These blog posts are a little out of order, but still make sense!
I can't believe that – the best part of being in the industry is getting to travel! Your month in Israel and Africa sounds phenomenal – what a dream. I love getting to travel and, luckily, I'm not tied down to much right now (husband or children-wise), so I do it as much as possible. In the past year, I've gone on a fam trip to St. Lucia and hosted a Seabourn cruise along the Med – I actually took my parents on the latter, their my favorite travel partners! I'll be going on an Islands in the Sun fam to French Polynesia in March – that's the farthest I've ever traveled and I'm thrilled to see Tahiti, Bora Bora, La Taha'a, and Moorea. You've definitely got to find the time to do so – I hope you have a blast on your Tahoe trip. How old is your son now, and is he your only child?
I can't believe your mother has been to Africa 30 times – how incredible! An African safari is number one on my bucket list to visit and to sell – I can't wait to have the opportunity to research it more for a client and to go one day myself. Micato's mission is beautiful and I'd like to give back to it as much as possible. I'm with you on India, Cambodia, and Vietnam... there are too many places I'd like to see over those. I'm sending my grandmother on an Ireland and Scotland trip with Trafalgar this May – I'll let you know how she likes it!
Thank you for the offer to extend to my friends – where exactly are you located? Let me know if I can ever be of help to your company. Right after Travel Mart, I had discussed working with one of the Next Gen panelists about a venture into recruiting for agencies. You never know what might happen with that, people my age just need to hear it from someone like them in the business – it's really fun and very exciting to be involved in. I would love to continue this discussion, thanks again for getting in touch and I hope we can both learn from one another!
Friday, February 25, 2011
First conversation with a NextGen travel advisor
I wanted to shoot you an e-mail per your direct message (I'm an English major, so keeping it to 140 characters is hard for me), thanks for getting in touch!
I love being a young travel consultant because I feel like the industry is going through such a dramatic change and it's exciting to be part of that change. With the internet's threat to the industry, it's sink or swim – either fight it or learn to integrate it. I'm happy to be involved in a Virtuoso agency so I learn from fellow agencies that are all swimming. I'm actually an advisor at 21 – I'm the youngest I've met so far, even at Travel Mart, but I definitely don't regard my age as a disadvantage. I think I've really had an incredible opportunity to learn at such a young age from veterans in the industry and the Virtuoso network has been so welcoming to my rookie self.
For a little over a year, I've been selling travel as an independent contractor from my apartment in Athens, GA (my home agency is in Columbus, GA) while finishing up my degree and certificates at the University of Georgia. I graduate in May and it's a little up in the air what will happen after that. I want to pursue a career in travel full time, my complication is that I'm not sure which part of the industry is the best for me. I really enjoy being a consultant, but I would love to try my hand at either travel writing (I currently keep a travel blog and write a travel section for a regional magazine in GA) or, as high-stretching of a dream that this is, I would love to get into travel hosting. I've done a little commercial work in the past and feel that if I could combine that passion with travel (all the while keeping up my writing via a travel blog), I'd definitely be living my dream job. Samantha Brown, watch your back!
Speaking of blogs, I checked yours out when you tweeted about the Oceania Marina. What a beautiful ship! I saw the Entertainment Tonight feature on the ship and fell in love – your post just fueled that love – looks like you had an incredible time. Your writing is great!
So, that's a little background on me and my short but growing time in the travel business. I would love to hear your story – how you got involved, what you do now, where's the number one place you've visited that everyone should have on their bucket list, any advice, etc. :)
Sorry I wrote a short novel – told you those 140 characters just don't cut it! Thanks again for getting in touch, look forward to hearing back from you!
I love being a young travel consultant because I feel like the industry is going through such a dramatic change and it's exciting to be part of that change. With the internet's threat to the industry, it's sink or swim – either fight it or learn to integrate it. I'm happy to be involved in a Virtuoso agency so I learn from fellow agencies that are all swimming. I'm actually an advisor at 21 – I'm the youngest I've met so far, even at Travel Mart, but I definitely don't regard my age as a disadvantage. I think I've really had an incredible opportunity to learn at such a young age from veterans in the industry and the Virtuoso network has been so welcoming to my rookie self.
For a little over a year, I've been selling travel as an independent contractor from my apartment in Athens, GA (my home agency is in Columbus, GA) while finishing up my degree and certificates at the University of Georgia. I graduate in May and it's a little up in the air what will happen after that. I want to pursue a career in travel full time, my complication is that I'm not sure which part of the industry is the best for me. I really enjoy being a consultant, but I would love to try my hand at either travel writing (I currently keep a travel blog and write a travel section for a regional magazine in GA) or, as high-stretching of a dream that this is, I would love to get into travel hosting. I've done a little commercial work in the past and feel that if I could combine that passion with travel (all the while keeping up my writing via a travel blog), I'd definitely be living my dream job. Samantha Brown, watch your back!
Speaking of blogs, I checked yours out when you tweeted about the Oceania Marina. What a beautiful ship! I saw the Entertainment Tonight feature on the ship and fell in love – your post just fueled that love – looks like you had an incredible time. Your writing is great!
