In this episode, we chat with Kate Thomas, Founder of Travel Pro Theory and Owner of North + Leisure. Kate shares her love for data and why knowing your business numbers is so important and how you can use to make important decisions about your business. Kate walks through how you can get started right away by setting up a simple spreadsheet and system to start tracking your business numbers, from what your clients are booking, how long they're traveling for, the commission you're receiving and ...
Dec 06, 2024•35 min•Season 2Ep. 87
In this episode, we catch up with Dave Natale, AKA the River Cruise King, whose business has skyrocketed since his last appearance on The Lounge Podcast in 2021! He shares the secrets behind his thriving river cruise group business, from using Travefy’s itinerary builder to crafting personalized experiences with city guides, movie and music recommendations, and more. Dave also reveals his top marketing tips and how he keeps travelers coming back. Plus, hear all about River Cruise King Academy’s ...
Sep 25, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 86
In this episode, we dive into the essential legal risks, fraud prevention strategies, and best practices every travel advisor needs to know. Sheila Folk, CEO and Founder of Travel Industry Solutions, shares her expert insights on how travel advisors can navigate complex legal landscapes, protect themselves from fraud, and maintain financial stability. Learn why regularly updating contracts and privacy policies is crucial, how to implement effective identity verification tools, and the importance...
Aug 16, 2024•47 min•Season 2Ep. 85
In this episode, get inspired as we chat with global keynote speaker and marketer, Tim Hines. Tim shares his “marketing starter” mindset and how travel professionals can leverage this to navigate marketing in their business and excel their business forward. From the power of consistency, leveraging AI tools, understanding customer needs, and more, Tim will help ignite the entrepreneurial fire inside of you! Show Notes: Visit Tim’s Website Find Tim on Linkedin & Twitter (X) Get Tim’s book: Th...
Jul 31, 2024•36 min•Season 2Ep. 84
In this episode, Luxury Travel Advisor, Becky Lukovic joins us to explore the rising trends of women traveling together and the unique dynamics of women-led travel groups. Becky shares her insights on how women are shaping the travel industry, from popular destinations to preferred travel styles. We also dive into strategies for women who own travel businesses to build a strong sense of community and ensure their business thrives. Tune in for an empowering discussion on women in travel! Show Not...
Jul 15, 2024•37 min•Season 2Ep. 83
Join us as Attorney Jeff Ment unpacks the latest travel industry news, including DOT airplane refund rules and FTC non-compete potential changes coming later this year. Learn how these developments could impact your business and discover strategies to stay legally prepared for upcoming changes. Don’t miss this essential guide for your business! Show Notes: Visit The Ment Law Group Website Top Resources to Stay Up-to-Date with Industry News: Mark Pestronk’s articles at Travel Weekly TravelAge Wes...
Jun 13, 2024•42 min•Season 2Ep. 82
Dive into the powerful world of social media with Owner of Haus Social, Amber Zakem. In this episode, she shares her essential tips for travel advisors, from choosing the right platform to leveraging AI for content creation. Whether you're just starting out or looking to stay ahead of trends, Amber's insights on using Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other powerful tools will transform your social media game! Show Notes: Visit Haus Social Website Find Haus Social on Facebook , Instagram , or ...
May 31, 2024•43 min•Season 2Ep. 81
Do you find yourself overwhelmed with the endless marketing opportunities and strategies you can apply to your business? In this episode, we chat with marketing educator, Mary Charleson, on how travel advisors can use her rule-of-3 packing method when it comes to marketing. Mary breaks down how to simplify your marketing strategy and best of all, make it all work together seamlessly. We also chat about current marketing trends and different ideas that advisors can apply into their own marketing ...
May 09, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 80
In this episode, we chat about the essential steps for travel advisors to establish their service fee structure with industry expert, Jennifer Jacob! Gain insights into tailoring fees based on niche, geographical considerations, and transitioning into fee charging for the first time. Jennifer shares actionable strategies to develop an objective approach rooted in expense analysis, time tracking, and trip complexity assessment, ensuring sustainable pricing for your business. Show Notes: Get TIQUE...
Apr 09, 2024•56 min•Season 2Ep. 79
In this episode, we chat with Morris Sims who shares how to create a proactive strategy to getting new and more clients to your business. Morris challenges conventional approaches and emphasizes the importance of crafting a compelling introduction. Learn actionable strategies for visibility across social media, email marketing, events, and personal interactions. Morris also shares his game-changing 3-List Process with us so be sure to grab a pen and paper while you listen! Show Notes: Visit Trav...
