, strike, anything, what's the evacuation plan? "There isn't one" is an answer, and it's disqualifying.
- Will we have working communications? A place where I'd be sipping something lovely on a rooftop with no signal and no clue what's happening at home is a place I can't be responsible for other people.
- Can clients access cash if the systems fail? Cards and apps are infrastructure; infrastructure fails. If there's no fallback, every small emergency becomes a big one.
Claire's own numbers
The framework, step by step
- 1
Is there a way out besides one airport? If the single
runway closes — weather, strike, anything — what's the evacuation plan? "There isn't one" is an answer, and it's disqualifying
- 2
Will we have working communications? A place where I'd
be sipping something lovely on a rooftop with no signal and no clue what's happening at home is a place I can't be responsible for other people
- 3
Can clients access cash if the systems fail? Cards and
apps are infrastructure; infrastructure fails. If there's no fallback, every small emergency becomes a big one
Claire's own framework from this essay, in the order she teaches it.
Source: Claire B. Soares, from her own travel business and live trainings.
The family test
Here's the lens that makes the decision easy: if something happens on my trip, I'm responsible, and my client's family will not say "what an adventurous spirit." They will say I was reckless. They'll be right, because the risk was knowable before we sold a single seat. That sentence has ended more destination daydreams than any spreadsheet.
And there's a graceful decline: refund gracefully, or connect travelers with excellent local guides who can host what a company shouldn't be liable for. Saying "I can't host this responsibly" is expertise talking. Clients don't lose respect for an advisor with standards, they refer her.
Common Questions
How do you decide if a destination is safe to host a group in?
Three questions: is there a way out besides one airport, will communications work, and can clients access cash if systems fail. Any no is disqualifying for a hosted group.
What is an advisor's liability on a risky destination?
Practical rather than theoretical. If something happens, the client's family judges your judgment, and the risk was usually knowable before a seat was sold.
How do you decline a destination gracefully?
Refund, or connect travelers with excellent local guides who can host what a company should not be liable for. Standards earn referrals rather than losing them.
Written By
Claire B. Soares
6× Condé Nast Top Travel Specialist, Certified AI Consultant, and founder of Travel AI University. $3.4B+ in enterprise travel software sold to Google, IBM, Boeing, the federal government, and the DoD; $16M+ in luxury travel sales with Up in the Air Life.
About Claire
