Send three short emails over about two weeks: one confirming the quote arrived, one adding something useful for the likely reason they have gone quiet, and one politely closing the quote. Let AI draft each from your quote facts, set the gaps by how far away the trip is, and stop the moment the client replies.
The wording is the easy part. The hard part is knowing why a quote went quiet, because the right second email depends on it: a couple comparing online prices need a different note from a group organiser waiting on five friends. AI can draft all of them in minutes, but it does not know your prices, your supplier terms or today's entry rules, so those stay yours.
Why a travel quote goes quiet, and what each reason needs
Most silent quotes belong to one of five groups, and the notes you took while building the quote often say which. Record the likely reason in your CRM or spreadsheet, because it picks the second email.
| Likely reason | Clue in your notes | What the next email should add |
|---|---|---|
| Comparing with online prices | They asked "is this the best price?" or mentioned a website | A plain list of what the quote includes that a bare price may not: transfers, baggage, flexibility, who to call mid-trip |
| Waiting on other people | Several travellers, one organiser, "need to check with" | A one-page summary they can forward, with a per-person price and a deposit date |
| Dates not settled | Leave approval, school dates or an event still pending | Flexible options, and what moving the dates would do to the price |
| Price shock | Silence straight after the total, or an earlier mention of a budget | Two cheaper variants rather than a discount |
| Trip a long way off | Departure more than six months away | A low-pressure note tied to something real, such as a price update, and a longer gap |
If your notes are thin, you can paste them into an AI model and ask it to suggest the most likely reason, but treat the answer as a guess and choose yourself. A wrong guess shows in the email: offering cheaper variants to someone who was waiting on a friend reads as if you had not listened. What a small travel agency needs from a CRM, and where AI helps covers where a field like this should live.
The three touches, written out and ready to adapt
Every touch is 60 to 90 words, asks one question and carries only the facts you hand the model. The running example is a ten-night family beach holiday quoted at $6,240 with a $1,200 deposit, sent on the 2nd, with the price valid until the 14th (all illustrative). This is the prompt behind all three. Fill the brackets from your quote, never from memory.
You write follow-up emails for an independent travel agent. Use ONLY the quote facts below. Never change a price, date or inclusion. Never state visa, passport, health or entry requirements. Never promise a refund or flexibility that is not in the supplier terms I paste.
Quote facts:
- Trip: [type, for example 10-night family beach holiday], [month and year], [number] travellers ([adults and children]).
- Total: $[amount]. Deposit: $[amount]. Price valid until [date]. Quote sent on [date].
- Includes: [flights, hotel, transfers, anything else].
- What they told me they care about: [notes].
- Likely reason for silence (my guess): [price comparison / waiting on others / dates unsure / price shock / trip far away].
- Supplier change and cancellation terms, in the supplier's words: [paste].
Write touch [1, 2 or 3]:
- Touch 1: confirm the quote arrived, answer the one question travellers ask at this stage, and offer three easy replies: 1 to go ahead, 2 to change something, 3 to need more time.
- Touch 2: add one genuinely useful extra that fits the likely reason: [comparison list / shareable summary / two cheaper variants / date options]. No new pressure.
- Touch 3: close politely, say what happens to the quote and price after [date], and offer to check back later if they want.
Rules: 60 to 90 words. Plain English, with the spelling and words my clients use: [your terms]. No exclamation marks. Do not use "just checking in". One question only. Sign off as [your name].Touch 1: did it arrive, and what happens if plans change
Send it two to three days after the quote, or sooner for a nearby trip (the timing grid is further down). A typical draft:
Subject: Your ten-night quote: did it arrive?
Hi [first name], I sent your quote for the family holiday on the 2nd and wanted to be sure it reached you. One question that comes up at this stage is what happens if plans change. The answer for this booking is on the attached one-page summary, under Changes and cancellations. If it is easier, just reply with 1 to go ahead, 2 to change something, or 3 if you need more time, and I will take it from there. [your name]
The 1-2-3 menu lowers the effort of answering, and it gives you three clean outcomes to track. The changes question is a common hesitation, so the summary should copy the supplier's own terms. Fix any draft that says "flexible" where the terms say "changes possible for a fee".
Touch 2: the useful extra, chosen by the reason
This is the email that differs by client. Here is the version for price shock (illustrative).
