I often share about the “glamorous” side of my job. But there’s more to it than simply jetting around the globe.

Having just returned from a 10-day site inspection to Croatia, I’m now embroiled in the formidable task of getting travel documents created, produced, packaged and posted to 160 travelers who will be meeting in Amsterdam for an association conference in 3 weeks.

I remember – a long, long time ago – my first day on the job with a large travel company in Dayton, Ohio. As part of my orientation,  they gave me a tour of the building. We walked past a large room which my supervisor described as the “document department.” As a newly-hired “International Travel Specialist,” I remember feeling haughty and superior. After all, what could be so complicated or important about sending out travel documents?

I’ve learned over the years that the presentation of documents is one of those unsung processes that is an important part of the overall travel experience. It’s the first impression of an adventure that begins long before making the drive to the airport. Because the journey begins when the imagination gets fired and anticipation kicks in.

So we take great care to create document packets that kindle the wanderlust and anticipation about the adventure our customers are about to undertake.

In some ways it’s simpler than before. Airline tickets are now electronic, and much is communicated via email and on a website. Printers spit out high-quality color documents in-house. Lists, reports and other documentation can be sifted and sorted from registration sites and databases.

But certain things still need painstaking attention to detail. Printed itineraries must provide clarity about each day’s activities. General information needs to be imparted about what to wear, what to pack, where to meet, who’s attending, what to expect, who and how much to tip, what the temperatures will be, luggage limits and what they’ll need to pay out of pocket. Names must be correctly spelled on lists and airline tickets must exactly match the name on their passport. Mailing addresses must be entered correctly, and hopefully, be shipped to an address that has not changed from the time the passenger registered. Luggage tags (2 per person) get laminated.

Everything must be proof-read for content and typos. We triple-check the details. We cross-reference to make sure we haven’t forgetten any important information.

Depending on the client, we sometimes get very extravagant with our documents. We recently packed up a luxurious box for a high-end incentive group which had me dusting off my sewing machine to make rustic linen bags to cover bottles of Grecian olive oil. We decided they needed a flourish, so I snuck out at Midnight in my black hoodie and pilfered some olive branches from a neighbor’s tree!

The olive branch thief!

Whitney has become our “document diva,” sourcing packaging, gifts and supplies to create some impressive looking document boxes.

Like all great works of art – the process starts by making a bit of a mess!

We need to make sure the janitor doesn’t mistake our work-in-progress for (God forbid!) trash!

The CEO, once a Home Ec major, contributes to the project by making linen bags for the olive oil.

Another beautiful example . . .

The process is time-consuming, but it’s a great team effort as everyone gets involved in some part of the project. And we love to see those laminated tags on our traveler’s luggage when Day 1 of the travel experience finally rolls around!