The Better the Map the Better the Mood!
It’s a fact that happy travellers make better guests. And one of the major reasons for unhappy travellers is lack of directions. We have all experienced that sinking feeling when guests arrive in a filthy mood because they’ve been arguing about why she can’t read a map without turning it upside down or he refuses to stop and ask for directions. No matter how warm your welcome, how fabulous your property if your guests are in a bad mood it gets everything off to a rocky start.
You can’t take responsibility for what goes on inside the car, but you can make it much easier for your guests by supplying them with accurate and easy to understand directions. Here are a few tips and tricks:
- Check with your local Visitor Information Centre to see if they have a free map you can send to guests with their confirmation.
- If you prefer to email, scan the map and send it as a PDF document
- If you are “off the map” take the time to draw a simple map. Keep in mind that not everyone is visual so include some descriptive information on landmarks or distances
- Make sure you include directions from every major approach, not just the one you know best.
- Test the map, get in the car and pretend you are visiting your property for the first time. Are there landmarks you can include? How accurate is your guesstimate of distance, did you forget to mention a creek crossing or a small road which is likely to confuse your guest?
- Make sure you have a clearly visible sign or landmark on your driveway. Check on a regular basis to make sure it hasn’t become obscured by undergrowth
- Include a map on your website and make sure
- It includes the nearest town, surrounding areas and landmarks
- Is detailed enough to show street names
- It is big enough for the over forties to read
- It prints out in a legible format
- If guests tend to travel long distances to your property include a website link to www.whereis.com.au but make sure you check the recommended route to make sure it is the easiest
- Add value to your directions by suggesting stop offs along the route such as an interesting heritage town, scenic lookout or great café.
Once of the most exciting parts of any holiday or short break is arriving at your destination. So make it easy for your guests and remember, the better the map, the better the mood when they arrive.
About the Author
Linda Hailey is a leading business consultant and presenter specialising in strategic planning and marketing for small business. She is the author of Kickstart Marketing. To find out more about Kickstart Marketing go to www.lindahailey.com.au
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