Upgrades, FAMs, and Points: How Advisors Experience Luxury Travel for Less

Advisors share how they have sailed in the best suites or stayed in the top hotels without breaking their own budgets.

Travel advisors spend their careers selling luxury experiences to clients. But how do they experience luxury themselves? The answer, it turns out, involves a sophisticated combination of FAM trips, loyalty points, industry rates, and the occasional well-timed upgrade — a parallel economy that rewards expertise and relationships.

FAM trips — familiarization trips offered by cruise lines, hotels, and tourism boards — are the most visible perk of the trade. But experienced advisors are selective about which FAMs they accept, choosing those that align with their niche and their client base rather than simply chasing free travel.

"I only do FAMs that are going to make me better at selling," said one luxury cruise specialist. "If I'm not going to sell that product, I'm wasting my time and the supplier's hospitality."

Points and miles play a significant role as well. Many advisors are sophisticated points collectors, using business credit cards to accumulate rewards on the volume of travel they book for clients. The result can be a steady stream of business-class flights and hotel upgrades that would otherwise be out of reach.

Industry rates — discounted pricing available to verified travel professionals — round out the picture. Most major hotel chains and cruise lines offer some form of professional rate, though the availability and depth of the discount varies widely.