On this special episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by members of the community for this month’s Master Hour Panel Discussion. This month we’re joined by Katalina Mayorga, Co-founder of El Camino Travel to dive deeper into group travel and everything that goes on behind it. This common topic with travel advisors can be a profitable option, but executing a successful group trip can be tricky at first. Katalina shares her insight into building both great trips and a working audience. B...
Nov 08, 2022•57 min•Season 3Ep. 96
On this episode of Masters in Travel, we’re continuing to dive deep into the tech that we know and love. Approach Guides is an incredible resource we have as travel advisors. Through it, advisors everywhere have the ability to share high quality content with travelers and enhance the client experience. To talk more about Approach Guides and what’s going on behind the scenes, Jennifer Raezer joins Whitney as they peek behind the curtain.
Nov 01, 2022•54 min•Season 3Ep. 95
Mentoring advisors and growing a team is an option many advisors are looking into. What most often discover, is that not all host agency organizations support the growing of a team under their umbrella. Some host agencies don't allow this at all, some have policies that disincentivize teams, and others simply haven’t set up their agency to support this type of growth. On today’s episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by Lindsey Epperly and Jeremy Sulek, Co-Owners of JetSet World Travel....
Oct 25, 2022•55 min•Season 3Ep. 94
When speaking with your clients, either in person, on your website, on social media, or in a newsletter, there are phrases and words that both intrigue and entice action and welcome them into your world. And then there are phrases and words that don't work at all, and might even turn someone away. To discuss words and phrases in marketing, Jenn Lee joins Whitney for this episode of Masters in Travel. Together they dive deep into using words correctly and creating a process to guide clients to cl...
Oct 18, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 93
Whitney, Beth, and Julie are back with more stories on when things went wrong and how they dealt with them. As most people know, travel can be messy. Plans don’t always work out, flights get canceled, and emergency phone calls need to be made. What do you do when these things happen? Is there a way to avoid them happening in the first place? In this part two episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney, Beth, and Julie dive deeper into personal experiences and how to make the most of the challenges all...
Oct 12, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 92
When traveling, most things go smoothly and just as planned. Other times, there are minor hiccups, or small delays. But occasionally there are big challenges that arise during a client's trip. In these moments, what do we do as professional travel advisors? What can we do? What should we expect our supplier partners to help us with? On this episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by Beth Bastian of Bastian World Travel and Julie Patterson of Wanderfully Planned. Together they share stori...
Oct 04, 2022•46 min•Season 2Ep. 91
On today’s episode of Masters in Travel, we dive into another fantastic piece of technology that helps travel advisors everywhere. The Bridge has a newer app that brings together a myriad of suppliers from around the world, all supported by the representation partners that we know and love. Whitney is joined by Andrew Finn and Dave Kartagener, the co-founders of the Bridge, to discuss the founding ideas and behind the scenes ideas of this amazing technology.
Sep 27, 2022•34 min•Season 3Ep. 90
Clients often request trips that are “off the beaten path” and “culturally immersive.” But what do these phrases really mean? What is the client’s idea of off the beaten path and how do-able is it in a particular location? On this episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by Katalina Mayorga, Founder and CEO of El Camino Travel, an expert in these unique trips. Together they discuss what it really means to seek out travel that is culturally immersive, high, low, and off the beaten path....
Sep 20, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 89
On today’s episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney and Kate Thomas continue sharing how they seem to conquer it all. This second part of their discussion dives even deeper into what it takes to manage a business and life. Together they talk about working with fear, stress, doubts, and rising above it all.
Sep 13, 2022•35 min•Season 3Ep. 88
It’s very easy to look at someone successful and imagine they’re working on multiple projects and approaching their busy lives with grace and ease. Is there a secret? Or is there something different going on behind the scenes? On this episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by Kate Thomas, Cofounder of Travel Pro Theory. Both Whitney and Kate are busy, successful women who seem to balance everything well. Listen in as they discuss their secrets and what’s actually going on behind the cur...
