At Trufflepig, no two trips are ever the same… so no two days are ever the same… which means we’re constantly making new decisions. Process and terms and conditions are all very well, but sometimes you just need a strong sense of direction. Our Guiding Principles give us that.
Fair + 1.
Fair + 1 is exactly how it sounds. Faced with a difficult situation, even when the fault is someone else’s, our approach is to be fair, and then some. Fair plus 1. This simple maxim has instructed our response in many situations. You can read more about it here.
Win. Win. Win.
We very deliberately require that our trips be a win-win-win situation for our three primary groups of ‘stake-holders’: our clients (of course), the environments & eco-systems & communities in which we operate, and the Trufflepig community (which includes our staff and of course also our suppliers and partners). This seems straightforward, but in the pressure to operate, stay competitive, and be excellent, it’s easy to ignore any one of the above for a quick simple win. This rounded approach informs many of our planning decisions, sets certain limits, helps us assess our hoofprint, and guides our relationships.
Stick to what you know.
We curate and maintain a very deep pool of travel expertise at Trufflepig, but we can’t know everything. One golden rule for us is: we don’t know something and don’t think we can do a superb job, we won’t bluff and blunder. We’ll decline. We need to be able to put our name behind our trips, and for you to trust us.
Don’t sell. Tell.
At Trufflepig we try to tell it like it is. We have no interest in pushing you to take a trip, or make a decision that ultimately is not right for you. Making a hotel sound fancier than it is, or giving you an inflated impression of a trip or an experience, is pointless and deeply counterproductive. We view our role as not to persuade you to travel, but to help you put together a great trip. How do you know we adhere to this principle? You don’t. We have to trust each other. And it’s because we are ultimately very much in the trust business, that the best thing we can always do is be honest with you.
Take the long view.
We’re a trip planning company – that’s what we do. But our business survival in the long run depends on our ability to build and maintain relationships of trust with our clients. With no sales team, we rely on repeat business, and on referral from our existing clients. That’s why in all cases with our clients we take the long view. That doesn’t mean taking a hit on today’s trip in the hopes of next year making out with big bucks. It means taking a relationship-based rather than a transactional view of our clients, and viewing each interaction as part of a longer conversation.