Whether you’re preparing for your first trip or you’ve been through the process before, thinking about the potential of unfilled spots can be anxiety-inducing for any Host. They’re about as pleasant to see as an overdraft notice or a “we need to talk” text, and they can make you start questioning everything.

Deep breath.

It’s perfectly natural to feel this way. Every Host goes through it at one point or another. In fact, we even have a name for it: FOES, or Fear Of Empty Spots. To help set you up for success in selling travel, we’ve interviewed some of our most experienced Hosts to find out exactly what they do at each stage of a trip’s lifecycle to ensure that not only is every spot filled, their waitlist is too. They were thrilled to share the techniques that they use to sell on social media, so read on to discover their favorite tried-and-true methods for making your trip a success.

Never doubt the power of a good teaser. In the days leading up to launch, get your followers hyped with fun trivia and imagery about your destination. You may even want to kick things off with a super-teaser that asks viewers to guess where you’re going based on hints or an image. This approach depends on your community and launch timeline but it can be a fun way to generate interest and conversation from the very beginning (plus ideas for potential future destinations).

Before a trip goes live, walk through the itinerary day by day, highlighting and promoting specific details to supercharge your community’s imagination. Supplement with content that inspires you personally (E.g. a GoPro zip-line video) and a simple message like, “Can’t wait to do this with you!”

Talk about the most enticing activities, workshops, and inclusions to entice potential Travelers. While you're at it, begin to create urgency by promoting early bird discounts and limited spots available.

Show love to previous or repeat Travelers by reaching out to them first directly with news about the trip and offer first dibs on booking. (You can do this by announcing a launch time to your general audience that’s hours or even a day after your trip officially goes live.) Bringing your most loyal community members into the process helps them feel valued and important, which makes taking another trip together much more likely.

Consistent promotion is key to maintaining momentum. Social media algorithms dictate that not all your posts will reach your audience, so post regularly to ensure maximum visibility. Promote your trip across social media with captivating visuals and testimonials. Craft engaging posts, stories, and events to build excitement and encourage interaction. Use relevant hashtags and tag TrovaTrip for maximum visibility.

Remember the anonymous question box in health class for asking about sensitive subjects? Chances are there’s a big part of your community that wants to travel, but is too nervous or scared to commit for a specific reason. Giving those folks an opportunity to ask questions via Instagram Stories or DMs is a great way to address individual concerns on a human level, and let them know that whatever they’re worried about won’t prevent them–or the group–from having a great time. You can even slip in questions yourself that you know the community might not think to ask.

Ease potential Travelers' worries by addressing their fears, uncertainties, and doubts. Encourage them to voice their concerns openly and provide reassurance through personalized interactions. Share our Help Center to provide transparency and guidance for potential Travelers.

Strike while the iron is hot and launch a new trip directly off one that’s just ended. With the highlights fresh in your community’s mind, they’ll be at peak FOMO and primed to say, “Yes!” And don’t forget: it’s not just about the location. Content that shows how much fun it is to travel with you will often be the deciding factor.

There’s an old sales adage that people need to hear something 7 times before taking action. That may or may not be the magic number when it comes to selling trips, but engaging a potential Traveler more than once definitely moves them further along the booking process. What does that mean for Hosts?

Lean in to *shudders* trends. Don’t worry, you can still be true to yourself. You should never feel pressured to do something that compromises your brand’s identity or just looks silly (some of these TikTok dances are…questionable to say the least), but simple things like setting a video to a trending song along with a call to action to sign up can provide a real boost when selling on social media.

One thing our panel of Hosts agreed on was that Instagram is their preferred channel, and that Stories are consistently one of the most effective ways to connect with followers. Without writing a thesis on social media differentiators, it’s clear that IG has both a friendlier algorithm and a demographic more likely to book. While TikTok, Facebook, and even Pinterest have their strong points, making IG your primary promotion hub is recommended. With the ability to save the best content to Highlights, it’s an evergreen source of information and inspiration for your community.

Tap into your existing network* of friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances on social media and beyond to spread the word about your TrovaTrip. Chances are they would be happy to help out with a share or repost if asked. Word-of-mouth referrals can be powerful in driving bookings.

Maintain regular promotions to keep your trip top of mind. Weave your trip promotions into your content and consistently share your excitement for the upcoming adventure. Remember to continuously monitor and adjust your promotional efforts based on feedback and performance metrics to optimize results.

It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: Audiences can tell when you’re not being real. Instead of trying to leverage a bunch of SaLeS tEcHniQuEs to sell your trip, focus on sharing what makes you really excited about the upcoming trip. Highlighting what makes it unique (cooking class, mediation, etc.) and tapping into your real experiences as a Traveler will help create content that sounds like an invitation, not a sales pitch.

Don’t get so caught up in trying to find new leads that you forget old ones. Circle back to people who have messaged or DM’d in the past (keeping a spreadsheet or even a section in your phone notes) and start/restart a conversation by commenting on one of their posts or Stories. Then let the trip come up organically.

QVC figured this one out a long time ago. A live Host with a countdown creates urgency in the minds of viewers. Even if there isn’t a stampede to sign up, you’ll still be spending valuable time with your community answering questions, building excitement–“Share, don’t sell”–and planting seeds for future trips.

Talking about money can be uncomfortable in even the best circumstances, and travel is a big investment. It's natural for folks to have questions about cost. One way to approach it is by addressing the price generally—explaining how costs are set to cover things like logistics, accommodations, trusted local Guides, and more...part of the value of joining a fully-planned group trip with Trova! Describe the one-of-a-kind workshops and events you offer, and remind folks that this is a trip built around their interests and lifestyle.

You can also mention there are 2 ways to pay for a trip:

Everyone knows how stressful travel planning gets, so let people in on everything TrovaTrip handles for them. No more reading hotel reviews, price shopping, booking activities in a foreign country, guessing what’s worth seeing or skipping, and dealing with logistical nightmares. Instead, they’ll have the best local Guides in the world and Trova’s full support to make sure everything runs smoothly.

As spots begin to fill, lock in Travelers by engaging with them directly and personally. This is a key step in building community among and with your Travelers. You may find it helpful to start a database of your Traveler’s info and interests.

As spots fill up–even when they’re fully booked–you’ll want to keep talking about the trip to guard against dropouts (the waitlist is a Host’s best friend). You might feel like you’re posting about it too much, but overkill isn’t a bad thing. People pop on and off social media all the time and talking about something a lot is the only way to get their attention. Plus, with the way the algorithm is nowadays, it’s rare for someone to see every single post.

There you have it: proven strategies for defeating FOES and confirming your trips! We know it’s a lot of information but don’t forget, what really makes a trip special is you. Your personality and talents have built an amazing community, and letting those qualities shine is what will bring your followers together in the real world for an adventure like no other.

*Affirm's Universal Disclosure: Your rate will be 10–30% APR based on credit, and is subject to an eligibility check. Payment options through Affirm are provided by these lending partners: affirm.com/lenders. Options depend on your purchase amount, and a down payment may be required.