Two things get me very excited. A positive, uplifting newsletter landing in my inbox each week and an innovative approach to virtual conferences. Andrew Finn is the Business Development Manager at Kartagener Associates Inc and was the inspiration behind both their weekly Positive Vibes newsletter as well as RepFest, a collaboration between multiple representation companies coming together for the greater good of the travel advisor and the travel industry as a whole to create an innovative virtua...
Mar 30, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 21
One of the most common topics you’ll hear about at industry events, over cocktails with a group of advisors, in Facebook forums, and basically anywhere that advisors are hanging out, is THE question of all questions…. To charge or not to charge fees. Well, today on the podcast we mix it up a bit with my guest, Kate Sullivan, founder of Anthology Travel. We do not want to chat about whether or not to charge fees, because we both are very passionate that the answer to this question is an e...
Mar 23, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Travel advisors are known to be extremely discerning travelers. No matter your specialty, your preferred destination, or the types of trips you like to book, we know how to pick a top hotel, a solid tour company, or a unique experience out from the pack. We can articulate with ease what separates one experience from another. We are well versed in cautioning clients about small details that may make a big difference in their travels. When a client asks, “Well, what do you think?”, we are ready wi...
Mar 09, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 19
This week, we have a super fun conversation with fellow travel advisor and founder of founder of Travel Agent Achievers, Roslyn Ranse! Ros and I talk about building up that repeat and referral business, showing clients how much we love and appreciate them (surprising and delighting every step of the way), finding a community to lift and support your business endeavors, and so much more. Find us on Instagram: @mastersintravel...
Mar 02, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 18
The Enneagram is a system of personality typing that describes patterns in how people interpret the world and how they manage their emotions. In this conversation, we’re not only going to learn about how we can be better travel advisors by knowing and understanding our own type, but also how we can build stronger relationships with our clients by knowing and understanding what their enneagram type might be. Whitney Warne is a Certified Enneagram Coach, creative entrepreneur, community builder an...
Feb 23, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 17
When I started my travel business, I was most excited to dive into the branding of my new business - the logo, the fonts, my website...all the things that were going to make me feel super official as a new business owner. Turns out, having a logo is just the beginning. I began to look for ways to create a consistently branded experience for my clients because I know that branding, in the simplest of definitions, is known to increase recognition and to build trust. And part of branding is to inte...
Feb 16, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Investing time, energy, and money back into our clients and supplier partners as a sign of appreciation, to foster relationships, and to build loyalty is recommended on all fronts and is something that is talked about regularly. But, what does this actually look like when it’s executed? Do all clients and suppliers receive gifts? If not, how do you decide who does? How much is appropriate to invest in gifts and thoughtful gestures? Should gifts be a representation of our brand or rather of the d...
Feb 09, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Do you maximize the sales and marketing potential of each FAM that you attend? This week I’m joined by Theresa Chu-Bermudez, Owner & Travel Advisor at Get Out! Custom Travels , podcast co-host of The Tin Lounge together with Korrine Johnson, and most recently, she created a course for travel advisors, called “ FAM with Intention ”. This course is to help travel advisors who are missing out on the marketing potential of their FAM trips and who want to learn how to improve the way they market ...
Feb 02, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 14
We quite possibly have one of the coolest jobs in the world. We travel, we explore, we work with clients to plan their dream vacations and getaways. Whenever a client calls, there’s always excitement in the air as they tell us what they have in mind for their next adventure. At the beginning, for me personally, I said yes to every FAM I was invited on and I attended as many trade shows and industry events as I possibly could. This was great at the very beginning when I didn’t know anyone and I d...
Jan 26, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 13
As a travel advisor, we are always striving to seek out new technologies, new destinations, new partners, new systems and software, new gift ideas for my clients, and quite possibly one of the more difficult finds, new ways to inspire and engage clients. Jennifer Raezer is the cofounder and CMO of Approach Guides. Since 2009, Approach Guides has been the ultimate resource for curious travelers, reimagining the way they explore destinations, connect with local culture and experience the world. Si...
Jan 19, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 12
How do we, as travel advisors, measure our success? What does success look like? And how should it be measured? How should travel advisors set goals? What should we measure? How far reaching should those goals extend? When setting goals, what should we be focusing on? We all know that while there may not be any barriers to entry into the travel industry as an advisor, it does on the other hand require a tremendous amount of grit and patience in those first few years. And while sales and rev...
