Could one simple oversight bring your entire travel business to a halt?

Sheila Folk has seen it happen. In fact, as an up-and-coming travel advisor, it almost happened to her. So she started Travel Industry Solutions, a company that helps small travel businesses avoid legal and financial fiascos. She joins this episode of the podcast to discuss what travel entrepreneurs should be doing to minimize risk and avoid business nightmares.

Sheila explains why she thinks travel is “the riskiest business in the world” — and how too many travel sellers are leaving themselves dangerously unprepared. She goes into detail about avoiding credit card chargebacks and explains why proper terms and conditions can be a lifesaver for travel businesses. Plus, we have news Biltmore’s reopening after Hurricane Helen; a road tip about new airline refund rules from the Department of Transportation; and a Hot Minute about who should be required to refund travelers when their plans are disrupted.

Sheila had lots of great insights on why travel can be risky and what tourism entrepreneurs should do about it. Here’s a sample:

““There’s a lot of risk around this industry because we’re expected to know so much about every inch of the earth. I have never been in a job where I have been asked so many crazy questions. What can I say and not say that isn’t going to put my business at risk? How do I fulfill my duty of care without putting my business on the line? … There are lots of crazy things that happen that put our businesses at risk. And many people who are sellers are not thinking about those little nuances to protect their business.”

Plus, she had insightful thoughts on:

• 
  
• Using your communication flow to reduce risk and increase sales
  
• Why you must offer travel insurance to every customer
  
• The biggest risks tour operators don’t know they’re taking
  
• How to choose a payment processor that protects your interests
  

Learn more about Travel Industry Solutions at travelindustrysolutions.com.

Follow Travel Industry Solutions on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Learn more about the DOT’s new rules on airfare refunds in this article from Travel Weekly.

Apply to attend our Spring 2025 OnSite familiarization trip in Kentucky here.

1:00 — Travel News: Biltmore reopening on November 2

2:12 — Road Tip: How the DOT’s new airline refund rules could impact you

7:59 — Join us for a familiarization tour in Kentucky

12:09 — How a midlife crisis led Sheila Folk to the travel industry

14:00 — The growing need for risk management help in travel

18:11 — Why travel is “the world’s riskiest business”

21:10 — Avoiding the pain of a credit card chargeback

24:12 — Can you copy and paste terms and conditions from a friend?

25:21 — Special risks that come with packaging tours

29:20 — Using email communications to reduce risk and increase sales

30:34 — Why you must offer travel insurance to every customer

32:48 — The biggest risk tour operators don’t know they’re taking

35:27 — How to choose a payment processor that protects your interests

50:52 — Hot Minute: Should travel sellers be responsible for airfare refunds?

See the full interview with Sheila, including content not in the regular episode, on our YouTube channel.

Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly.

You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.