Feb 29, 2024•47 min•Season 2Ep. 78
In this episode, we chat with Erin Novodvorsky, Lead Consultant at The Geek Travel Agent. Join us as Erin takes us through her journey in the travel industry, where she transformed her business by aligning it with her passions and expertise. Erin shares her pivot from selling travel that didn't resonate with her to focusing on unique niches such as pop culture travel. From movie and TV show-inspired tours to crafting K-Pop vacations, Erin found her clients and her calling. Her journey and insigh...
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 77
In this episode, we chat with Roni Weiss from Travel Unity to explore how travel advisors can enhance their support for clients and each other by embracing diversity and fostering an understanding of differences. Roni shares advice on how to better serve travelers by including specific questions when helping to plan their trip and thoughts to consider when working with each client. Show Notes: Visit Travel Unity's Website Follow Travel Unity on Linkedin Watch Roni's videos from his trip to Iraq ...
Jan 18, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 76
Discover the ins and outs of S-Corps with Haylie Hardin in this episode as we delve into what they are and how to determine if your business is ready. Explore the advantages of transitioning to an S-Corp for tax planning, and get a quick guide on the actions you need to take to make the switch. Show Notes: Download a Presentation Slide Deck of Haylie’s Tax Tips! Visit Go Hardin’s Website Connect with Haylie on Linkedin Listen to Haylie’s previous episode “Money Matters: Expert Tax Tips for Small...
Dec 22, 2023•21 min•Season 2Ep. 75
In this episode we chat with tax expert Haylie Hardin about top tax-saving tips for small business owners, especially those who are new to understanding business taxes. We explore the practical strategies of saving money on business expenses and discussing actionable steps that can lead to substantial savings at tax time! Show Notes: Download a Presentation Slide Deck of Haylie's Tax Tips! Visit Go Hardin's Website Connect with Haylie on Linkedin Listen to Our Bonus Episode with Haylie: "When to...
Dec 22, 2023•38 min•Season 2Ep. 74
What is wave season and how should you be preparing for it? Join us in this episode and Travel Advisor and marketing strategist, Rita Perez, will tell you how! Get ready for a big year of travel sales in 2024 and Rita will give you the tips and guidance on how to get your business, life, and goals aligned to create a successful year head! Show Notes: Free Wave Season Checklist! Free Lead Generation Calculator Listen to the Strategic Travel Entrepreneur Podcast Join the Strategic Travel Entrepren...
Dec 12, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 73
In this episode, we chat with Stuart Marra, Founder and Luxury Travel Advisor of The Opulent Explorer. Like many advisors, Stuart entered the industry fueled by his love for adventure and exploration. He shares his path to success growing his travel business, highlighting The Opulent Explorer team's one-of-a-kind services, such as a tailored travel planning workflow, how he's how he's incorporated his love for photography into his business, and so much more! Show Notes: Subscribe to Stuart's Lin...
Nov 06, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 72
Who doesn't love getting new leads and prospective clients to their travel business?! We chat with travel agency owners, Penny Cooper and Christina Viera, who have discovered formulas of success when it comes to finding new leads. In fact, they even created their own company Magic Made Simple , that specializes in helping advisors attract and nurture leads! During this episode, Penny and Christina discuss how to approach a strategy you can implement into your business. They also share what gener...
Oct 06, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 71
In this episode, we sit down with Harish Schroff from Indus Travels on how travel advisors can create and host successful events to market group travel trips and tours. Harish shares his pro tips and best practices on how to plan, market, and execute effective in-person and virtual events. Discover the art of engaging your audience and turning event attendees into enthusiastic group travelers! Recorded on July 24, 2023 Show Notes: Free Download: How to Plan a Successful Group Tour Start a free t...
Aug 31, 2023•29 min•Season 2Ep. 70
In this episode, we chat with Kelli Hayes Smith as she guides us through strategic tips to set yourself apart from the competition (ahem, booking engines, we’re looking at you). Learn the art of crafting compelling narratives that highlight your services and how to set achievable goals to optimize your social media presence. Kelli also shares real-life inspiration and ideas from fellow travel advisors that can pave the way for authentic connections. Recorded July 14, 2023 Show Notes: Listen to K...
Aug 09, 2023•37 min•Season 2Ep. 69
In this episode, we chat with Tammy Levent, Travel Industry Expert on the ways she's utilizing the power of ChatGPT and how others can do the same! Discover the essential tools and software that unlock its power and the secrets of seamless integrations. Tammy also shares her own journey with ChatGPT and presents real-life examples, demonstrating how you too can effortlessly apply this transformative technology in your everyday travel business. Show Notes: Use OpenAi's ChatGPT at chat.openai.com ...