Sep 06, 2022•57 min•Season 3Ep. 87
The right technology can not only help advisors to connect with clients, but also save time and energy while making us all look more professional. We utilize and rely on technology on a day to day basis, but what goes on behind the scenes of our favorite systems? On this episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney and her guest Irving Betesh, dive into Sion. The technology that supports us as professional travel advisors in the back end, enabling us to track our commissions, month to month revenue, an...
Aug 30, 2022•49 min•Season 2Ep. 86
The idea of expansion and growth in your business can sometimes be overwhelming. Should we grow a team, shouldn’t we grow a team? What are the pros and considerations? How do we even begin the process? On a brand new Master Hour edition of Masters in Travel, the community comes together to discuss growing your business through IC’s and Personal Assistants. Our special guests today are Heather Keller, Founder of Perfect Landing Travel, and Emma Major, Founder of Major Traveler. Together Whitney, ...
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 85
Technology is imperative in running our day to day businesses, both efficiently and effectively. With this technology that we rely on a day to day basis, we likely don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. How are decisions made in what to fix or edit within those technologies? On today’s episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney and her Guest Scott Rutz, dive into one of the most important technologies that advisors use, Travefy. Scott Rutz is the VP of sales and marketing and part of the founding...
Aug 16, 2022•46 min•Season 2Ep. 84
Discovering and diving deep into both new and old favorite destinations is a part of being a travel advisor. And no matter what, there are always destinations that clients request that we've never done before. So how do we do it? How do we go from a new inquiry to delivering a proposal and executing a once in a lifetime style trip for our clients? To discuss their discovery process on this episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by Angela Isherwood and Ashley Theis. Together they come up...
Aug 09, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 83
With the industry booming, burnout has been a hot topic lately. After realizing that the way you're feeling isn't sustainable, what comes next? How do you approach and fix this problem? For some, feelings of burnout lead to thoughts of leaving the industry, selling your business, or merging with another company for mutual support. To talk more about her experience in selling her business, Bailie White joins Whitney on today’s episode of Masters in Travel. Join in on the discussion as Bailie shar...
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 82
As a solo entrepreneur, the idea of taking any sort of leave feels scary and uncertain. But its sometimes very necessary to take a leave, specifically maternity leave. On today’s episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by Brianna Glenn of Milk & Honey Travels. Together they discuss Maternity Leave and how to plan for it, how to ask for help, how to prepare for new business, and how to balance this new season of your life.
Jul 26, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 81
Growing a team is a path that many advisors consider and some even take on fairly early in their entrepreneurial journey. So what's the motivation to grow a team? Is it absolutely necessary to really build a thriving business? Or can you go it alone? If you're still on the fence about whether to build a team or not, today’s episode of Masters in Travel is here to help. Our special guest this time is Heather Christopher, Founder and President of Heather Christopher Travel. Together she and Whitne...
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 80
Boundaries as a travel advisor is an ongoing topic. But in this hectic season, it feels more relevant than ever to not only have boundaries, but to stand strong in them. Here on this episode of Masters in Travel is Beth Bastian, owner of Bastian World Travel, and Kate Sullivan, founder of Anthology Travel. Beth, Kate, and Whitney discuss the world of evolving boundaries and learning how to say no to clients.
Jul 12, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 79
In this month's Master Hour edition of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by Julie Patterson of Wanderfully Planned and Madeline Steuber of Steuber Travel Group. Listen in as they are joined by other members of the community and think-tank to tackle some great questions on how to run and grow your travel business.
Jul 05, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 78
The, “what's your budget?” question can be difficult for both clients and advisors to answer. This very important step in the trip planning process can be daunting, especially if it’s for a brand new and unfamiliar destination. But what if there were strategies to keep this process simple and fast? On this episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by Kate Thomas, Owner of North & Leisure and Travel Pro Theory. Together they get down to business and find great and easy ways to deal with...
