One of the best parts of being in the dive shop business is the ability to put together and lead divers and friends to exotic locations around the world. Here is the basic jist of how that happens.

We start with by looking at places we want to go and suggestions from our customers. Sometimes this is general (South Pacific) sometimes it is very specific (Garden Island Resort on Taveuni in Fiji).

At least a year out, we are talking about the trip and starting to get people interested. Sometimes we already have specific dates and a price, sometimes we are still trolling for interest.

At 8 months, we have a destination, a date, a price and 6-8 people already on board. We have information on our website, blog and Facebook page as well as having sent out at least 1 email to our mailing list to let them know about it.

At 6 months out, we have a firm number of people that we expect to take with us. We always start with a number in mind but that can change. By 6 months, we can still add or subtract rooms without penalty. If we have not had enough interest, we will cancel a trip at this point.

At 3 months out, we are starting to communicate more with our guests who are going, we are reminding them about passports and final payments. We might still be trying to fill the last few spots. We are finalizing flight info.

At 2 months out, final payments are due.

At 1 month, we have a pre-trip meeting to meet and greet and go over details. We take care of gear servicing and rentals. We take care of paperwork for any classes that may be happening on the trip.