Jul 24, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 68
This is episode, we sit down with Phillip, Co-founder of Rise Up Retreats about how he turned his passion of surf and travel into a growing business. We talk about the importance of sustainability in the travel industry and how he and his team leverages digital marketing and harnessing the power of word-of-mouth to attract new travelers and keep past ones coming back for more! Recorded on June 27, 2023 Show Notes: Visit Rise Up Surf Retreats: https://www.riseupsurf.com Start a free trial of Trav...
Jul 18, 2023•31 min•Season 2Ep. 67
“Artificial Intelligence”, or better known as A.I., has been growing in popularity since the start of 2023 and the buzz isn’t slowing down, especially within the travel industry! In this episode, we chat with Glenda Beagle and she shares what is A.I. is, how it can impact selling travel, and the ways travel advisors should be using and thinking about it. Recorded on June 8, 2023 Show Notes: Visit Glenda’s Website: artofsellingtravel.com Art of Selling Travel Instagram Open Ai ChatGBT (Website to...
Jul 05, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 66
In this episode, we connect with Grace McBride, Founder and CEO of Lucia, a freelancer marketplace for the travel industry. Grace shares the story of how and why Lucia was created and how it works for travel advisors and the travel industry. She shares success stories of how travel advisors have unleashed their full potential of their travel business with freelancers. Visit Lucia at https://www.letslucia.com/ Start a free trial of Travefy at https://info.travefy.com/get_started Recorded on May 2...
Jun 22, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 65
Create FAMtastic strategies to make the most out of your FAM trips! In this episode, we chat with Anne Smith, CTIE, on how to harness and maximize the education and networking power of a FAM ("familiarization") trip. Anne shares what a FAM trip is, including the different ways it can be achieved, mistakes to avoid when attending a FAM trip, how to plan out marketing strategies before, during, and after a trip, and so much more. Recorded on May 10, 2023 Start a free trial of Travefy at https://in...
Jun 08, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 64
Join The Lounge as we chat with Stephanie Louzil and Danielle Meyer from the Travel Anywhere Virtual team! Hear the story of how they started the company during the pandemic and how it continues to thrive today. We discuss how other travel professionals can implement virtual travel experiences into their business and create once-in-a-lifetime memories for clients...virtually! Show Notes: Visit Travel Virtually Anywhere's Website Recorded on April 20, 2023 Start a free trial of Travefy at https:/...
May 25, 2023•32 min•Season 2Ep. 63
Grab a pen and paper for this episode! Gabbie Borgus, or better known as Gab from @thatguidedtravelgirl, shares her top five tips on how to not only increase your own social media presence but also how to decrease burnout from the social media. Each tip is crafted with the busy travel advisor in mind with actionable items you can start implementing today. Show Notes: Gab's Instagram: @thatguidedtravelgirl Recorded on April 5, 2023 Start a free trial of Travefy at https://info.travefy.com/get_sta...
May 12, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 62
Join us on this special episode with Tamika C. Carter, Executive Director of Group Travel Academy! We set the stage for Travefy Academy's upcoming "Travefy Academy’s Grow With Groups Mini-Event" happening on May 18, 2023 ( register for event here ). In this episode, Tamika shares an overview of what selling group travel can look like for you and your business and what to know before planning and booking your first group trips. From escorting travel groups to booking out cruise ships, Tamika expl...
May 07, 2023•27 min•Season 2Ep. 61
In this episode, we chat with Guida Botelho, CTIE, Senior Director of Education for The Travel Institute. We discuss how advanced education and the power of knowledge can be crucial for travel professionals growing their business and expertise, which in return can increase booking revenue! Guida shares not only the educational opportunities available through The Travel Institute but also how to decide which certification program is best for you and your career goals, and so much more. Recorded o...
Apr 25, 2023•38 min•Season 2Ep. 60
In this episode, we chat with Jessica Pressler, Owner and CEO of Radiance Travel on how she began to pivot her growing business into the luxury travel space. Jessica shares how she's created her brand to reflect her own travel inspiration and elevate her client's itineraries and travel experiences into the luxury market. Recorded on March 8, 2023 Radiance Travel Website: https://radiance.travel Instagram: @radiancejess | @radiance.travel Start a free trial of Travefy...
Apr 06, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 59
It’s no secret that travel professionals are busy people when it comes to booking client trips, running their business, managing life and everything else in-between. In this episode, we chat with Travel Entrepreneur and Strategist, Roslyn Ranse, on how you CAN do it all! Roslyn shares her own story and what she has found to help her manage business and life by implementing systems, getting the right help, and more. It’s all about working smarter, not harder, and share Roslyn will share how and n...
Mar 27, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 58