Jun 28, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 77
Planning the bones of a custom FIT itinerary is sometimes just the beginning. Once the client is comfortable with the basics of their trip, the concierge like questions and requests start rolling in. What should we do during our free time? Where should we eat? Do we need reservations? And the list can go on and on. What are we as travel advisors expected to do for our services? How do we serve our clients best while not letting it take over our day to day? Where do we draw the line? Here to disc...
Jun 21, 2022•46 min•Season 2Ep. 76
Planning group travel seems quite appealing as an individual advisor. Especially when we see the potential revenue and commissions earned from a group booking, we're often very eager to dive into this type of travel planning. But when you learn more about groups, a few big questions and potential challenges often. What type of group will you organize? Will it be a custom itinerary or an organized tour or a cruise? As our guest on today’s episode of Masters in Travel, is Kate Sullivan of Antholog...
Jun 14, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 75
Mindset is a topic that we hear about in our personal lives and in our professional lives. It is a topic that lingers behind all decisions that we make, especially as an entrepreneur. If we asked ten people, or ten advisors, what mindset means to them we would get 10 different answers. On today’s episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by Lina Sutton and Danielle Gaerte. Three travel advisors talking about their experiences and their challenges in running a travel business and their mind...
Jun 07, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 74
When starting a travel business, there's so much information out there. Very little of it feels structured and most of it is just that, information. Sometimes it's reliable but very rarely is it relevant to you where you're at in your business. But it doesn’t have to be this difficult. On this episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney and Korrine Johnson discuss an amazing project that they’ve been working on; The Journey. The Journey is an in-depth course in everything you need to know to develop a...
May 31, 2022•54 min•Season 2Ep. 73
On a prior episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney, Kate Sullivan, Julie Patterson discussed the pros and considerations of planning FAMs. Now, Julie is back from Portugal to talk about her experience. Listen in as Whitney and Julie discuss the trip, what Julie learned, and what she might do differently moving forward.
May 24, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 72
It’s time for another Master Hour, the special forum discussion when members of the Masters in Travel community ask experts important questions about running a travel business. This time, Whitney is joined by Andrew Finn, of Kartagener Associates Inc and Rochelle DeBaun, Owner of Five Senses Journeys. Together they discuss in-depth solutions to making your business efficient and successful.
May 17, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 71
When planning a customized FIT itinerary, there are so many individual components that come into play. How well do we know the destination and how experienced are the travelers? Do we feel comfortable piecing together the itinerary one component at a time? Or do we sometimes prefer to work with the DMC? Deciding to specialize in customizing your design and receiving this type of request is just the beginning. On this episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by Kate Sullivan of Anthology T...
May 10, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 70
You may be interested in being a travel advisor, but are you also interested in being an entrepreneur? Sometimes running a travel advisor business requires much more than just planning travel. You may have to ask yourself if you’d rather join a team to help with the workload, or go solo to control more of your business. On today’s episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney is joined by Korrine Johnson to dive into this big question, considering all of your options, and how to figure out what will wor...
May 03, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 69
On this brand new episode of Masters in Travel, Master Hour, Whitney is joined by Kate Sullivan and Kelli Bakopanos. During this panel discussion, Kelli shares her experience and expertise in recruiting, hiring, and all it entails to onboard new assistants. Listen in to hear best practices in hiring and how to set yourself, and your new hire, up for success.
Apr 26, 2022•53 min•Season 2Ep. 68
FAMs, or familiarization trips, are a part of our industry that provides an invaluable opportunity to learn about a new destination and supplier partner services on the ground. They offer a tremendous opportunity to connect with and forge relationships with fellow travel advisors, but they can sometimes feel rather elusive. How do you get invited on a FAM anyway? To talk about the ins and outs of FAMs, Whitney is joined by Kate Sullivan and Julie Patterson on this episode of Masters in Travel. T...
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 67
