Interview with Danielle Bates, Head of Sales at National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions - Why Fam Trips Are Key
- 6 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Few travel experiences are as experiential and story-driven as expedition cruising. Whether it is witnessing wildlife in Antarctica, exploring the Galápagos with naturalists, or engaging with local communities in remote destinations, these are journeys that are often best understood through first-hand experience.
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions has long invested in supporting the travel trade through educational opportunities and fam trips. Ahead of the Expedition Cruise Network Conference, where travel advisors will share their own expedition experiences on stage, we spoke with Danielle Bates, Head of Sales at National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions about the role of fam trips in advisor education and why first-hand experience remains one of the most powerful sales tools in expedition cruising.
The Importance of Fam Trips
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions has hosted numerous travel advisor fam trips over the years. Why does the company continue to invest in these experiences?
From the moment I first experienced one of our expeditions for myself, I immediately knew a key priority in the UK market was to share this with as many trade partners as possible. ‘Seeing is believing’ can be seen as a bit of a cliché, but never a truer word has been spoken when it comes to expedition cruising. The intentional, transformative and meaningful style of travel is one of the fastest growing sectors of the cruise industry in the UK, and with that comes choice. We know there is a lot of choice, and indeed different brands offering different experiences and benefits. For me, to help bring the story of Lindblad Expeditions to life, and further our understanding of ‘how we see it matters’ is only truly achieved by offering these opportunities, as much as we can allow.
Expedition cruising is often described as a product that is best understood once experienced. What aspects of an expedition voyage are most difficult to convey through brochures, webinars or training alone?
I think the day-day itinerary and schedule is often misunderstood. The word ‘expedition’ still evokes images of more basic and highly intense excursions. Of course, every line offers something slightly different to each other, but ultimately, I think we are all excellent at striking a great balance of comfort (often luxury!) with true adventure. There is so many activities to choose from each day, including on board lectures and photography workshops – with ample time to enjoy local cuisine and relax on board with a cocktail regaling tales of the excitement of your day with fellow guests.
In your experience, how does an advisor's confidence change after they have travelled on an expedition themselves?
I would like to give a real life example here. Earlier this year we organised a ship visit on board one of our beautiful X bow ships, the National Geographic Endurance in Edinburgh. One of the agents in attendance is an experienced expedition seller, however, had not sold Lindblad Expeditions in the past. She knew a guest that was interested in Svalbard and had checked to see if we offered an itinerary within date-range (which we did!) On board, she was sending live videos and images to the prospective guest during the visit, and little after 48 hours later had confirmed a £40,000 booking for us. There is no doubt that seeing the ships, meeting the crew and spending time on board accelerates your confidence and how you are able to convey the experience to guests.
The Impact on Travel Advisors
What feedback do you most commonly receive from advisors after they return from a National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions fam trip?
I would say the biggest feedback is on the crew, their knowledge and expertise. I have included a few examples below:
"The onboard team were brilliant and so passionate about what they do, whether it was wildlife, history or photography, they really pulled you into the experience. I also loved the smaller ship atmosphere onboard Endurance. It never felt crowded and there was always something going on, from zodiac landings to talks and photography sessions."
"My top takeaway was the quality of your crew and expert guides onboard. Everyone I met was professional yet warm and welcoming, that's not an easy balance to strike. The passion and enthusiasm from all was infectious! I especially enjoyed spending time on the bridge as each time there was someone fascinating to learn from. I did not expect to come away fascinated by birds!"
"The onboard experience itself is exceptional: superb facilities, outstanding food (especially the desserts), and a level of service that feels effortlessly friendly rather than formal. The presence of National Geographic experts is really special and elevates everything, bringing real insight, storytelling and learning into each day. We particularly loved the encouragement to enhance our photography skills.
What a fabulous experience aboard such a beautiful and impeccably appointed ship. It was a true pleasure to be surrounded by so many knowledgeable experts who brought the expedition to life through their insights, explanations, and willingness to answer every question we had. Their expertise made everything we were seeing even more meaningful and memorable.
The culinary experience onboard was exceptional. I loved how thoughtfully the menus were designed to celebrate local, ethically sourced produce from the regions we travelled through.
The National Geographic Endurance feels like a sleek, floating boutique hotel. From the plush interiors and saunas to the incredible dining, it's pure six-star comfort wrapped in a rugged adventure."
How important is it for advisors to experience the onboard atmosphere, expedition team and guest interactions for themselves?
I believe in the power of conversation – and nothing is more powerful than an interaction with a guest. There are a lot of questions around ‘the right demographic’ for expedition cruising – so exposing agents to the environment in which they are quite literally in is such an important sales tool, as is finding out directly from them about why they chose expedition, why they travelled to that destination and what is it about the brand that enabled them to choose this particular voyage.
