It was a little over year ago that I decided to apply to be a travel advisor with Unlocking The Magic Travel after years of thinking about it. I would listen to the Unlocking The Magic podcast every week and the lovely co-hosts would mention their travel agency and every time I would think to myself, I would love to be a part of that! I am not sure what finally convinced me to put myself out there and try it, but I did! And in just a few days, I’ll embark on my very first travel agent focused trip, sailing on the Disney Destiny. Should I take that as that a sign that being a travel advisor was my destiny? Maybe so! 😊
Are you wondering why a busy wife and mom of two who also works full time would want to get into planning travel? Let’s dive in! I currently work full time as a Project Manager in healthcare IT for a large organization. I have been in project management at different levels for the past 10+ years and prior to that I was in customer service, also in the healthcare IT field. I enjoy many aspects of my profession, and I think I’m objectively pretty good at it, but let’s be honest, I probably wouldn’t do it for free. I work to get paid, so we can pay our bills, my girls can do the activities they enjoy and we can go on family vacation once or twice a year. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m guessing others can relate?
Although my work and personal life keep me busy, I felt for a while like I wanted to do something else. Sure, I have hobbies. I like to exercise, read, watch reality tv and walk my dog, but that wasn’t quite it. I wanted to do something where I could learn about things that interest me and help me meet people and connect with people who share those interests. I truly love to travel, plan travel and talk about travel! I started to make note of other people in the travel planning biz and it looked fun and interesting. I thought, why not me? I knew travel planning was something that I enjoyed enough that I would do it for free. (And I have!)
One thing I’ve learned over the past year is that you can love planning your own vacation and still use a travel advisor! I have had some clients that fall into this category where they know exactly what they want and they ask me to book it for them. This means SO much to me that they choose to support my business! It’s also been so fun because it’s given me an excuse to chat more with those people whereas maybe we wouldn’t have otherwise felt like we had a reason to reach out. On the flip side, there are also those clients who don’t really have the time or interest in planning a vacation (especially something like Disney with a lot of moving parts) and I get to really showcase my expertise and that’s fun too! I have also been able to learn a lot about other destinations and types of vacations I wouldn’t have necessarily thought of before. I never know what might be coming around the corner, which is exciting!
I’m not looking to make millions or become a travel influencer. Although that would be cool, I don’t really think I have the Instagram skills or popularity for that, friends! I do however love being able to use Instagram to share something I love and in a way that feels to me like it has a purpose. Although this is fun for me, I also take it very seriously and always want to do my best. Most of all, I love being able to help with something that brings people so much joy! And trust me – I know how valuable those vacation days and dollars are!
Thanks for reading and happy travels, friends!