Jan 12, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 11
As entrepreneurs, we likely all started with a passion for travel. Some days we are literally jumping out of bed to do what we do best. Other days, it feels like we’re stuck in the weeds taking care of tasks that we don’t care about, that we’re maybe not good at, and that we dread. As entrepreneurs, we wear all the hats. The marketing hat, the sales hat, the travel hat, the social media hat, the accounting hat, and the customer service hat. In a nutshell, we have too much to do in too little tim...
Jan 05, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 10
As travel advisors, we are in this beautiful world of human connection and relationships. We foster and build relationships with our clients and our supplier partners. And it would be hard to say that one of these relationships is more important than the other. Without one, the other can’t thrive. Without supplier partners, it would be really difficult to service our client inquiries and without clients, we don’t have a need for supplier partners. There are many conversations that center around ...
Dec 15, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 9
As travel advisors, we have three major itinerary building platforms available to us: Axus, Travefy, and Umapped. Together with Grace McBride, Founder of My TripKit, we discuss key points to consider if you’re ready to use one of these services in your business or if you’re already using one and potentially considering switching to another . We’ll dive into the advantages and disadvantages of each platform and which platform might be best for you depending on your business model. Find us on Inst...
Dec 08, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 8
As travel advisors, we are in this beautiful world of human connection and relationships. We foster and build relationships with our clients and our supplier partners. And it would be hard to say that one of these relationships is more important than the other. Without one, the other can’t thrive. Without supplier partners, it would be really difficult to service our client inquiries and without clients, we don’t have a need for supplier partners. There are many conversations that center around ...
Dec 01, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 7
“It takes much more than a great product, service, or experience to stand out.” Authentic storytelling can be more impactful than a great product, service, or experience and it can be included as part of each and every one of our touchpoints with clients - from social media to our websites to in person conversations. Rachel Leslie is the founder of RL Studio, a copywriting studio based in Portland, Oregon. RL Studio helps impact-driven brands define and amplify their business with compelling cop...
Nov 24, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 6
When starting a business, it’s almost certain that we all had a lot of ideas as to the type of business we wanted to build and just how we wanted to go about it. One of the most empowering elements of entrepreneurship is the opportunity to make all these decisions for ourselves. On the flip side, the necessity to make so many decisions in that first year and beyond can also become quite overwhelming. I also remember times in that first year when I didn’t feel empowered and I didn’t feel overwhel...
Nov 17, 2020•42 min•Season 1Ep. 5
“Public speaking and storytelling aren’t just podiums and power points. Public speaking is anytime you speak to inform, persuade, lead, inspire, or entertain. It looks very different for different people, but it is a required skill of all positions and professions.” And just in that one sentence alone, my interest was piqued and in digging deeper, I saw that there is definitely something here for travel advisors, because we are speaking on a very regular basis to inform, to lead, and to inspir...
Nov 10, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 4
When we hear the word "experience" in a context related to travel, our thoughts might understandably go straight to the trip itself. The experiences we have in the luxury hotels we stay on a vacation, the privately guided experiences, the special meals we enjoy... But when we focus solely on the client's experience with us, as their travel advisor, we realize that, depending upon the client, the complexity of their trip, and how far in advance they're planning, a client could potentially be spen...
Nov 03, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 3
On this episode, together with Emily Steele of Love Local, we discuss the importance of investing in your existing customer base or your existing network and how it can totally change your business. Happy, repeat clients who refer more clients to us is what every travel advisor strives for as this type of business is truly the best. Tune in to learn more about Emily's "Come Back Again Method". Find us on Instagram: @mastersintravel Resources Mentioned Learn more about the Come Back Again Method ...
Nov 03, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 2
When we’re working with a new client, how do you get to know them? How do you learn about their travel preferences and their previous travel experiences? How do you ensure that you set yourself up for success with a client who is new to you and potentially, new to working with a travel advisor? In this episode, Beth and I discuss the key questions we ask new clients to get to know them and to understand the trip they're envisioning as well as some key lessons we’ve learned over the last five yea...
Nov 03, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Welcome! Masters in Travel is a new podcast created especially for travel advisors who are ready to accelerate their success. On this podcast, we’ll hear from travel professionals about lessons learned as their businesses grew in the hopes that their experience, advice, and insights will help accelerate the success of your travel business. We’ll also welcome guests outside the travel industry to provide a new perspective on running a small, service based business. New episodes released each week...
Oct 17, 2020•3 min
