An overview of how you can survey, plan, and become a TrovaTrip Host all on your own!

Every Creator has a unique vision for their group trips. Sometimes that vision is crystal clear before they’ve signed up with Trova, and other times, it takes shape after surveying their audience for insights and preferences. Taking yourself through ‘self-serve’ allows you to bring your vision to life without the need for direct human assistance. In this blog post, we'll delve into the exciting world of being a self-serve Trova Host, what to expect as you move yourself through the process, and the support available to you throughout.

There are two routes to being a self-serve Travel Host: 

1. Creator signs up and gets themselves started, collects 50+ qualified* survey responses, and requests a trip through the product…Seriously, it’s that easy!
2. Creator speaks with a Trova rep, surveys their community, and receives 50-99 qualified* survey responses.

*A qualified survey response is someone age 18+ with a travel budget of at least $2k.

Folks with fewer than 100 qualified responses will do best with our Starter itineraries. These itineraries are tried and true, and the most popular trip offerings on the Trova platform. We have all the data built in for Hosts to design and request one of these trips themselves, so there is no need for a dedicated rep. We know it can sound scary to go it alone, but you’ve got this! 

With 100+ qualified responses, Travel Hosts will be given a dedicated Trova rep to help manage the larger group size and more complex itineraries that are unlocked.

Can I self-serve my way to hosting a TrovaTrip?

Yes! Many Creators and Influencers sign up for Trova, use the tools provided to them, and ultimately go through the process of creating, selling, and hosting a trip without needing to talk to a human directly. While we have a team of TrovaTrip reps and specialists here to help, for some Hosts, it’s easier to work through the process on their own timeline.

We built the Trova product (a.k.a. the Host Portal) to give you everything you need at your fingertips—from the ability to survey your audience and get their insights, to the data analysis to assist you with promotion tactics, pricing strategies, and the successful launch of your trip. Your success is our success, and we're here to empower you every step of the way (whether or not you want to chat with a live person).

While originally self-serve was specifically for people who received 50-99 qualified survey responses, we’ve seen Creators of all audience sizes self-serve their way through the portal (Hosts who get 100 qualified survey responses in the first 2 weeks of surveying are typically assigned a dedicated Trova rep, because that volume of response and the speed at which they are preparing their trip can require some extra support).

All you have to do is set up your Trova account, and follow the steps along the way. You’ll be launching, selling, and confirming your trip in no time!

Who is a great fit for self-serve travel hosting?

Self-serve can be perfect for any Creator! It’s very popular with folks who:

• Are eager to get started and don’t want to wait to speak to someone.
• Already have experience with group trips.
• Received only 50 - 99 qualified survey responses and feel confident they can sell a trip to a smaller group.
• Have an enthusiastic community that’s already expressed interest in group trips.
• Love using technology to streamline processes.
• Are introverts, are trying to save their person-to-person energy for their community, or just hate getting on the phone (no judgment, we have some elder millennials on staff who feel this).
• Want to jump into the product and learn more about TrovaTrips directly.

What should I expect if I self-serve my way to being a TrovaTrip Host?

Every Host goes through the same steps to build, launch, and sell their TrovaTrip. Here’s what to expect:

1. Survey & Connect
Typical timeframe: 2+ weeks (can be less with a highly engaged community)

• You'll set up your account, then share your survey with your audience and learn more about them—demographic insights, where they want to go, when they want to travel, and what activities they want to do with you. 
• This info helps you design, sell, and host a trip your people will love. The more responses you get, the more destination itineraries you unlock, and the more likely you are to sell out your trip!

Learn more about surveying your community and get tips for sharing here! 👇

2. Design & Plan
Typical timeframe: 2 days - 2 weeks

• With those audience insights, you'll review and build your trip! 
• We're proud to have more than 150 incredible TrovaTrip itineraries, and to set you up for success (and make decisions easier on you) we put your audience data to work to recommend the best fits. You'll also be finalizing your earning projections at this point. 
• You’ll design, plan, and request a trip to a destination you and your community are stoked about, priced in the median budget of your survey respondents.

3. Launch & Sell
Typical timeframe: 2 weeks - 60 days

• This is the fun part—you'll launch the trip to your community and start collecting Traveler bookings! 
• Data tells us that momentum is critical here, so aim to sell enough spots to confirm your trip in 30 - 60 days (we'll get into the specifics of 'confirm' vs 'sell out' later on). And don't worry, we've got resources and sample promo calendars for this too.
• If your trip makes it past the first 60 days without selling any spots, we'll work with you to retire that particular trip and come up with a plan for the future.

Okay, but what if I have a question?

We’ve got you covered! You can check out our Host Knowledge Base (which answers a lot of our most common questions), or reach out to our dedicated Self-serve Rep! Our Self-serve Representative is a helpful guide for Hosts with 50 - 99 qualified survey responses to help steer you through the TrovaTrip experience. While they won't take calls, they are happy to support and answer your questions through email and in-portal chat. Think of them as your virtual companion, offering valuable insights and assistance as you navigate the journey of hosting your own trips.

What is included in self-serve support?

Itinerary recommendations: Your number of qualified survey responses directly correlates to how many itineraries you’ll have access to. You can see the breakdown of itinerary tiers and how many responses to unlock them here. 

As a self-serve Travel Host with 50 - 99 qualified responses, you gain access to a treasure trove of 40+ Starter Tier Itineraries. Our self-serve rep can analyze your survey data and recommend the top 2 itineraries that align with your audience's preferences. Please note: Starter itineraries do not qualify for special requests and customizations, since they are meant to be used ‘as is’ to set you up for success in selling them to your community. 

Dedicated TrovaTrip rep when your trip confirms. While self-serve Travel Hosts don't initially have a dedicated rep, the moment you confirm your first trip, you'll be assigned a Trova team member. This person will guide you through the remainder of the process, offering support with planning subsequent trips and ensuring your hosting experience is seamless.

Flexible Timelines: Self-serve Hosts have 90 days to confirm their trips (a.k.a. meet the minimum number of spots booked). In the rare event that a trip hasn't been confirmed after 60 days, our team will collaborate with you to develop a plan for the remaining 30+ days. Automatic cancellation occurs at the 90 day mark, but we understand that sometimes a little extra time is needed, especially when you're close to those final Traveler bookings!

And there you have it! The quickest way to collect survey data and start selling your trip, self-serve. Sign up and get started today!