A good education
Having acted as GTO for the University of the Third Age’s National Travel Club for 11 years, Mike Bakall talks to Alex Middleton about how he intends to use his experience in his new role as GTO for the Milford and Guildford branches.
Mike Bakall believes that understanding what his group wants, thorough research and good planning are skills that it is essential to develop when working as a GTO. These are three skills he himself has had to concentrate on over the past 11 years, during which time he has acted as a GTO for the University of the Third Age’s (U3A) Horsham branch, its National Travel Club, which is open to all of the U3A’s 188,000 members, and as Secretary for the southern region of the Group Travel Organisers’ Association (GTOA).
Mike joined the U3A, a volunteer run organisation offering further education to retirees, 15 years ago. It was three years later that Mike first got into organising group travel, when he was approached by the Chairman of his then branch in Horsham to take on the role of GTO for the group trips the branch was beginning to arrange. It was a role he enjoyed enormously and he quickly progressed on to the position of GTO for the U3A’s National Travel Club. As he explains, “I rose through the ranks as it were, having organised trips for the Horsham branch, which I found challenging, but thoroughly enjoyed. I seized on the opportunity to work as a GTO on a far larger scale when the post with the National Travel Club became available.” Whilst acting as GTO for the National Travel Club, Mike continued in his role as GTO for his local branch, first Horsham, then, after a relocation, Guildford in Surrey. A year and a half ago, Mike was approached by the newly established Milford branch, also in Surrey, to take on the role as GTO for them as well. With a re-organisation within the U3A meaning the end of his role with the National Travel Club, Mike is now developing his dual role with Milford, which has approximately 400 members, and Guildford, which has 1,500 members, into one. “Now I am finishing with the National Travel Club I shall continue with my programme of trips, but offer them to my two new branches. I am not planning on slowing down!”
Getting it just right
The broad demographic within Mike’s groups is something he always takes into consideration. “Our members are all retirees, but we come from different walks of life, and I need to take that into account.”
The inspiration for Mike’s trips come from several sources. “My trick is to keep an open mind. I attend many annual travel fairs and also get a good deal of help from the travel press, including Group Travel Organiser magazine, but I also pay attention to advertising. If I see something I like and the company offers me the services I need, I am interested.”
As well as thorough research, Mike also believes in good organisation. Being aware that things can always go wrong, he always makes sure he is prepared to deal with the unforeseen. “Since I first began organising trips for the U3A, I have been putting any extra money made into an emergency fund, which now totals almost £10,000. This has proven very useful in the past when I have had to deal with unexpected expenses and I shall continue to operate on this basis.”
Staying in Blighty
The vast majority of Mike’s trips are outside the UK, as he explains, “I find that my groups prefer overseas trips; however I do occasionally run UK trips, which can provide something more affordable. There are a couple that I have been running for years for my local branch.”
A favourite UK trip is the annual ‘Winter Warmer’, which Mike books with Britannia and Grand Entertainment Hotels. “I often use this company. They tend to offer good rates for groups and also feature a helpful groups department, which makes booking with them relatively simple.” The trip is especially popular with the older members of Mike’s groups. He says, “The cost is not high, and as some of my members are widowed or live alone, it is a really good opportunity for them to get together. Last year, a group of 55 of us stayed at the Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone in Kent, which meant we could pop across the channel for a brief shopping trip in France. It is touches like that I like to include.”
As Mike is also secretary for the southern region of the GTOA, he has had to organise trips for groups of its members within the UK. He recently organised a familiarisation trip to Torquay, for which he booked coach travel with Staffordshire-based Bowen Group Travel. “This was in conjunction with the English Riviera Tourist Board and we got some good ideas for future trips. Bowens gave us a good deal on transport, so I shall use them again when I run this trip for my local branches.”
Mike will also be using Bowen Group Travel for transport for another UK trip he has planned. “I am planning a trip for early next year to Glasgow and Edinburgh. We shall be looking at the work of the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. We will visit several of his buildings, including the Glasgow School of Art. The nice thing about Bowens is that they have the flexibility to give me as much or as little assistance as I want. As well as giving me suggestions, they will let me design the itinerary and make everything possible.”
Beyond our shores
Mike’s real passion is for overseas trips. His main focus is educational and tends to be based around wine, opera, and history, although he also tries to incorporate other local attractions. As he puts it, “I like to keep my trips fresh.”