So, that's a little background on me and my short but growing time in the travel business. I would love to hear your story – how you got involved, what you do now, where's the number one place you've visited that everyone should have on their bucket list, any advice, etc. :)
Sorry I wrote a short novel – told you those 140 characters just don't cut it! Thanks again for getting in touch, look forward to hearing back from you!
Continuing Conversation with a NextGen travel advisor
I asked Lindsey if she minded that we blog our conversation....
Grace,
I don't mind at all, I'm flattered that you asked!
As far as the 30 year old woman, (a possible new advisor for us at PHT) I guess it depends on the set-up. As an IC, I'm solely commission based and within this first year I've made roughly the equivalent of someone who works full time at minimum wage. When you consider the fact that I was doing it part time while going to school full time, I actually think that's a pretty good amount to have earned on the side. When I think about taking the IC career full time as a single girl in my 20s, it scares me that I'll be relying completely on commission, just because that fluctuates so much. It can also be beneficial at times – if you make yourself, you can far exceed a salaried job. I'm also very fortunate to have the support of my parents – they've been so accommodating with letting me move back in and helping me out during the first couple years of being in the real world!
With all of that being said, it has taken me a solid year to build up a good client base and the way I've done that was mainly through attending bridal shows – it's good to give an IC a niche because it's a good place to start. I started learning about the honeymoon industry and along the way, I picked up leads from professors, family friends, etc. I think my career was definitely jump-started by working the bridal shows, though, so 2 years would be a pretty good estimate to build those clients. As far as the 5-years to make a living good enough to be just and advisor, I would imagine that's about right – since I'm only going on year 2 of my career, it's hard to say.
Hope that helps, and please let me know if there's anything else I can answer for you – I'm excited about this conversation and do hope that it can benefit others.
Best,
Lindsey
Grace,
I don't mind at all, I'm flattered that you asked!
As far as the 30 year old woman, (a possible new advisor for us at PHT) I guess it depends on the set-up. As an IC, I'm solely commission based and within this first year I've made roughly the equivalent of someone who works full time at minimum wage. When you consider the fact that I was doing it part time while going to school full time, I actually think that's a pretty good amount to have earned on the side. When I think about taking the IC career full time as a single girl in my 20s, it scares me that I'll be relying completely on commission, just because that fluctuates so much. It can also be beneficial at times – if you make yourself, you can far exceed a salaried job. I'm also very fortunate to have the support of my parents – they've been so accommodating with letting me move back in and helping me out during the first couple years of being in the real world!
With all of that being said, it has taken me a solid year to build up a good client base and the way I've done that was mainly through attending bridal shows – it's good to give an IC a niche because it's a good place to start. I started learning about the honeymoon industry and along the way, I picked up leads from professors, family friends, etc. I think my career was definitely jump-started by working the bridal shows, though, so 2 years would be a pretty good estimate to build those clients. As far as the 5-years to make a living good enough to be just and advisor, I would imagine that's about right – since I'm only going on year 2 of my career, it's hard to say.
Hope that helps, and please let me know if there's anything else I can answer for you – I'm excited about this conversation and do hope that it can benefit others.
Best,
Lindsey
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Conversation with a NextGen Travel Advisor
It’s funny, when I was young, my parents traveled a lot..before mom bought the agency, and I was able to travel around the world often…my father had business in South America, Panama (although I never got there) and I traveled with friends throughout Europe…I honeymooned in the Greek Islands, visited Turkey, and through my own photography business did a lot of the Caribbean. Once mom bought the agency, she and my dad took all of us kids and my son (8 at the time) for a month in Africa and Israel. Since I’ve been in the business, other than lot’s of 2 night cruises, and 1 trip to Paws Up in Montana, I don’t think I’ve been out of the country. I just can’t seem to find the time to be able to be gone for more than a week. I just can’t be gone long enough to go overseas. I am going to Lake Tahoe next week to go skiing, but am staying at my brothers condo with my son and his friends! I didn’t really want to have to do site inspections while on vacation! I would love to go to Ireland and Scotland…I’d love to go to the Netherlands and Russia in the winter…I do love cold weather….I’d like to visit South Africa, especially since my mother is an Africa expert and has been 30 times! I’m not great in crowds…I’d actually like to do a 2 week cruise somewhere, by myself, so no one can bother me and I could really rest…maybe on Oceania or Regent…that day will come I’m sure of it…but for now, I’ve got to be content and get my days off whenever I can. Let’s keep this conversation going, I enjoy talking with you. And if you have any friends that are looking for a place to get their feet wet in this business, I’ll be happy to talk with them too! Thanks!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Oceania Marina
On Saturday February 5th, Sylvia Berman and I boarded the brand new Oceania Marina.
We went to our cabin, a very nice Deluxe Verandah cabin, on the concierge level, 282 sq. ft.-very comfortable, lots of storage, tub and shower in the bathroom, dropped off our bags and went to see the ship. Mary Hart, the ships godmother, was all over, filming segments of her show to be broadcast later in the week.
