Running Dive Travel

[Liz Logan]

Hi. I've been a divemaster since 2003. TOok a break a few years ago because of bad knees but now that I have new ones I'm back at it. Years ago when ProDive was still in business someone there said he thought I'd be really good running dive trips and travel. At the time I was working so had little time for anything like that. Now I'm semi-retired and wondering if it might be something that would work for me. Since I like to dive - and travel (and eat, gotta do that on the trips).

But, I have no idea where to really start. I have a couple trips each year for a small group of 4-5 to the Cooper River in South Carolina to look for Meg teeth but haven't really got any idea what else is wanted - or needed - out there in the Scuba world.

So, if you have any experience in this area and would be willing to share - even if it's to tell me what NOT to do, I would appreciate any feedback.

Things like do I need to be affiliated with a travel agent or dive shop. Do I need to have a relationship with shops in the locations where I might want to take a group and, most importantly, how to find, and vet, people for those trips.

Thanks in advance.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

I'll be taking notes.

 

[rick00001967]

i have zero experience that i can share but if it was me i would first be looking into what credentials i need to legally run group trips. up here i believe you need to be a travel agent through TICO. then talk to your insurance company. it sounds like rainbows and sunshine until someone on your trip gets injured.....or worse.

 

[The Chairman]

@cardzard runs the ScubaBoard trips... he's amazing at it.

 

[Doc]

If you run it as a legit “club”, you enjoy a lot of protections. Your profit is thus also very limited, basically getting free trips, but I know very few people who have made a dime trying to do this as a business. Once you get established, FAM trips might take you all over the world in an effort to get you to book trips or write articles. I always looked at that as my real paycheck, traveling to crazy cool places (back then) for nothing. Now they cost modest fees, usually for the airfares who are very tight.

Most of the big travel players are adjuncts to large travel agencies, spawned in the day where you could still make $3.25 for booking the air. Those days are gone. Unless it’s pure exotica, I just tell participants the airport they need to get to and how to get to the dive-op. You’re on your own for air, and that’s how most want it. You can give the truly internet ignorant some help or get in bed with a travel agent if they still exist, i dunno.

if your LDS isn’t running week long travel, they might let you have that franchise. But- Most shops use trips as a way to keep the Instructor busy doing certs in warm water. They get their land/dive pkg for free (as you still can get 1/1o comps) but since airfare isn’t your booking, that can chip into his costs. Exotic travel, to non common Caribbean and beyond, you might like a travel agent to come up with an air package, also one that allows some carrier choice to the US gateway city from East TN in your case. There you can get some help with the trip leaders airfare.

It’s actually easier to sell destinations beyond Cozumel, Cayman, Nassau and Caribbean liveaboards because any monkey can book their own trip. You start talking Red Sea or Galapagos, Philippines, people get a little less sure of DIY. But, your prior experience level With a destination comes into play.

Make your trips special in some way. Everybody gets a printed t-shirt or _____. People like that kind of stuff and they will tell their friends.

How do you market? As above, word of mouth. Not easy but patience, a perfect product, that’ll do it. Flyers in every LDS you can drive to who will let you post them. You have a very niche audience. Or a full page regional insertion in whatever dive magazine still exists (if you have buckets of money), maybe a TOS conforming mention in your local forum here on SB.

I would not mention that you are/were a DM or offer to act in that capacity. If you are current and that means something in your life, retain the insurance, but refer to the previous sentence. Cut the patches off your stuff. Stick with your logged dive count and your dive travel experience list.

If you’re looking for income, I’d bake brownies and sell them next to the pot shops...unless the Girl Scouts got there first.

 

[DeputyDan]

There are several members here that run dive trips.
Almost all do for the enjoyment as opposed to making money.

You might want to look up BSDC.
He runs a good trip and will be square with you about the pros/cons.

I have traveled with him and would do so again.

 

[al248005]

I have organized a few. I planned an Iceland trip last October but the main difference is I do it for just fun only and no profit. I basically get a commitment from the people and then book the stuff with those dates. Like for up there; there was a different tour everyday that the group did and I would contact the tour operator ahead of time and tell them how many people we have and what date we are looking at and most of the time they would give atleast a 10% discount if you had 10 or more people. The main thing is the people you have going with you you have to somewhat trust very closely and they have to trust you as well. I kind of knew what ballpark dollar figure the trip would turn out to be in total and I sent an email out before anything was booked with the ballpark dollar figures for each tour and said this would be the total cost if you wanted to do it all and requested a 20% deposit before anything was booked. I then basically created an Excel sheet to keep track of how much each person paid and what tour they booked and as soon as I booked a tour they were responsible for the rest of the money within 2 weeks. If not we had to call the tour operator and change our number but like I said that's where the trust has to come in. I only went with people that I have traveled with many times and no very well. But I will say it is a lot of work butThe trip turned out very nice and everyone was over the top impressed with the trip. I honestly can't even begin to count the number of hours I spent planning the trip.

 

[Paul Rowe]

Hi Liz

I would highly recommend for both yourself and your group guests that you obtain travel medical insurance that will cover scuba diving.

Take a close look at the following site for further details : Scuba Diving Travel Insurance

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

I took a certificate course in 1978 to get certified as an IATA traveI agent and then worked for two dive travel companies back in 1979-80ish and learned the ropes. I started my own dive travel agency around 1981, received a number of airline appointments (to write my own client's tickets) and spent a few years packaging wholesale trips for dive shops and retail trips for dive clubs and individuals. I led week-long trips to Bonaire every 6 weeks for over a year. We did Micronesia trips, British Columbia trips, Sea of Cortez trips, Cayman, Cozumel, etc... Tons of fun, traveled the world leading trips and learned that despite hard work and good times, there was usually just enough money to keep the business afloat and nothing extra. I shut everything down and ran off to law school. I would love to get back to putting a few groups togther but strictly to off-set dive trip costs, not as a business. My 2psi.

 

[Yawana-Dive]

Hi Liz

We specialise in small groups of 4-5 divers maximum. We are in a remote and beautiful corner of the Solomon Islands. We’d love to hear from you.

Www.yawanadive.com
Instagram #yawanadive

regards

Andrew