Sigrid Eckel and Astrid Brettmann discovered a gap in the market. From this they made a great business idea.
Photo: kinderreisewelt.de
When the two friends met one afternoon in their favorite café in Cologne, they did not know that cake and cappuccino would give rise to an idea that would lead their lives on completely new paths. Sigrid Eckel was looking for a new job. "Working as a travel agency consultant was no fun for me after ten years."
Her friend and colleague Astrid Brettmann sat down at the table: "I was just about to book a ski holiday, but in no travel agency could I name hotels with care facilities for two-year-olds and I can not take the kids on the slopes."
With the second piece of cake, Sigrid also said, "I want to do something different, maybe even change the industry." Astrid's reaction is still in her ear today. "It's out of the question, you're one of the best tourism experts - you can not just stop."
The two women looked at each other - and suddenly the idea was there. Sigrid: "There was suddenly a real gap in the market!
A niche that we both could use! "Astrid agreed enthusiastically:" We set up our own business with a travel agency - with a special offer for families with small children! "
Over the next few days, they researched the internet, looked for possible competition in the market, and stated: "Nobody had the idea before us.
At the Employment Agency there were the right tips: "We attended a business start-up seminar, created a business plan, received suggestions for advertising, designed flyers." Finally, we found a great location for our store - in the family district Cologne-Sulz. As start-up capital, we each needed 10 000 euros - as helped a small loan from the bank. "
This is how the "Kinder Reise Welt" was born - it is the first travel agency for families with children on 48 square meters of Germany!
What sets you apart from others? Sigrid: "We select the offers that are important for families from the catalogs of major tour operators, and we are particularly interested in single parents with children - there are still far too few cheap trips for them."
Through careful preparation, they offer a service that can not be provided by normal customer service: Where is there care for children under the age of two? In which hotels are cots available in the rooms without extra charge? Very important also the journey. "It's exhausting with a baby, " Astrid knows from personal experience. "That's why we're looking for free seat reservations in the 'mother-and-child series', where baby tubs are hanging on the walls to put the kids in."
The experts deliberately choose only family hotels
"For parents, it's not so great when couples complain about their supposedly poorly educated offspring while eating without children." Customer feedback is also important. Sigrid and Astrid ask all mothers and fathers on their return, mainly from Spain and Italy, to make an evaluation of the hotel: Was the beach good? Was there child-friendly kitchen? "We want everyone to feel good all around." But the family-friendly experts not only offer package deals but also exciting city breaks. "With a tour guide of their own, children aged six and over can discover Rome in the footsteps of Asterix and Obelix - a combination of knowledge and fun." And for sporty parents and kids there are mountain tours with tents and rafting.
www.kinderreisewelt.de
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