We went to our cabin, a very nice Deluxe Verandah cabin, on the concierge level, 282 sq. ft.-very comfortable, lots of storage, tub and shower in the bathroom, dropped off our bags and went to see the ship. Mary Hart, the ships godmother, was all over, filming segments of her show to be broadcast later in the week.
The first stop was the pool deck, deck 12...lot's of Balinese day beds, comfortable lounge chairs, a good sized swimming pool, showers, hot tubs, The Wave Bar, and a smoking area. Also on Deck 12 is the Terrace Grill, with indoor and outdoor seating areas. Multiple food stations served fresh made food of all types...(as a matter of fact, we had dinner there our first night, (we were not ready for a 2 hour meal that night) and had delicious lamb chops, lobster, crab legs, fruits and vegetables. there was hand made pasta, pizzas, and anything else you would want. The food was wonderful.) Also on Deck 12 is the Bon Apetit cooking school, which holds 24 students for a rousing fun filled cooking lesson. There is also a painting and photography studio available for classes. After grabbing a quick bite to eat for lunch, we went to the next deck up, 14, and visited the Canyon Ranch Spa....beautiful, spacious, with many treatment rooms, good sized gym, and beautiful, private, resting areas overlooking the bow of the ship. You can lay on heated tiled lounges inside, or comfortable lounges outdoors. Towards the back of the ship is the computer room, available for lessons and access to the Internet. One of my favorite parts of the ship is the Library...dark woods, many small areas surrounded by well stocked bookshelves, with very comfortable leather chairs, and a small fireplace to read by. A perfect place to put your feet up and read your favorite novel. On Deck 15 is the Horizon Lounge, a large bar, lot's of seating and the other smoking lounge on the ship. There is also a putting green, tennis, bocce ball, table tennis, and many other light sports available.
At 3:30 we all disembarked the ship to take our seats for the christening of the ship. Some nice entertainment, hor douerves and champagne preceded the formal christening by Mary Hart. Frank Del Rio, President of and other notables made brief but impassioned speeches, describing the attention to detail and passion for design that went into the Marina. Mary hart was noticeably excited about being the godmother of the Marina, and took great joy in the christening.
After reboarding the ship, we all gathered on the pool deck to watch the fireworks as Marina pulled out of port...a few cocktails, then dinner, then an early bedtime. The beds are extremely comfortable, as are the sheets, TV has a good choice of stations, and off to sleep we went. Early morning for a day at sea, and more seeing the ship. Beautiful shops around a more beautiful Grand Staircase, all Lalique glass...we stopped in each of the 4 specialty restaurants, Red Ginger, (Asian fusion and gorgeous!) Jacques, (Jacques Pepin's first cruise ship restaurant, French, obviously) The Polo Grill, (Steakhouse perfection) and the Italian restaurant, whose name escapes me at this moment! All 4 restaurants are no charge, but reservations are required. There are 2 more food spots...Privee', a private dining experience for up to 10 people at $1000, including all courses and wine pairings, and La Reserve, sponsored by Food and Wine Spectator, another private dining experience by reservation only. Lunch was a Virtuoso hosted lunch at Jacques...fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!!!! Virtuoso as a consortium is the leading seller of Oceania cruises, which made us all very proud to be a part of Oceania's success. After lunch, a short nap, since Sunday night was the Super Bowl party and I wanted to make sure I could stay up for that.
I joined some friends in the Horizon Lounge, which has a very big screen TV, and watched the game, drank lot's of cocktails, and smoked to my hearts content in the smoking lounge. It had to be midnight before I got back to our cabin. But I was happy with the new friends I had made, and the outcome of the game.
The next morning we landed in Nassau, and after a quick breakfast, disembarked to visit The Cove, Atlantis, and the One and Only hotel properties. Lot's of walking before we got smart and got a shuttle between the properties and were fortunate to get 2 very good guided inspections at the Cove and One and Only, both beautiful Virtuoso properties. Then back to the ship to inspect the other cabins on board. The penthouse suites are large, and have spacious everything! Including exercise equipment in the cabin, and private media rooms. The Owners Suite is the most beautiful suite I have ever seen on any ship...it takes up the whole back of the ship, with a balcony all around...HUGE bathrooms, exercise room, really masculine, comfortable living room area, with leather furniture, area rugs, seating areas, desk....everything you could ever want for your time at sea. The artwork throughout the Marina is eclectic and wonderful....we looked very hard to see if we could find anything wrong with this ship and the answer is yes...we found 1, yes ONE thing wrong....when the elevator doors open on any "floor" (that's what the elevator says) it is very hard to see the sign that lets you know what deck you're on...that's it...we couldn't find anything else anywhere on the ship that needed improvement! The staff was incredible, the ship beautiful, the food fabulous. I would send any client on this ship with utter confidence that they will have a marvelous time. Oh, this is not a ship for children at all...there is nothing for them to do and no facilities to take care of them, so leave the kids at home and give yourself a well deserved vacation from the world. Enter the world of Marina....
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