Subject: Two ways to bring the quote down, if useful
Hi [first name], if the total felt high, there are two ways to bring it down without changing the resort. Moving the dates by a week saves about $[amount] on flights, and cutting to eight nights saves $[amount]. Both are on page two of the attached summary, with the same inclusions as before, and the original price still stands until the 14th. Would you like me to price either one properly? [your name]
The savings come from you re-pricing the options in your booking system, not from the AI, so tell the model to leave the amounts blank and fill them yourself. For the other four reasons, swap the extra: a like-for-like checklist for the price comparer, a forwardable summary for the organiser, date options for the unsettled, and a short note about a real change for the far-off trip.
Touch 3: the polite close
Subject: Closing your quote for now
Hi [first name], I will stop holding your quote for the beach holiday after the 14th, as the price cannot be guaranteed beyond then. If plans have changed, that is no problem at all. If you would like me to look again nearer your travel window, reply later and I will check back in [month]. Either way, thank you for letting me price it. [your name]
This works because it is honest. Say the price cannot be guaranteed only if that is true, and keep the exit easy. Some clients answer the close after ignoring the first two, usually with a question you can now answer. If you want ten more prompts for quoting and chasing in general, ChatGPT prompts for travel agents: ten for quotes and follow-ups is the companion piece.
Set the gaps by how far away the trip is
A flat "follow up after three days" fails in both directions. It nags the client with a trip eighteen months away and moves too slowly for one leaving in six weeks. These gaps are starting points to test, not rules (illustrative).
| Trip departs in | Touch 1 | Touch 2 | Touch 3 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 8 weeks | Day 1 | Day 3 | Day 6 | Space and prices move fast, so add a phone call if you hold a number |
| 2 to 6 months | Day 3 | Day 9 | Day 16 | Time to compare and to consult family or friends |
| Over 6 months | Day 5 | Day 21 | Day 45 | Little urgency, so offer a later check-in rather than another push |
If the quote has a real validity date, land touch 3 about two days before it and squeeze the earlier gaps to fit. Do not invent a deadline to fit the sequence. Schedule the emails ahead rather than sending by hand: Gmail's scheduled send holds up to 100 emails, so a week's touches can be loaded on a Monday. The catch is that a scheduled email does not know the client has just replied, which is why the stop rules below matter.
Useful extras to add, and what AI must not write for you
The second email earns its place by giving the client something they can use. These five do that, and each is a short job for AI with you as the checker.
- The one-page summary. Itinerary at a glance, total, what is and is not included, deposit and balance dates, and changes and cancellation terms in plain words. AI can shape it from your quote; you tick every figure against the supplier's terms.
- The forwardable group version. The same summary with a per-person price, the deposit per person and a line the organiser can paste into the group chat. It saves the organiser writing the sales pitch for you.
- The like-for-like checklist. A neutral list for comparing any two quotes: total including baggage, taxes and fees, transfers, room type, flight times, change and cancellation terms, and who to call during the trip. Offering it to someone comparing prices builds more trust than a price-match promise.
- Two priced variants. A shifted date or a shorter stay, priced properly by you.
- A destination note you have checked. Opening hours, a seasonal tip or a booking tip that you have confirmed on an official source.
Here is the forwardable group version filled in for a six-friend ski week (illustrative figures). The organiser can paste it straight into the group chat.
| Line | Entry |
|---|---|
| Trip | 7 nights for six friends in a shared chalet, with breakfast, evening meals and airport transfers |
| Price | $890 per person, $5,340 for the group |
| Deposit | $150 per person by the 10th ($900 for the group), balance due [date] |
| Who pays whom | Each person pays their own share through [your payment link] |
| If someone drops out | [The supplier's rule, pasted in. The price per person may rise, so show the new figure.] |
| Changes and cancellation | [Supplier terms in plain words, including the date until which names can still be swapped] |
| Quote valid until | The 14th, after which prices and availability need re-checking |
The line about someone dropping out matters most to an organiser, because the first fear is being left holding a share of an empty seat. Get that figure from the supplier's terms, not from the model.
Keep four things out of anything AI writes. Entry requirements come first: IATA's Travel Centre says rules change daily and that travellers are responsible for their own documents, so link the official source and say "check before you travel". Live prices and availability come second, since a model has no access to them unless it is connected to your booking system. Supplier cancellation terms come third, which you paste in rather than let it paraphrase. And finally anything about events, weather or "what's on that week" unless you have confirmed it, because a model will happily invent a festival. What a travel agent must check before sending an AI itinerary goes through the checking routine in detail.
