TIQUE Talks: The Business Podcast for Travel Advisors

Thanks to Our Tique Talks Sponsors:

• Smeuse Studio - Strategic branding and website design for travel advisors
• Travel Collection - Connect and learn more about TC’s DMCs

What changes when you don’t just sell a destination, you live there? Jennifer talks with Brittany Pigorini, founder of Unfolded Travels, about how living in Lake Como shapes the way she plans and sells travel. Brittany shares how firsthand knowledge, site visits, and local relationships help her set expectations, recommend the right destinations, and elevate client experiences. She also talks about building a Europe-focused niche and navigating the seasonal rhythms of a travel business.

About Brittany Pigorini:

Brittany is the founder of Unfolded Travels, a luxury travel advisory based in Lake Como. After producing nearly 750 events a year in Austin, she closed her business and moved to Italy with her husband and two sons. Now she plans firsthand-informed trips across Europe and Africa and co-runs La Dolce Guida, a vintage Fiat tour company on Lake Como. When she’s not planning travel, she’s putting the finishing touches on her Italian villa.

Today we will cover:

• (04:00) How living in a destination shapes the way you sell it
• (11:00) Finding a niche through your expertise and the clients you attract
• (24:00) Preparing for busy seasons and managing slow periods
• (38:00) Using automation, social media support, and saved resources to protect your time

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That inquiry sitting in your inbox? You don’t have to say yes just because you could figure it out. In this Hot Take, Robin and Jennifer unpack why booking outside your specialty can eat into your profits and put client trust on the line. Learn when to expand your expertise, when to refer out, and how to build referral partnerships that let you say “not my specialty” without making your client feel like “not my problem.”

Before busy season hits, identify one type of inquiry you’d love to refer out, then start a conversation with an advisor who specializes in it. Want a community to make those connections? Join the Niche Community! Learn More and Pick Your Membership Tier → NICHE COMMUNITY

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Thanks to Our Tique Talks Sponsors:

• Smeuse Studio - Strategic branding and website design for travel advisors
• Travel Collection - Connect and learn more about TC’s DMCs

Your RSVP isn’t just a dinner reservation, and ghosting that supplier event costs more than an empty seat. Jennifer chats with Yina Munoz, founder of ALLabout Representation, about why roadshows deserve a spot on your calendar, how to get on the invite list, and what suppliers invest to meet you. From showing up prepared to following up afterward, they unpack how to turn a few hours together into relationships that support your travel business for years.

Don’t wait for the next invitation to magically land in your inbox. Pick three suppliers you’d love to know, introduce yourself, and ask to join their event lists. Connect with Yina’s team at allaboutreps.com to explore their portfolio and upcoming opportunities.

About Yina Munoz:

Yina is the Founder and Owner of ALLabout Representation, a luxury boutique sales representation company connecting travel advisors with exceptional boutique, family-owned, and sustainable hotels and DMCs across Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa. Acting as an extension of her partners' sales teams, Yina has built a portfolio of properties known for soul as much as style — including Chablé Yucatán and Colima 71 in Mexico. Raised in the Dominican Republic, Yina’s early love for hospitality led her to Cornell University and eventually to founding ALLabout, based in the New York City metro area. Celebrating five years in 2026, the company introduced a refreshed brand and a partnership with AVANCE Collective, donating for every advisor inquiry submitted. At its heart: meaningful advisor relationships and creative storytelling that brings hotels and destinations to life.

linkedin.com/in/yinamunoz

allaboutreps.com

Today we will cover:

• (04:00) How roadshows differ from trade shows and FAM trips
• (08:00) Getting on suppliers’ invite lists without waiting for your host agency
• (19:30)The planning, expense, and lost opportunities behind an RSVP no-show
• (28:00) Preparing for a roadshow, asking better questions, and practicing good event etiquette
• (32:00) Turning supplier introductions into lasting relationships through thoughtful follow-up

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Thinking about hiring because you’re drowning in inquiries? That’s usually a sign you needed to start months ago. Jennifer and Robin get real about how long it takes to hire and train someone, why “I’ll just hand this off” rarely works, and what to do now if a new team member isn’t in the cards.

Ready to get ahead of your next hire? Explore Agency Expansion Academy for a hiring framework, and join the Niche Community for AI trainings and tools to streamline your workflow. Learn More and Pick Your Membership Tier → NICHE COMMUNITY

Weremoto → Connecting top-tier talent in Latin America with life-changing remote work opportunities.

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The right listeners are what create opportunities beyond the downloads.Thanks to Our Tique Talks Sponsors:

• Smeuse Studio - Strategic branding and website design for travel advisors
• Travel Collection - Connect and learn more about TC’s DMCs

After burning out in a high-level corporate career, Sarah Magnoni took a leap into entrepreneurship and built Cobblestones & Castles, a travel business offering immersive, history-focused European group trips for women. Sarah shares how she turned a personal passion into a profitable niche, why she refuses to create cookie-cutter itineraries, and how embracing a little “delusion” helped her sell out trips and build a business entirely her own.

About Sarah Magnoni:

After decades in advertising technology and moving up the corporate ladder, Sarah walked away from a high-paying leadership role to create her own path. As the founder of Cobblestones and Castles, Sarah helps women travel solo, within a group. With a focus on European history, specifically women's history, her small-group trips include exclusive experiences and private access to authors, historians, and castles. Sarah is also an author and writer and is currently working on her second book.

instagram.com/cobblestonesandcastles

cobblestonesandcastles.com

Today we will cover:

• (01:30) Transitioning from corporate burnout to full-time travel entrepreneurship
• (05:00) Building and selling small-group trips for solo women travelers
• (10:00) Creating distinctive itineraries through strong DMC relationships
• (18:30) Why niching down makes marketing, supplier selection, and growth easier
• (29:00) Taking calculated risks and leaning into what is already working

NICHE is Tique’s membership community for travel advisors who want support refining their business, strengthening their positioning, and learning alongside other advisors who are serious about growth. Sarah is a member himself, and many of the strategies discussed in this episode are the kinds of conversations happening inside the community. Learn More and Pick Your Membership Tier → NICHE COMMUNITY

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If your calendar is already filling up for next year, when are you going to step back and look at the business you’re building? In this week’s Hot Take, Jennifer and Robin make the case for blocking time now to review your numbers, reset your capacity, and re-fill your cup. They share how to pause discovery calls without leaving inquiries unanswered, and how to tell clients what to expect before you’re out of office.

