Want to be a Group Leader?

Pilgrim Tours will price your tour to meet your goals. Many tour operators will entice group leaders with incentives that greatly increase the paying passenger’s tour price. It is our goal to deliver a competitively priced tour that meets both the group leader’s goals and provides value to the paying passenger. We believe that nothing sells better than a tour operated in excellence. Paying passengers should be able to trust that they are getting a good value for their money.

When to travel has many variables, and it depends on what you are looking for in your specific trip. Factors such as lower cost, best weather, or less crowded times of the year, will play into your decision. Often times the least expensive tour will be when there is the least desirable weather. Conversely, the best weather will be when it is most crowded. Also, keep in mind that holiday periods in your destination country will heavily influence seasonal rates. For suggestions about the “best” time to travel, contact one of our experienced group tour planners.

We provide each group leader 200 custom color professional brochures, a private web page, a downloadable PDF brochure and reservation form, a custom video and social media support to get the word out.

Within the group department at Pilgrim Tours, a tour planner will be assigned to you and will be responsible for managing all logistics of the tour program. This individual will handle every detail of the process from the first phone call to your return evaluation. For the operation of the tour in country, we use local ground suppliers that are equipped as representatives of Pilgrim Tours. Even though the group tour planner will not travel with you on your tour they will be working directly with the ground supplier prior to and during the entire operation of the tour program.

Pilgrim Tours recommends a minimum of 10 passengers to customize a tour program. We can obtain a group airfare contract starting at 10 people and most hotels will offer better pricing starting at 10 people. There is no maximum number of people that can travel together but note that a single bus can normally hold 45-50 people. It is certainly possible to have a tour with two or more busses.

To confirm a trip with Pilgrim Tours we require a $500 group deposit. For each individual traveler we will need a $300 deposit paid approximately 100 days prior to departure. The final payment is due 60 days prior to departure.

We send out our final documents about 3-4 weeks prior to travel. Final documents will include the airline ticket confirmation and air schedule, luggage tag, name tag, tour itinerary, list of hotels (with contact information), emergency contact numbers, and a document we call “Ready, Set, Go”. The Ready, Set, Go document will provide helpful information about all aspects of the tour including passport, visa, language, currency, tipping, electricity, time zone, health information, baggage, packing suggestions, climate, food and drink, shopping, and other general information. This document will answer many, if not all, of the questions travelers would ask as they prepare for their trip.

We make promoting your tour simple. Our personalized, full-color brochure and private web page will include a detailed itinerary, pricing, contact information, terms and conditions and reservation forms. Your passengers have the option of submitting a completed registration form via mail, fax, email, or online.

Personal invitations, phone calls, letters/emails, and announcements in bulletins or newsletters will help you stimulate interest in your trip. A great way for a group leader to advertise his/her upcoming trip is to plan a few informational meetings. A simple meeting over coffee and donuts is an effective way to share information with those who live in close proximity to you. To reach those who live farther away, a virtual presentation and social media are good options. Our graphic design team will contact you and help create a personalized webpage, video, Facebook page, and blog (for those that are interested). Using the electronic PDF of the brochure as well as these other electronic outlets will help make it easy for you to spread the word. Remember to also encourage those you know to invite others.

Once you’ve booked your trip and started promoting it, be sure to follow up with potential travelers. Don’t forget to have a sign-up sheet for those that are interested in your trip, even if they cannot make it to any of your meetings. It’s important to have everyone’s contact information so you can easily follow up with them in the future! Successful group leaders stay in touch with individuals who have shown interest.

Your passion and excitement will be contagious all the way up to the registration deadline. Pilgrim Tours will keep you informed of the status of registration forms received for your trip so you can follow up as necessary.

After registrations are completed and the tour has been finalized, Pilgrim Tours will take care of all final travel documents for your group. We will send these to either the passengers individually or to the group leader directly (along with name tags, lanyards, and luggage tags) to help prepare for the trip. All you have to do is pack and enjoy watching each of your group members experience the trip of a lifetime.