Drafting replies when the silence breaks
A reply is a gift, and it is where a rushed template does the most damage. Pause the sequence, read the message, and use AI to draft a response you then edit. These are the five replies that come up most, and the approach that fits each.
| The client says | What it usually means | Approach for the draft |
|---|---|---|
| "It's more than we expected" | Price shock | Ask for a rough ceiling, then offer two variants |
| "We found it cheaper online" | Comparing, not always like for like | Ask for the link, compare line by line, never promise a match in advance |
| "Still talking to the others" | Group decision | Offer the forwardable summary, ask who else decides and by when |
| "Can you hold it?" | Wants time | State what you can truly hold, for how long, and on what terms |
| "Not this year" | A soft no | Thank them, ask permission to check back, tag them Later |
Take the second row. Suppose the client writes: "Thanks, we've found a similar package on a website for about $500 less. We'll have a think." Paste that reply with your quote facts and ask for a 70-word response that acknowledges it, asks for the link, names the things you would compare and does not mention matching prices or criticise the other seller. A typical draft (illustrative):
Hi [first name], thank you for telling me, that is useful. If you send me the link I will compare it with your quote line by line: transfers, baggage, room type, flight times and what happens if you need to change. Sometimes the difference is the same trip priced differently and sometimes it is not, and you should know which before you decide. Happy to talk it through by phone if that is easier. [your name]
Check it for two common slips: a sentence such as "we always beat online prices" or "we can match it", which you cannot promise and should strike. The honest edge to this reply is the follow-through. If the other offer turns out to be genuinely like for like and cheaper, say so and either find the saving or wish them well. One lost booking costs less than a reputation for pressure.
The first message a lead receives matters here too, and how a one-person travel agency can reply to enquiries instantly covers the step before the quote exists.
Stop rules: when the chase ends
A sequence without stop rules turns into harassment on a timer. Build these in before the first email goes out.
- A reply from the client freezes the remaining touches. You read it and decide what happens next, even when the reply is only "thanks".
- "No", "booked elsewhere" or "please stop" ends it. Send one gracious line if you like, set the status to Declined, and send nothing more.
- Three touches per quote is the ceiling. After the third, contact the client again only if they asked you to check back, and on the date you gave them.
- An expired quote stops the chase. Offer a fresh quote only if they ask for one.
- A trip under two weeks away leaves email. Pick up the phone or send a text if you hold a number.
- Opt-outs are final. Record them where every future send will check.
In practice the rules come down to a status field with values such as Quoted, Replied, Booked, Declined and Later, plus one check before every send: only continue if the status is still Quoted. A CRM with automations can do that for you. A Zapier route uses a Filter step for the check and a Delay step for the gap, and neither uses a task, though the Free plan has no filter. In a plain inbox the rule is a habit: when someone replies or books, cancel their scheduled emails the same minute. For the wider principle of nudging without nagging, see automating sales follow-ups without sounding pushy.
What the sequence is worth: 40 quotes, 26 of them silent
These numbers are illustrative, so use your own. Say an independent agency sends 40 quotes a month. About 14 book within a week with no chasing, and 26 go quiet. Before the sequence the agent followed up the ones that came to mind, perhaps six, with a one-line "any news?", and one of them booked. That is 15 bookings from 40 quotes, or 37.5%.
With the sequence, all 26 silent quotes get their touches on schedule until they reply, book or decline. Suppose that lifts the month to 18 bookings from 40 quotes, or 45%. At average agency earnings of $430 a booking (commission, fees or both, an assumed figure), three extra bookings add $1,290 a month. The cost is mainly time. Set-up takes about five hours once. Twenty-six quotes with up to three touches each is at most 78 emails a month, and fewer as replies stop the sequence. At about a minute each to read and personalise, that is roughly 20 minutes a week. A free chat plan is enough to draft, and Gmail's templates and scheduled send cost nothing extra.
Three of those extra bookings is a hope, not a promise, so measure it. For eight weeks before you start, record bookings divided by quotes sent. After eight weeks of the sequence, compare. Also note which touch each booking followed. If touch 3 never produces a reply, replace it with a different second email and test again; if you get even one "please stop" message, shorten the sequence and review the tone. If the booking rate has not moved, look upstream instead: at the quote itself, the price, or the hours that passed before your first reply.
