Trade Secrets Podcast - podcast cover

Trade Secrets Podcast

Travel Weekly and TravelAge Westwww.travelweekly.com

Welcome to Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, where travel advisors ask -- and answer -- questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel advisor to join them and field listeners’ questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more — as long as it’s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at travelweekly.com/podcasts.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS:

Jamie Biesiada is a senior editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors’ 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.

Emma Weissmann is a Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the host of the Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives — the highs and lows that make them human.


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Episodes

Encore: Should I break up with my host agency?

Trade Secrets is on hiatus. New episodes will be out this October, but in the mean time, we're bringing you some of our favorite episodes every other week. Here's one of them! These days, there seem to be more host agencies than ever. Even before the pandemic, more and more travel advisors were driven to work for themselves as independent contractors (ICs). That was fueled further by Covid-19, which drove many to move their employees to IC status. The pandemic also gave entrepreneurial companies...

Sep 19, 202234 minSeason 2Ep. 14

Encore: What is the industry's top event for travel agents?

Trade Secrets is on hiatus. New episodes will be out this October, but in the mean time, we're bringing you some of our favorite episodes every other week. Here's one of them! What is the most beneficial travel agent training available today? What are travel's must-attend events for advisors? Senior editors Jamie Biesiada and Emma Weissmann delve into these questions with veteran advisor Sally Black, founder of the travel agency Vacationkids in Kunkletown, Pa. They'll also get a sneak peek into ...

Sep 05, 202221 minSeason 2Ep. 13

How do I actually use TikTok and Instagram Reels for my travel agency?

From Aug. 11-14, Apple Leisure Group Vacations (ALGV) hosted its first-ever Beachfront Bru event at Breathless Cancun Soul Resort & Spa in Cancun, Mexico. During the three-day event, an invited group of social media content creators ⁠— made up of travel advisors, social media micro influencers and former contestants of The Bachelor franchise, among others ⁠— created social media content for the resort, swapped best practices in content creation and promoted ALGV’s #AskATravelAdvisor campaign...

Aug 22, 202223 minSeason 2Ep. 12

Encore: Why should I start selling groups?

Trade Secrets is on hiatus this summer. New episodes will be out this October, but in the meantime, we're bringing you some of our favorite episodes every other week. Here's one of them! This week on Trade Secrets, it’s all about groups. Join co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada as they talk to three travel advisors about how they successfully put together group trips during the pandemic using the “come away with me” strategy. Instead of finding a group leader to draw in travelers, they th...

Aug 08, 202235 minSeason 2Ep. 11

Travel agents, is it time for some therapy?

Travel advisors are finally busy again — the good kind of busy, not the cancel-rebook-cancel-rebook cycle they’ve been stuck in for the past two-plus years. But many of them are too busy, and it’s taking its toll. Burnout is now a real problem in the travel agency community. That’s why we’ve invited Laura Magnuson, a licensed therapist and vice president of clinical engagement at Talkspace, to join us on this episode of Trade Secrets. We discuss how to avoid workplace burnout, how to balance wor...

Jul 25, 202234 minSeason 2Ep. 10

Airmageddon 2022: Why has air travel become so miserable?

Air travel in the summer of 2022 has been, well, turbulent. What’s making flying so bad right now? Have we ever seen this level of disruption before? What can travel advisors do to help their clients who are flying this summer? On this week’s episode of Trade Secrets, we dig into it with Flight Centre’s Marc Casto. Then, after the break, we share some listeners’ tips for their fellow advisors booking air travel now. In this episode: 1:08 - Meet our guest, Flight Centre’s Marc Casto 1:52 - What i...

Jul 11, 202231 minSeason 2Ep. 9

Why can the travel advisor-supplier relationship be so fraught?

The travel advisor-supplier relationship can be key for higher sales on both sides of the coin. It’s truly a win-win, but really solid relationships between advisors and their supplier representatives can sometimes be elusive. This week, we get deep into the topic with Kate Thomas and Heather Christopher, a supplier and advisor who have a great, long-standing relationship. This episode is sponsored by Windstar Cruises https://www.windstarcruises.com/ . In this episode: 1:17 - Meet our guests, He...

Jun 27, 202242 minSeason 2Ep. 8

An update from the hosts of Trade Secrets

We’re looking for questions! Every other week on Trade Secrets, co-hosts Jamie Biesiada and Emma Weissmann invite industry experts onto the podcast to answer listeners’ questions about anything travel-related. We wanted to do a quick pulse check to hear from you, our listeners, about what topics matter most. Please get in touch via any of the methods below. We can’t wait to hear from you! Call our hotline and leave a voicemail: 201-902-2098 Email us: tradesecrets@travelweekly.com Email Jamie dir...

Jun 20, 20222 min

So you want to become a travel agent?

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a travel agent? Find out all about the process this week on Trade Secrets, when co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada are joined by Travel Planners International’s Jenn Lee. Emma and Jamie will kick off the episode pitching their concepts for travel agencies, then ask Jenn all the questions they would have if they were just starting out as travel advisors. Listen in for Jenn’s advice, applicable to new and veteran advisors alike. This episode i...

Jun 13, 202243 minSeason 2Ep. 7

Is small-ship cruising right for my client?

The cruise industry is massive. In fact, CLIA estimates it generates more than $150 billion in economic activity every year around the world. This week on Trade Secrets, we’re focusing on one segment of that larger industry: small-ship cruising. Jamie Biesiada and guest host Andrea Zelinski, Travel Weekly’s cruise editor, talk all things small ships (and, spoiler, Tahiti) with Windstar Cruises’ Chris Prelog and travel advisor Nancy Cutter. This episode is sponsored by Windstar Cruises https://ww...

May 30, 202232 minSeason 2Ep. 6
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