Mike regularly takes groups to France for various week-long wine tasting trips. “In 2006, I took a group of 38 on a tour of western France. We sampled Muscadet just outside Nantes in the Pays de la Loire region and sampled several varieties in the Bordeaux region, such as Clarets and Merlots. For this trip I used the Blackpool-based Group Travel Company, which I find reliable and have been using for five years now. It was very successful, we learned a great deal about viticulture, and got a little blotto as well!”
Mike also likes to vary the destinations when leading his wine tasting tours, taking in various local attractions. As he explains, “In 2004, I took a group of 22 people on a tour of the Burgundy region with the London-based company Travel Editions. As well as stops in various towns, including Chablis, we also found time to stop at the restored medieval Abbey at Fontenay.”
On another trip Mike organised in 2007 to explore the archaeology of the Brittany region of France, he took his 29 group members on a small excursion to the Rance Tidal Power Plant in Brittany. “Before I retired, I lectured in Physics and Engineering Sciences at a further education college. This gave me the opportunity to use my own skills to act as a guide. Little things like that allow you to get a lot out of a trip.”
Opera is another focus of Mike’s trips. As he says, “The great thing about these trips is that they often involve interesting venues in great locations.” Since the first opera-based trip Mike organised for 38 members to Orange in the south of France in 1997 with Travel Editions he has been hooked. “Orange has some of the best Roman architecture in France, including a stunningly preserved Roman theatre. When we visited, we were lucky enough to see Bellini’s opera, Norma, set during the Roman occupation of France. We felt that seeing that work in a real Roman theatre was profoundly moving.”
Mike led another opera trip to Italy, also with London-based Travel Editions, that stretched over a fortnight in August 2007, for 15 of his members. “We saw the Puccini festival at Torre del Lago, which the group thoroughly enjoyed. I have done a lot of work with Travel Editions. They are efficient and very helpful when it comes to itinerary planning.”
Although Mike’s focus tends to be on Europe, he does also organise journeys to more distant locations. “In 1997, I arranged a 15-day trip to China for a group of 15 U3A members with Travelsphere, based in Leicestershire”, he says. “Although the group was part of a larger party, Travelsphere managed to accommodate us very well. We had a separate coach and individual itinerary, which meant that whilst we saw certain attractions with the larger party, we were also able to see some educational attractions by ourselves, such as pottery and ceramics schools. Travelsphere were very efficient, and I am working with them to design an itinerary for a trip to India, which I intend to offer to the Guildford and Milford branches in 2009.”
Old favourites
Despite his continual quest to find something new and different for his group, Mike also continues to run several regular trips. As he says, “If trips prove popular, I usually run them again, but you have to know when people have had enough.”
One trip Mike’s members have yet to tire of is the bi-annual two-week visit to Tenerife in the Canary Islands with London-based Tui Thomson, which Mike has been running since 2004. As Mike explains, “This is not just a sun and sea holiday. Our primary interest is in the geology of the mountains. With Thomson and local tour operators I am able to arrange a guide and coach transport around the island. I plan to continue offering this to my members.”
Sicily is another perennial favourite for Mike and he has been running this trip to Sicily every two years since 2004 with Surrey-based Newmarket Travel, in 2006 for 35 U3A members. “The big draw of this trip is the expert guides I hire with local tour operators. In 2004, we particularly enjoyed the Temple of Segesta and the Greek Theatre at Syracuse. These ancient theatres are particularly impressive. It’s the expert guides that bring these trips to life.”
However, Mike’s longest running trip was also the first he ran, to Madeira with Tui Thomson. “The first time I ran this trip, the response was overwhelming and 270 people signed up. I split them into 11 groups, going out for different periods of time. Thomson were particularly good at helping with the logistics and I still use them when I run this trip.”
A week in Paris every August is also a mainstay of Mike’s programme, which he has run for the last seven years with various companies. Next year he will be using Ace Travel, based in Brentwood in Essex. “The company is very helpful and we always get a lot from the trip.”
A lesson from the master
Commenting on his role, Mike says, “Groups that are going on these trips are paying customers, and I never want to deliver a disappointment.” To this end he will often go out to a destination before his group arrives to check that all the arrangements have been made. He also finds this gives him the opportunity to check the feasibility of his itineraries and, if possible, save money by booking local tour guides directly. “Booking things locally can save money, but make sure you are not contravening UK travel legislation.”
Over the coming year, Mike already has a full schedule arranged planning trips for his two branches. “Next February, I am taking a cruise down the Panama Canal with Princess Cruises. If everything goes well I shall be looking to arrange a group trip for my branches with the company soon. I shall be keeping very busy so retirement will be as busy as it ever was!”