How can you talk about hotels in a way that inspires and informs your clients? Joining Whitney this week is Madeline Steuber to shine a spotlight on the art of hotel and experience recommendations in the travel industry. Fresh from a FAM trip to Cape Town, they discuss the pitfalls of using superlatives (“the best hotel,” “must stay”) without context, emphasizing the importance of thoughtful, client-centered matching. And they dive into differentiating between luxury properties, understanding client priorities, and asking better discovery questions to ensure every traveler is matched with their ideal stay—not just “the best” one.

Pull back the curtain on a Master Hour inside the Advisor Accelerator, where Sarah Williams of Rebel Office Inc and the host of IT'S A VIBE Podcast joins us to talk about client experience! We dive into topics like client retention, the art of client onboarding/offboarding, and the power of nurturing long-term relationships with clients. Plus, we cover nuanced topics like how to create personalized touch-points that strike a balance between professional boundaries and friendly engagement + incentivizing referrals in a way that feels authentic rather than transactional. (This is a replay episode that originally aired in April 2024)

Shop Talk is where we talk about what is going on in our travel businesses, getting honest about the day to day and big picture successes and struggles. Brianna shares her transformative experience at a mastermind retreat, discussing both the energizing connections and the personal growth challenges she faced. Whitney recaps her recent travels—from Italian food explorations to her first-hand experience planning travel in Japan—highlighting the lessons learned when stepping outside comfort zones, both professionally and personally. As always, we have reflections & advice for travel advisors, and reminders to celebrate wins and learn from challenges along the journey.

Brianna dives deep into 'client experience', highlighting how creating a memorable and seamless experience for clients is not just about logistics and beautiful locations, but about how clients feel throughout their journey working with you. Tune in for insights and practical strategies to enhance client experience, drawing from Brianna's near decade of running a travel business. She breaks down the process into three key pillars: thoughtful communication, seamless logistics, and personal touches. Tune in for actionable tips to elevate client connections and ensure repeat business.

Making the leap from a corporate job to full-time travel advisor is a courageous and scary decision, and here to share her story about making the leap is Julia Asselin of The Itinerary Girls. Tune in to hear about her personal journey of balancing her burgeoning travel business while working a full-time job and the eventual leap to becoming a full-time entrepreneur. The conversation provides valuable insights into branding, marketing strategies, and building a clientele in the oversaturated travel industry. If you are contemplating a similar decision, Julia's story serves as inspiration to take the plunge into entrepreneurship.

Joining us on Masters in Travel is Lindsey Epperly, founder and former CEO of Jet Set World Travel, to chat with Whitney about "the future"—the future of our businesses, our futures as entrepreneurs, and our legacies. They dive into the topics like transitioning roles, the fears and realities of one day stepping down or shifting roles, and the introspective work required to make significant business changes. Whether you are afraid to think about future changes or you embrace them with arms wide open, this conversation sheds light on a path towards growth in unexpected directions.

Ever come home from a trip with hundreds of photos and videos, only to struggle with actually using them to create marketing content for your travel business? This week, we are replaying a past episode where Brianna and two other travel advisors – Julie Patterson and Kate Sullivan – talk about the nuances of crafting content for your business even while traveling. They cover the creative process, importance of authenticity, and practical tips that will help get your photos out of an album and out into the world.

This episode is brought to you by Lucia – find vetted freelancers to support your travel business. Learn more at letslucia.com.

You own a travel business...but does your marketing showcase "travel influencer"? In this episode, Brianna dives into the balance of inspiration and advising with marketing content for a travel business. She talks elevating a business by effectively navigating the buyer’s journey, and strategically using storytelling alongside strategic marketing. From leveraging your own travel experiences to client testimonials, Brianna provides actionable steps for travel entrepreneurs to transform engaging content into bookings, moving audiences seamlessly from dreaming about travel to actually doing it.

This episode is brought to you by Lucia – find vetted freelancers to support your travel business. Learn more at letslucia.com

In this episode of Masters in Travel, Lisa Taub joins Brianna to explore the intricacies of building meaningful relationships with travel clients by understanding clients' deeper motivations and needs and communicating effectively. They talk about how consultation calls can be transformed into powerful relationship-building tools, sharing strategies on how to conduct them in a way that ensures clients feel seen and heard. With a background in consumer and market research, Lisa brings an expertise to the discussion that any travel advisor can learn from!

This episode is brought to you by Lucia – find vetted freelancers to support your travel business. Learn more at letslucia.com

In classic Shop Talk style, this week Whitney & Brianna delve into sharing about their personal and professional journeys as travel entrepreneurs. Brianna shares about her decision to join a high-level mastermind and the importance of aligning business growth with personal peace and fulfillment. Plus, Whitney spills the tea on her recent transformative trip to South Africa, highlighting its impact on her marketing strategy and client engagement. For some inspiration on investing in one's self and travel business, the importance of setting intentional goals, and how to utilize travel experiences for strategic business development...tune in!

Learn more about Lucia at www.letslucia.com