The concept of health and wellness are integrated within
companies of all industries. Expenditures are being made by employers to
improve employee wellness in a variety of ways. Wellness and travel-related
programs are being adopted by all sectors of the hospitality and tourism
industry. Companies are taking action to help prevent valuable talent from
burnout or turnover, including every employee in the company from the cleaning
staff to corporate executives. Everyone is human and everyone wants similar
things such as feeling valued and appreciated, having a healthy work-life
balance, feeling fulfilled and purposeful, and feeling understood and connected
on a deeper human level with others. Employees are looking for unique reasons
to start and to stay and are making career decisions based around companies
that offer flexible and favorable travel policies.
Every company’s wellness program or mission to improve employee
productivity and workplace morale needs a travel coach. Wellness programs focus
on the mind, body, spirit, and overall health of employees which makes the
addition of travel seamless. Travel is placed at the top of people’s priority
list and integrating travel-related incentives and guidance in your company is
crucial.
Forward-thinking companies respond to the need for innovative
employee wellness and travel incentives to remain competitive, decrease
expenses and turnover, increase productivity, and thrive as a company of
integrity and value. In 2018, there were 900,000 unfilled positions in the U.S
hospitality industry, which was a sharp rise from 2017 according to the U.S
Bureau of Labor Statistics for the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
Investing in your employees is key to continuing support of company success. A
happy and satisfied employee is your greatest ambassador. Success and growth
are redefining to include the internal staff and culture of a company, not just
external results. Human capital development is a continual challenge in the
hospitably and tourism industry, a region experiencing a remarkable rate of
growth. Memorable experiences and excellent customer service are primary
focuses in the industry but your company can’t operate at full capacity without
being fully staffed with valuable employees without jeopardizing quality and
experience. You must take care of your employees, they are important factors in
overall experiences and can make or break a brand or a trip.
Burnout is a leading reason why people slack at their job or
decide to quit, often to travel the world. What is oftentimes referred to as
“millennial burnout” doesn’t encompass just millennials but rather employees of
all ages. I remember sitting next to a corporate executive on an airplane and
after I shared my story of how I have been traveling the world to over 80
countries in the past decade and living my dream lifestyle, he expressed his
jealously of the freedom and happiness that I had created for myself. He had a
family and kids along with a high-paying corporate salary, all things that make
up the “ultimate” life goals for many people but, he was envious of me? This
made me think. I couldn’t believe that my story of traveling the world and
living a lifestyle that was authentic and fulfilling to me made a man who
seemed to have the dream life on paper want what I had. This proved the power
that travel has and it made me think that there must be a happy balance between
the both. There is.
There is a fundamental shift in the way people view and value
life, purpose, money, travel, work, and experiences. Milennials and people of
all ages have an entrepreneurial mentality and a desire to work freely now more
than ever before. By 2025, Millennials will comprise three quarters of the
global workforce, then Gen X and Z. What people want now-a-days has shifted
from the normal daily routine to seeking a work-life balance that’s more
enriching, exciting, and thriving. People are placing a more fulfilling and
experiential life over a lucrative income. Employees want more out a job and
are finding it easier to skip climbing the corporate latter to something that
suits their freedom-based lifestyle. Not offering travel
incentives can be a career deal breaker whereas 39% of people saying they
wouldn’t take a job that didn’t allow them to travel for business. This
is a huge problem for companies on many levels and another reason why travel
needs to be more of a focus in corporate, wellness, and business incentive
programs.
The question of “why” has people seeing life and decision-making
in a new light. Why stay in a job that makes you unhappy? Why not live the life
you dream of? Why shouldn’t I find my purpose and passion in life? Why not see
the world? People want to travel. Whether that’s for business or leisure, or
what’s now referred to as “bleisure”, a combination of both. They just don’t
always know where, when, why, or how to have the transformative experience that
they desire. That, along with many more reasons, is why every company in every
industry needs help from a travel coach.
There needs to be more emphasis and options on the travel side of
wellness programs and travel initiatives. Implementing travel coaching in your
company is an extremely effective way to invest in a young and growing community
of masterminds, change the culture of your company, reevaluate and adapt,
fulfill your corporate social responsibility, and strengthen your business
model. Not only will the ability to travel more and get the best experience
that they can, travel has so many benefits to a company’s overall success
including reducing turnover, decreasing training and rehiring expenses, inspire
creativity and productivity, promote a happier and healthier work environment,
encourage openness and employee interaction, improve mental wellness, and
develop new professional and personal skills.
A travel coach empowers people to take control over their travel
desires and teaches them how to plan, book, and obtain the transformative
travel experiences that they crave. Travelers want to feel involved and in
charge of their travel plans but oftentimes get overwhelmed or aren’t sure how
to go about the entire process. Travel coaches use their personal travel niche,
experiences, knowledge, and stories to build a deeper personal connection with
clients, give personal recommendations of resources and travel tools, focuses
on mindset, builds confidence, and helps people understand the true reason for
why they want to travel so they can have an impactful travel experience that
brings the clarity, answers, and transformations that they seek. The foundation
of travel coaching is authenticity and empowerment with the pursuit of
enhancing one’s personal travel experience and well-being. Wellness is a
journey, just like traveling, both sparked by a story. Travel coaches use
storytelling and their personal travel niche to gain human connection, inspire,
and motivate those who relate to their expertise most.
Everyone is given some level of vacation time each year,
weekends, and time off from work but not everyone knows how to best optimize on
that time. They may wish to travel and get away but don’t know where to begin
and don’t want to rely on a travel agent or spend an incredible amount of
money. They may not know how to make the most out of traveling alone, how to
overcome any travel anxieties or concerns, how to have a great family trip, how
to decide where to go, or how to have an experience that feeds their craving
for adventure, culture, authenticity, and inspires stories of their own to share.
A travel coach will teach employees and business travelers everything that they
need to know to have the experience that they want on the time and budget that
they have while focusing on mindset and overall wellness and balance. Travel
coaches can be of incredible value to any sabbatical, business travel,
corporate travel, wellness, or travel incentive policies and programs.
“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well
enough so they don’t want to” — Richard Branson
Read more about Travel Coaching and Corporate Wellness Programs in my Article in Thrive Global Here
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