A seven-day set-up for a one-person agency
| Day | Job | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Export the last 90 days of quotes. Mark each Booked, Declined or Silent, and note the trip date and price for the silent ones. | 1 hour |
| 2 | Read the silent ones and note a likely reason for each. This tells you which extras you will use most. | 45 minutes |
| 3 | Use the prompt above to draft touches 1 to 3 for your top two reasons. Edit them until they sound like you. If you use Gmail on a plan that includes Help me write, it can match the tone of your past emails. | 1 hour |
| 4 | Build the one-page summary template and the like-for-like checklist, and check them against two real quotes. | 1 hour |
| 5 | Set up the status field and save the templates (Gmail calls them Templates), or build the CRM automation. | 45 minutes |
| 6 | Test on three old silent quotes by sending to yourself. Check every figure and link. | 30 minutes |
| 7 | Switch on for new quotes only. Put a four-week review in the diary. | 15 minutes |
Do not start by chasing the 90-day backlog. Those clients have had three months of silence, and a three-touch sequence arriving out of the blue reads oddly. Send those people a single, personal note if the trip window is still ahead, and keep the sequence for new quotes where the timing is fresh. The sequence will also expose gaps upstream: if many quotes go quiet for the same reason, fix the quote, not the follow-up.
Questions travel agents ask about chasing quotes
How soon should a travel agent follow up on a quote?
Two to three days after sending when the trip is a few months away, and the next day when it is under eight weeks out. Trip distance and any real price-validity date matter more than a fixed rule. Treat the gaps in this tutorial as starting points, and compare bookings per quote sent over eight weeks before you change them.
How many follow-up emails is too many?
Three per quote is a sensible limit: a check that it arrived, one useful extra and a polite close. Stop sooner if the client replies, says no or asks you to stop. After the third, contact them again only if they asked you to check back later, and say when you will.
Can AI write the follow-ups without me checking them?
Not safely. AI can draft in your voice, but prices, dates, inclusions, cancellation terms and entry rules must come from your quote and your suppliers, and a person should read every draft until the templates have proved themselves. A workable rule is that the AI writes the words and you own every figure and promise.
Is it fine to tell a client the price is about to rise?
Only when it is true and you can point to where it comes from, such as a supplier's validity date or a fare with a ticketing deadline. Invented urgency damages trust and can break advertising rules in some places. If there is no real deadline, say so plainly and offer to re-check the price later.
Further reads
- AI Marketing for Travel Agents: A Month of Posts and Emails — Keep past enquirers warm between quotes with a month of posts and emails.
- How to Get Clients for a Travel Agency: Niche Content, AI Follow-Up — Fill the top of the funnel so fewer quotes depend on one chase.
- ChatGPT for Travel Agents: Group Trip Info Packs and Departure Emails — Group organisers need an info pack their friends will actually read.
- Travel Agent Checklist: Pre-Departure Document Packs With AI — What to send once a quote turns into a booking.
- Travel Agent Commission Tracking: Match Supplier Payments With AI — Track what each booked quote earns once supplier payments arrive.
- AI for Moving Companies: Chasing Quotes and Confirming Move Dates — The same chasing problem in a different trade, with its own timing.
- Following Up Silent Quotes With AI: A Decorator's Playbook — A decorator's version of the sequence, useful for comparing stop rules.
- AI Chatbot for a Travel Agency: What to Collect Before Hand-Over — Collect the right details at the start so quotes need less chasing.
- Travel Agency Advertisement Examples: Write and Test Variants — Four ad angles for one holiday offer, AI-written variants under strict claim rules, and a two-week split test that tells signal from noise on a small budget.
- Travel Proposal Template: Build a Client-Ready Trip PDF With AI — A five-block method for building a travel proposal PDF with AI, with prompts, sample outputs, a worked price page and a reusable master.
- AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.
Sources: Gmail help pages (Templates, scheduled send, Help me write); Zapier help pages (Delay and Filter steps, task counting); IATA Travel Centre notice that entry rules change daily and travellers are responsible for their own documents. Supplier terms vary, so none are quoted. All figures in the worked month are illustrative.