This is a smart choice for many ship owners and provides a clear and straightforward experience for you as a customer.
Passion for sailing
In English, there is a saying: “Shoemaker, stick to your last,”
meaning: stick to the craft you know best.
And the same goes for many ship owners. Most of our ship owners sail their vessels themselves – and for good reason. They have an unparalleled passion for sailing, for navigating their ships, and for the people on board.
They can often tell you endless stories about their ship – about their adventures on the water, or about the skill involved in sailing and navigating. There’s a lot to do on board, from cleaning to maintaining the systems and the engine. The ship needs polishing, painting, rigging, and, of course, sailing. It’s a highly diverse operation.
And what about the work behind the computer, during or after sailing?
Administrative work is one of the tasks that gets outsourced – and that’s a good thing. A travel office or agent specializes in areas like customer contact, marketing, contracts, payments, and organizing cancellations.
Customers have quick and direct contact and can get answers to their questions immediately. The office staff often have sailing experience themselves, so they know exactly how things work on board. Questions are answered quickly and smoothly—without the customer hearing something like, “Sorry, just a moment, I need to tack the ship because the channel ends here. I’ll call you back.”
What exactly does a travel agency or booking agent do?
A travel agency or agent, such as Rederij van Linschoten, takes care of the ship owner from start to finish before the journey begins, ensuring everything runs smoothly. It all starts with marketing – spreading the word about the opportunity to book a sailing trip.
An agency like ours has direct agreements with the various ships and owners, so you don’t pay any extra fees for our services!
Booking through a travel agency or agent means the following for you as a customer:
✔ Fast and direct contact – clear communication
✔ Professional answers to all questions
✔ Personal guidance
✔ No interruptions while sailing
The journey from the guest’s initial interest to the completed booking
An agent or travel agency promotes the trips in many different places: offline at trade shows, through advertisements in various locations, in supermarkets, and in magazines; online on websites and social media platforms. With a consistent and professional presentation, it gives guests confidence in the booking process and in the product being offered: trips aboard traditional sailing ships – in other words, a sailing holiday with a skipper.
Daarmee wordt de interesse gewekt bij de gast voor een reis en komt hij/zij op een goed georganiseerde en up to date website. Op de website staat een diversiteit aan schepen en de gast kan eventueel met behulp van onze medewerkers een passende reis uitzoeken.This sparks the guest’s interest in a trip and directs them to a well-organized, up-to-date website. The site features a variety of ships, and the guest can, if needed, work with our staff to select the trip that best suits them.
More reach = more choice
The old idea of “then the guest will just book a trip on a colleague’s ship” is outdated. Thanks to extensive marketing, many more people visit an agency’s website than a single ship’s site. This way, all ships are booked proportionally. For the guest, this means more choice and the opportunity to select the trip that truly fits them.
The booking process: smooth and fast
Once the trip has been chosen, the booking process begins. The guest can book the trip quickly and smoothly, or contact the office by phone or email for assistance and personalized advice.
The agreement is prepared, and the ship owner immediately receives an update of the booking overview.
The payment for the trip is initiated. This is the most important step for everyone involved and is only completed once the guest has confidence in the process.
The travel agency or booking agent is a professional secretary through and through.
The travel agency acts as a combination of secretary, marketing team, and part of the administration for the enterprising ship owner. The ship owner and the agency have established agreements and know exactly what to expect from each other.
For the guest, this ensures a smooth journey from initial interest to booking. For the ship owner, it means peace of mind and the ability to focus on what they do best – sailing.
And once the journey begins? Then the ship owner and their crew make sure that all you have to do on board is enjoy yourself.