Off the Script

 Most people assume a travel advisor on a cruise is just enjoying the trip. In this episode, Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, goes behind the scenes of creating cruise content as a travel advisor. She explains why people want to see a real person in the destination instead of stock photos, how she researches cabins and builds a shot list for every deck before a trip, and what influencers figured out about capturing attention that advisors are learning now. She also gets honest about the part nobody pictures: it’s a working trip, not a vacation. 

Off the Script is hosted by Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, a cruise and travel advisory specializing in Alaska, group travel, and multi-generational trips.

Find Melissa : www.trouvaillediscoveries.com

Instagram: @melissa_latonodom

Facebook: www.facebook.com/melissalatonodom

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-odom-35bab7127

“Does using a travel advisor cost more?” It’s the question Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, hears most. In this episode, she explains how a travel advisor actually gets paid, why commission comes from the supplier and often doesn’t arrive until after the trip, and why a planning or research fee is a normal part of the work on complex trips. 

Off the Script is hosted by Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, a cruise and travel advisory specializing in Alaska, group travel, and multi-generational trips.

Find Melissa : www.trouvaillediscoveries.com

Instagram: @melissa_latonodom

Facebook: www.facebook.com/melissalatonodom

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-odom-35bab7127

 "You called me because you realized I actually knew what I was talking about — and then you didn't want to book with me." In this episode, Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, talks about "door kickers" — her term for the people who seek out an advisor's expertise, take all the research and planning, and then book it themselves or were never serious about booking at all. A candid, sometimes funny look at a frustration most travel advisors deal with but rarely say out loud. 

Off the Script is hosted by Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, a cruise and travel advisory specializing in Alaska, group travel, and multi-generational trips.

Find Melissa : www.trouvaillediscoveries.com

Instagram: @melissa_latonodom

Facebook: www.facebook.com/melissalatonodom

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-odom-35bab7127

 Some clients don't know what they want — but the ones who know exactly what they want aren't always easier. In this episode, Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, unpacks why budget is often the thing that breaks a dream itinerary: passenger fees after the first two travelers, package restrictions that clash with expectations, and promotions that set a fixed idea of cost before reality sets in. She also talks about the hardest part of the job that has nothing to do with logistics — delivering a "no" without making someone feel defeated when a piece of their dream trip just isn't possible. 

Off the Script is hosted by Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, a cruise and travel advisory specializing in Alaska, group travel, and multi-generational trips.

Find Melissa : www.trouvaillediscoveries.com

Instagram: @melissa_latonodom

Facebook: www.facebook.com/melissalatonodom

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-odom-35bab7127

“I want to go somewhere warm” and every travel advisor knows that tells you almost nothing. In this episode, Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, talks about the hardest part of the job: figuring out what a client actually wants when they don't know themselves. She breaks down why budget is rarely the real starting point, why people get overwhelmed instead of being specific, and the elimination method she actually uses to turn “somewhere warm” into a real trip.

Off the Script is hosted by Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, a cruise and travel advisory specializing in Alaska, group travel, and multi-generational trips.

Find Melissa : www.trouvaillediscoveries.com

Instagram: @melissa_latonodom

Facebook: www.facebook.com/melissalatonodom

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-odom-35bab7127

Why I'm starting a podcast instead of another social post, and what it's really like to be a travel advisor when the caption's in this first episode of Off the Script, Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, introduces the show: unscripted conversations about the real work behind travel advising. Not tips, not a highlight reel, just the honest version.

She talks about building an Alaska-focused cruise and group travel business and names something advisors rarely say out loud: the tension between loving a place enough to sell it and running an actual business around that love. 

Off the Script is hosted by Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, a cruise and travel advisory specializing in Alaska, group travel, and multi-generational trips.

Find Melissa : www.trouvaillediscoveries.com

Instagram: @melissa_latonodom

Facebook: www.facebook.com/melissalatonodom

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-odom-35bab7127