Block the time you need on your calendar now, then tell your current clients and future leads when you’ll be available! Want more conversations and resources like this? Join the Niche community! Learn More and Pick Your Membership Tier → NICHE COMMUNITY

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Thanks to Our Tique Talks Sponsors:

• Smeuse Studio - Strategic branding and website design for travel advisors
• Travel Collection - Connect and learn more about TC’s DMCs

When Mer Bleue started growing, founder Dianna Hetzel thought she had everything under control. However, the client inquiries multiplied, her workdays stretched to 15 hours, and costly mistakes began affecting the experience she had built her business around. Dianna joins this episode to talk about the changes that helped her get her time back. She shares how she decided which parts of the business needed her attention, why her first hire was a bigger step than she had planned, and how giving team members ownership of outcomes made delegation work. If your inbox runs your day and you keep telling yourself you can take on just one more trip, this conversation will help you see where support could make a difference!

About Dianna Hetzel:

Dianna founded Mer Bleue, a luxury travel design studio, with no client list, industry contacts, or sales background. Drawing on 15 years in education and a love of connecting with people, she grew it into a small team creating highly personalized trips. Client relationships remain her favorite part of the job—though finding the perfect hotel comes close.

merbleuetravel.com

instagram.com/merbleuetravel

Today we will cover:

• (04:00) The warning signs that growth is stretching you too thin
• (11:00) How Dianna chose her first hire
• (17:30) Delegating outcomes instead of individual tasks
• (24:30) Keeping the client relationship while handing off the details
• (35:00) Planning time for work that moves the business forward

Resources Mention In This Episode:

Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell

The ClickUp Business Hub

NICHE is Tique’s membership community for travel advisors who want support refining their business, strengthening their positioning, and learning alongside other advisors who are serious about growth. Dianna is a member himself, and many of the strategies discussed in this episode are the kinds of conversations happening inside the community. Learn More and Pick Your Membership Tier → NICHE COMMUNITY

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Big sales numbers might earn you an industry award, but they don’t necessarily mean your business is healthy. Robin and Jennifer share the four financial metrics every travel advisor should track to understand what’s profitable, what’s sustainable, and where the real opportunities are hiding.

Curious what your numbers are actually telling you? Join Robin and Jennifer for the November 5th training inside the Niche community, where they’ll help you analyze your financial metrics and make smarter decisions for 2027! Learn More and Pick Your Membership Tier → NICHE COMMUNITY

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Thanks to Our Tique Talks Sponsors:

• Smeuse Studio - Strategic branding and website design for travel advisors
• Travel Collection - Connect and learn more about TC’s DMCs

If Instagram has you wondering whether travel advising requires a side hustle as an influencer, Jace Tarbell has another strategy. Jace shares how he uses LinkedIn to build genuine relationships, attract higher-value clients, and generate business without relying on perfectly curated travel content. From optimizing your profile to thoughtfully engaging with potential clients, this episode proves you don’t need to go viral. You just need to show up where the right people are already doing business.

About Jace Tarbell:

Jace Tarbell grew up in California’s agriculture and livestock industry before moving to Missouri in 2020. After building a successful graphic design and marketing business, he entered the travel industry in late 2024 and sold $750,000 during his first full year. After changing host agencies, he founded Somewhere Travel Co. and began expanding beyond his existing network through strategic partnerships and LinkedIn.

Today, more than a third of Jace’s cold leads come from LinkedIn, with those leads booking trips worth 126% more on average than leads from other sources. In two years, he has sold more than $1.5 million in travel, and over half of his business comes from repeat clients and referrals.

thesomewheretravel.com

@travelwithtarbell

@thesomewheretravelco

Today we will cover:

• (04:00) Why LinkedIn works for attracting busy, high-performing professionals
• (12:00) Positioning your profile to immediately communicate who you serve
• (22:00) Creating authentic content without becoming a travel influencer
• (28:20) Using comments, connections, and DMs to build relationships strategically
• (32:00) How LinkedIn elevated Jace’s client quality, trip value, and close rate

NICHE is Tique’s membership community for travel advisors who want support refining their business, strengthening their positioning, and learning alongside other advisors who are serious about growth. Jace is a member himself, and many of the strategies discussed in this episode are the kinds of conversations happening inside the community. Learn More and Pick Your Membership Tier → NICHE COMMUNITY

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AI is supposed to save you time, but first, it might send you spiraling down a very productive-looking rabbit hole. Jennifer and Robin discuss why AI feels so overwhelming, what travel advisors should really be using it for, and why automating the human side of travel planning is the wrong place to start. The goal isn’t to master everything or build an app by tomorrow. It’s to give AI one job, train it well, and make your business a little easier to operate.

Ready to stop experimenting with random prompts and start using AI for practical tasks inside your travel business? Join the Niche community for step-by-step trainings on client experience, intake workflows, SOPs, finances, and more! Learn More and Pick Your Membership Tier → NICHE COMMUNITY

If you’re ready for a deeper dive into AI, check out Callan Faulkner’s 12-week course → AUTOMATE TO ACCELERATE

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