Dinner time chats with new friends and shared experiences just re-enforce the power of this style of transformative travel and sends advisors home inspired beyond belief - well, I know it does this for me!
We often receive feedback directly on our Expedition team and how phenomenal they are, which we are exceptionally proud of. The added unique enhancement of travelling with Nat Geo specialists is also hard to beat, and experiencing this first hand is so valuable.
Supporting the Travel Trade
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions has a strong reputation for supporting the travel trade. How does advisor education fit into your wider sales and partnership strategy?
FAM trips and ship visits are harder to execute on small ships in remote destinations, but we have prioritised this in the UK over the last two years as we bring the brand to the market and seen great feedback and results from it. We will continue to look for opportunities to get advisors on board, whether that’s for a complete sailing or a visit of one of our vessels.
In addition to this we have this year launched our new Expedition 360 training platform to expand our resource offering to the trade. We also ask all advisors who have been invited on a FAM to ensure they complete this ahead of their experience to maximise their own understanding too.
What qualities do you look for when selecting advisors for fam trip opportunities?
We want to work with those who want to work with us! It’s as simple as that. The trade is huge driver for us in the UK, and we are excited by the interest and engagement the brand has received since we launched here. Of course, we target experienced expedition sellers, but we also believe in the power of introducing something new to those that have a keen desire to expand their current booking trends, and we want to support advisors on their journey to doing so.
Besides fam trips, what tools and resources does National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions provide to help advisors grow their expedition cruise business?
We have an excellent library of ‘destination toolkits’ online – which take deep dives into our core geographies and beyond, including climate expectations, best time of year and the differences in the season, which ships are best suited to which guests and all of the itineraries on offer in that specific region. They are brilliant flip chart designs at the touch of a button.
Expedition 360 is a brilliant training programme for advisors to invest their time in understanding and deepening their knowledge of our brand.
LEX Insider Rates is an ‘always on’ trade offer with an updated list of applicable voyages with 50% savings available for agents to experience the product for their own holiday.
Our trade Facebook page is a great central hub for advisors to join, utilise ‘lift & shift packaged offers, view new content and resources as they go live and keep up to date with all of our current news and offers.
We will also continue to strive to get agents on board where inventory permits!
How important is the advisor community to the continued growth of expedition cruising globally?
Huge. In the UK my personal aim is to end 2026 on a 50/50 direct/trade split – which from a starting point of 15% last year would be a huge growth achievement. We enjoy working with travel agents and we see huge value in nurturing our relationships with them over the coming years to further raise the awareness of Lindblad Expeditions in this market.
Looking Ahead
What trends are you seeing among travel advisors who are becoming increasingly successful in selling expedition cruises?
This and last year, we have encouraged agents to host small and exclusive group departures with us. This has been really successful and is a great way of encouraging ‘new to expedition’ to take that first step – as the idea of being hosted throughout is hugely appealing. We have a really favourable group policy with 1 x comp TL berth per 8 or 10 guests (depending on the voyage) and a 5% saving for guests travelling as part of the group. This is another key pillar of our strategies and we want to continue to focus and expand here.
For advisors who have never experienced an expedition cruise, what would be your advice on taking the first step into this sector?
Invest! Invest your time, perhaps financially too (using trade rates) – and complexly indulge yourself in this incredible world. You will not regret it, and you’ll come home ready to sell!
If you could leave advisors with one reason why first-hand experience matters when selling expedition cruises, what would it be?
Especially with Lindblad Expeditions – the reason is simple. We do not just take you to the most awe inspiring and remote parts of the planet, but we show you HOW to see it, through the eyes of our expert expedition team and National Geographic specialists on board (photographers, explorers, scientists).
Lars Eric Lindblad pioneered modern expedition cruising and his ‘passion-driven operation’ was born from a desire to connect people with parts of the world only few got to see – with the sole intention of sending them home as stewards for the planet, with a better understanding of their own role in conservation and preservation.
This is still felt today throughout our fleet across the world – it’s all about our people, who still carry that same passion and intention as Lars did when he took that world shifting journey to Antarctica back in 1966. You really do have to see it to believe it.
Conference Connection
At this year's Expedition Cruise Network Conference, we will hear directly from travel advisors who have travelled on expedition voyages. What are you most looking forward to hearing from these advisors?
I can’t wait to hear them bring it to life through their own eyes. I want to hear about the ships, the crew, the food, the wildlife and most importantly the impact the experience has left on them…
Why do you think peer-to-peer stories from fellow travel advisors are such a valuable source of learning for the travel trade?
To me, it feels like a transparent arena to conduct the conversation. We are all on the same side in effect – looking to further our expedition sales. The opinions in a ‘peer to peer’ setting will be relevant, honest and valuable.
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