Let's face it. The travel industry can't catch a break right now.
Jenn Lee is president and chief marketing officer of Travel Planners International and Vacation Planners.
Between uncertainty from the Iran war, rising gas prices, the demise of low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, coverage in every news outlet about Hantavirus and Ebola and ongoing geopolitical tensions continuing to impact inbound travel to the U.S., it is exhausting.
But our job as travel advisors is to guide our clients through uncertain times. To find a path that lets them keep that trip of a lifetime and celebrate the milestone event.
How do we do that right now?
I asked hundreds of travel advisors a series of direct questions: Are your clients pausing on summer 2026? Are they shifting destinations because of fuel prices? Are you seeing big swings in air pricing? How do you think expanded Caribbean capacity will affect cruising?
I expected variation in the answers. I didn't expect the responses to split so cleanly into two completely different realities -- realities that had nothing to do with where the advisors were located, how long they'd been in the business or the clients they serve.
One group was actively engaged -- talking to their clients, redirecting itineraries, addressing concerns head-on and keeping business moving. The other group? "I'm getting cancellations." "My phone isn't ringing right now."
Same market. Same news cycle. Same rising fuel costs. Same Middle East conflict. Completely different outcomes.
So what's actually different between these two groups? It comes down to one thing: personal bias -- and whether you've let it quietly take the wheel in your business.
Meet the two advisors
Advisor A: My clients are nervous about the news, so I reached out proactively. We looked at alternate destinations, talked through what travel insurance covers, and most of them are still booking -- just differently than they planned.
Still moving. Still leading.
Advisor B: My phone isn't ringing. People are just waiting to see what happens. There's not much I can do right now.
Waiting. Watching. Hoping.
I want you to read those two responses again, not as descriptions of two different markets, but of two different belief systems. Because that's what they are.
Advisor A believes their job is to lead their clients through uncertainty. Advisor B believes their job is to follow whatever signal the market sends. And when the market goes quiet -- as it sometimes does -- Advisor B goes quiet with it.
That's not a business strategy, that's a bias, a deeply held, often unexamined belief about your own role.
When we talk about bias in business, most people think of hiring decisions or marketing assumptions. But bias is simply any belief that shapes your behavior without you fully realizing it. And in the travel industry, the most damaging biases are the quiet ones, the ones that sound like reasonable observations.
"People are scared to travel right now." Maybe. But did your clients tell you that, or did you decide it after watching the news?
"With fuel prices this high, no one wants to fly internationally." Are you sure? Or are you projecting your own sticker shock onto a client segment that may not feel the same way?
"The Caribbean is going to be oversaturated with all this new capacity." Or -- and stay with me here -- is it going to drive prices down, bring new-to-cruise travelers into the market and create a window that proactive advisors will capitalize on while others sit it out?
The lens you're looking through is not neutral. The question is whether you've chosen that lens deliberately or whether it chose you.
Why the phone stops ringing
Here's the uncomfortable truth about "my phone isn't ringing:" In most cases, it isn't ringing because you stopped calling first.
When an advisor internalizes a belief that the market is soft, that belief changes behavior -- subtly at first. You stop sending the proactive outreach email because "people probably aren't in a travel mindset right now."
You hesitate before pitching a new destination because "it feels tone-deaf given what's happening." You wait for clients to come to you, because you've already decided that pushing feels wrong.
So the phone doesn't ring. Not because your clients weren't ready to travel, but because you never gave them the chance to say yes.
This is confirmation bias in its most expensive form. You believe the market is quiet. You act accordingly. The market appears quiet. Your belief is confirmed. The cycle tightens.
What thriving advisors are doing differently
The advisors in my survey who were still seeing positive movement in their businesses weren't doing anything magical. They were doing something simple: They were treating uncertainty as a reason to reach out, not pull back.
They called clients who hadn't reached out. They brought options, not worry. They said, "Given everything going on, I wanted to check in. Here are a few things I'm watching and here's what it means for your plans." They positioned themselves as the person who had answers when everyone else was adding to the noise.
That's leadership. And leadership starts with a belief -- a bias, you could say -- that your clients need you to show up, especially when things feel uncertain.
The question only you can answer
I'm not asking you to ignore the world. The Middle East conflict is real. Fuel prices are real. Client anxiety is real. These are legitimate factors, and a good advisor accounts for all of them.
But I am asking you to look honestly at which of your current business assumptions are grounded in actual client data and which ones are grounded in how you personally are feeling about the world right now.
Because there is a version of you that sees rising Caribbean capacity and thinks, "Opportunity." A version that sees a nervous client and thinks, "This is exactly when they need me most." A version that sees a slow week and thinks, "Time to go create some demand."
That version isn't lucky, gifted or in a better market. The just decided (maybe without even realizing it) to run their business on belief instead of fear.
The only question is: Which advisor are you going to be?
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