Group Tour Host Information & Planning Guide
Questions & Answers

Travel can enrich both body and soul. Journeying to the sacred sites, pilgrimage destinations and power places of our tradition, or to cultural and historic sites of great importance, can be a life-changing experience. Nothing compares to sharing that experience with others of like mind and consciousness — your friends, congregation, followers, readers, your students or fellow-students — even your clients and customers. If you can organize a hosted group tour to anywhere in the world, and arrange as few as ten full paying guests to join you, your trip can be completely paid. Two free trips for 20, three for 30, etc.

While some places will always be favorites among spiritual and enlightenment group travelers (notably Egypt and the Holy Land), many other destinations in both North America and abroad are safe and inviting. Countries including Peru, Ireland, Great Britain, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Canada, and Mexico offer a host of magnificent churches, shrines, cultural, and historical sites for the modern experiential journey. The possibilities for life-changing Body Mind Spirit Journeys are abundant in dozens of power places around the planet and close to home. Click here to see sample group tour itineraries.

What makes a sacred site?

Many who visit these spiritual places, vortex locations and historical sites can actually feel or sense an energy that is different. Some call it empowering, it’s enlightening to others, but regardless, it is there. Experiencing these things through the windows of a tour bus while surrounded by dozens of strangers is essentially meaningless. It takes a company like Body Mind Spirit Journeys to coordinate your own customized itinerary with you so you and your group can experience these powerful places to the fullness of their potential.

Are you a person who can do this?
To make a group come together takes a Group Tour Host to coordinate and build the group, and acting as our agent, earn the commissions that would otherwise be paid to an agency. As a direct wholesale tour operator and developer, BMSJ promotes our products and programs ONLY through Group Hosts, and none of your guests are ever up-charged in order to cover the free trips.

Are you such a person?
Better than half of the individuals who phone us for information have no idea that within their area of influence are countless individuals who would want to travel with others in a unique travel program. In fact, there is no better way to experience these places, and no more powerful way to share. You’ll find that many participants would never gift themselves with the opportunity to travel to these places unless they were part of a group of like minded friends. The first question asked by the group upon return from their first trip is often “where can we go next?”

If it’s that easy, why isn’t everyone doing it?
Because quite frankly, it’s not that easy. It takes a certain person with influence and following — a leader in their field of study or discipline — someone who can build an idea into a plan, take that plan and put it into action. Most people are followers – they want to follow and participate, and those are your guests. The person who can host a group is a leader in their life, and has attracted (or can influence) other to follow.

How can we help you build your group successfully?
Because we have been doing this as wholesale tour operators for 25 years — longer  than any other tour operator in the industry. We don’t spend money advertising our programs to the general public, or pay agency commissions to thousands of retail travel agencies. YOU become our “agent.” We create trips specifically for small independent groups who want to experience, feel, and understand the importance of these power places, not simply a group of sightseers.

Having learned by working with so many successful group leaders, just like yourself, we have fine-tuned the way successful Group Tour Hosts are able to build their own groups, year after years. We have compiled those tools into a “Hosts Plan of Success” for you. You also will have your own Body Mind Spirit Journeys “Director of Group Programs” whom you can contact with any question you may have, and he or she will be phoning you weekly with new ideas to will help you be successful. Our success is determined by your own, so our Group Tour Hosts are our most important associates.

How can I guide a trip somewhere I’ve never been?

Tour Hosts are not expected to serve as directors or guides on tours. Expert licensed guides are always provided to conduct the tour. Your work is completed once you have signed up all of the guests who will join you. On the trip, those people are your guests, and you can participate as much or as little as you want. You are OUR guest, and every aspect and requirement of the tour is provided by licensed tour guides. They will be your escorts when needed, arranging for all luggage handling, most meals, and on-location tour directors who know how we expect the program to be delivered. They are your partners there, to bring you into the program as much or little as you choose, for lectures, meditations, ceremonies, whatever and whenever you want to participate. Some group hosts play a very large role. Others are simply there with their guests to enjoy the experience. This is YOUR trip from beginning to end, and your “work” was completed by building the group.

What if I can’t build a group of 10 people or more?
Most groups have from 20 to 30 guests, giving you two or more free trips. If you have a shortfall from our expectations and plans, there are options that can allow even a smaller group to travel. However — truth be told — we have both let each other down. When initially discussing this opportunity with you, it was the responsibility of Body Mind Spirit Journeys to determine if this was something you could do successfully. Since we are investing our time and money with custom marketing brochures and promotional materials, we should not work with anyone whom we are not certain can be successful. If we’ve done our job, and you are not able to build a group, there is a good chance you didn’t follow the program and do all you could to be successful. We’ve worked with and learned from hundreds of successful Group Hosts, and we know what it takes to make a program successful.

If after I’ve hit my deadline and the numbers are still not there, what would happen?

You have three very good options:
1. Find a hosted trip with another group host that you and your people could join and earn 10% commission from those you bring along, or find a group leader like yourself to co-host your trip.
2. Select one of the BMSJ Featured Tour Programs (on our site) and join that program instead. Again, when you bring your guests along, you are earning a 10% discount per person.
3. Postpone your trip date for 4 – 6 months and give yourself (and us) more time to promote it. There are always options, and together we’ll decide what is best for you.

How do I get started?
The easiest way is to discuss the options with one of our Group Host Directors. This is their job, and there is never an obligation on your part until we have made the decision that we believe you can, and you agree to follow the steps to “Hosting a Successful Group Tour.”

Complete the form below and submit it to us.
We’ll be in touch at a convenient time.

Online Tour Host Application

Photo credit:
Stevekeiretsu / CC BY-SA