The Naked Agent
Go the extra mile!
Corrie du Preez, Sure Glenwood Travel
Within a few
moments of
receiving my
email, the
md of the
agency replied,
introducing the
consultant who
would be handling
my request and
also suggested
Malaysia, Indonesia
and Egypt as potential
diving destinations. A few
moments later, Corrie du
Preez called to advise that
she was looking into my
request and mentioned
that she had a great tour
operator that she worked
with for diving trips.
The next day she
sent through a very
comprehensive
quotation for Sharm
el Sheikh, Egypt,
and it was evident
she had spent a
significant amount
of time tailoring a
package that suited
my needs. She advised
that her contact had said
it would be cheaper to
book diving on arrival
and included a detailed
rate sheet with a wide
selection of dive options.
The package was well within
budget even when factoring
in the dive costs. She then
followed up with a further
quotation with another
seven options in Egypt
and Thailand – ranging
from under budget to just
over. I was also impressed
that she followed up her
emails with a phone call to
check if I had any further
comments on questions.
Another impressive aspect
was the very detailed fact
sheets she sent through for
Thailand and Egypt which
included add-on excursions
– a great way to upsell with
some optional extras.
Club Travel, Ontdekkers
The day after I submitted
the query, I received an
email from the consultant
to advise that she was
working on the request. A
day later, she called to ask
me a few questions and it
was immediately evident that
she had spent a significant
amount of time researching
options. She was the only
consultant to ask about my
diving skill ability and also
wanted to find out whether I
would prefer to spend most
of the trip diving, or was I
less serious and keen to
include other activities in
my trip. She also put a big
focus on finding a destination
where the weather conditions
were likely to be optimal.
The consultant also advised
that it was likely to be much
cheaper to book diving upon
arrival and that it would also
mean that our money would
not be non-refundable if the
weather wasn’t great. She
also spoke to contacts to
get a rough estimate of the
cost of a dive along with
equipment hire. While this
agent was the most thorough
in terms of her research,
the quotation came in quite
significantly over budget,
excluding diving, but other
than that, her service was
exceptional.
Pentravel, Mall of Africa
The consultant was
quick off the mark and
replied within an hour of
receiving my query with an
introductory email. Soon
afterwards, keeping the
tone light and casual, she
suggested I take a look at
scuba diving in Alexandria,
Egypt, and Cancun, Mexico
– which were definitely ‘out
of the box’ destinations.
The same afternoon, she
phoned to advise that she
had found something in
Maldives, but that it was
slightly over budget. Before
sending the quotation,
she sent a fact sheet
for Makunudu Island in
Maldives, which was a great
tactic for getting me excited
about the trip – especially
as the resort has an on-site
PADI dive centre. The next
day, she sent through a
detailed quotation with two
options for both Maldives
and Cancun. The consultant
was enthusiastic and quick
to respond – the only
negative was that all four
quotations were over budget
and excluded the cost of
diving as initially requested
in the enquiry.
Corrie’s tips for adventure travel
Use reputable suppliers (in
this case, we used Azure
Travel and ITT).
Ensure that the travel
insurance covers adventure
or sport travel.
Manage expectations – get
to know your client, their
age and fitness level.
Do your research,
and provide as much
information as possible.
Did you know?
On Air Austral, paragliders, golf bags and diving bags are
all permitted free of charge for the first 20kg, with excess
baggage rates applying thereafter. This is over and above
the 25kg allocation for economy-class passengers. All other
sports equipment can be included in the baggage allowance,
including bicycles, surfboards with a maximum fee of €20
(R315). Excess baggage can be purchased up to 24 hours
prior to departure and a discount of 30% applies.
Book it!
Travel Vision is offering a six-night Galapagos land and sea package
with rates from R52 690pps. The package includes return flights and
taxes (ex-JNB), two nights’ accommodation in a hotel and four nights’
accommodation aboard the Estrella del Mar in a twin-share cabin, daily
breakfast and specific other meals, as well as all transport between
destinations. It also includes snorkelling at Isla Lobos, Kicker Rock,
Gerdner Bay and Corona del Diablo. Valid from November 26-December
10 (Sunday departures).
Specific insurance for adventurous clients
AGENTS should ask clients
the relevant questions
to ascertain just how
adventurous they plan to get
on their trips and ensure that
clients are covered in the event
of an unfortunate accident.
According to both TIC and
Bryte Insurance Company,
normal or low-risk leisure
sporting activities such as
cycling and scuba diving
would be covered by most
benefit options.
Simmy Micheli, sales and
marketing manager of TIC,
says: “A regular travel policy
will cover regular low-risk
activity, including cover for
any leisure sporting activity
such as skiing and underwater
diving, provided the diver
holds a valid open-water
certificate or is diving with a
qualified instructor.”
Extreme adventure
She says the distinction
comes in when the client is
taking part in professional
sport, competitive events or
hazardous activities.
If this is the case, then the
insurer should be approached
for specific cover and the
client must be prepared to pay
a higher rate for this.
TIC recommends that
clients looking to take part in
out-of-the-ordinary adventurebased
activities should apply
individually, and the company
will then assess the activities
to determine the risk and
premium.
Anriëth Symon, head of
travel at Bryte Insurance
Company South Africa, agrees.
She explains that there is
a distinction between normal
leisure sporting activities and
more extreme sports.
“We provide information on
the sporting and adventure
activities we cover as well as
activities that are excluded
from cover.”
Bryte Insurance has gone
to great lengths to compile a
list of such activities, which is
included in its policy wording.
“Should an activity not
appear on our list, it does not
necessarily mean that we will
not provide cover.
“We encourage clients to
contact us if they will be
participating in an activity
that is not listed in our policy
wording,” says Anriëth.
Case study: Medical emergency at Everest Base Camp
Mariska South travelled
to Everest Base Camp in
Nepal where she suffered
a High Altitude Cerebral
Edema (HACE). Fortunately,
she had taken out a TIC
Comprehensive Policy with
a Sports Extension for
mountaineering.
“I developed a severe
headache over my left eye. I
took painkillers and lay down
for a while. When I woke up,
I was disorientated, the pain
was severe and it had moved
to the back of my head. Our
South African tour leader and
Sherpas established that I
had suffered an HACE. The
only option was to airlift me
to a lower altitude as soon as
possible,” says Mariska.
Fortunately, Mariska
was moved to the closest
hospital, but it was very
basic. TIC was contacted
and a helicopter was
arranged to move her to a
better equipped hospital in
Kathmandu.
Mariska’s travel agent,
Megan Fineberg from
Constantiaberg Travel, urged
Mariska to take additional
cover. “I think it was five days
into the trip that I received
the most awful Whatsapp
message about Mariska.
I made a call to the TIC
call centre and they were
so on the ball. As soon as
they received a ‘fit to fly’
certificate I was notified
and Mariska was homeward
bound.”
