December 05, 2025

Travel Advisor Burnout & Calendar Control

56 minutes

Marcie Muensterman

Marcie Muensterman - https://www.facebook.com/MarcieMuensterman
Propose to Close Course - https://www.facebook.com/groups/proposetoclosewithmarciemuensterman/
Maximize Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/maximizeyourtravelagentbusiness/

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Show Notes:

Burnout in the travel industry is not a badge of honor, and it’s definitely not a business model.

In this raw solo episode, Marcie shares the unfiltered story of how she went from working 24/7 as a travel advisor, answering emails from the bathroom with the flu, working through holidays, skipping maternity leave, and treating her own family like an interruption - to burning out so hard she left the industry for three years.

When she came back in 2018, she refused to rebuild the same travel agent monster.

Instead, she rebuilt her business around boundaries, calendar control, and a 20-hour workweek that actually supports her life as a mom, caregiver, and CEO.

Inside this episode, you’ll learn:

Why “hustle culture” in the travel industry is outdated and harmful.

The one regret she has about early motherhood (and why it shapes her boundaries now).

How she decided which rules to make for her business—and how to stick to them.

Why she no longer works nights, weekends, or big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

How and why she refuses to book clients over key dates like family birthdays and her annual Christmas beach trip.

Why she doesn’t travel when her clients travel and how she plans her year nearly 12 months in advance.

How office hours, appointment-only consults, and clear expectations changed her client relationships.

Why aligned clients respect boundaries (and misaligned ones fire themselves).

How you can start moving toward a six-figure, 20-hour-per-week travel business, slow and steady.

If you’ve ever thought, “I love being a travel advisor, but I can’t keep living like this,” this episode is your blueprint for doing it differently.

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Episode Timestamps / Chapters

Use these for show notes + YouTube description:

00:00 – Welcome + Why This Episode Matters
Setting the tone: no fluff, no fake positivity, no glorified burnout.

03:30 – The Season of 24/7 Hustle
Nights, weekends, no maternity leave, panic attacks under the desk, and treating family like an interruption.

09:15 – The Moment Everything Broke
Burning out so hard you left the industry for three years and what that actually looked like.

13:40 – Coming Back to Travel With New Non-Negotiables
Therapy, mindset work, support, and deciding you won’t build the same monster twice.

18:30 – The One Regret: Early Motherhood in Hustle Mode
Working through grief, daycare guilt, and redefining what “success” means.

23:00 – Realizing 24/7 Availability Is NOT Professionalism
Panic attacks, answering emails from the bathroom, and recognizing “being accessible” isn’t the flex you thought it was.

27:45 – You’re a 1099, Not an Employee
Why hosts don’t own your time, your calendar, or your boundaries.

32:10 – Learning to Say No (Kids’ Birthday Parties, PTA, and Beyond)
Practicing boundaries in your personal life first so you can carry them into your business.

38:20 – Setting Rules for Your Business (And Owning Them)
What you don’t do anymore: instant replies, quoting in DMs, nights, weekends, and apologizing for policies.

44:00 – Office Hours as a Non-Negotiable
Designing your days, working 20-ish hours, and refusing to bully yourself with endless to-do lists.

50:00 – Holidays, Birthdays & Blocking Life First
Why you don’t work over Thanksgiving, Christmas, or family birthdays—and you don’t book travel over your own key dates.

55:30 – Not Traveling When Your Clients Travel
Planning your own trips a year in advance so you’re not a crisis manager on your vacation.

1:00:00 – The 20-Hour Workweek Mindset
Why you don’t believe in the 40-hour week for travel advisors and how marketing + boundaries replace “more hours.”

1:06:30 – Eat That Frog & Managing Your Day
Tackling the big tasks first, using reminders, and not letting social/media distract you from actual work.

1:13:00 – When You DO Break Your Own Rules (On Purpose)
Deciding consciously when to respond after hours and taking responsibility for your own boundary breaks.

1:18:00 – Planning a Year in Advance
Blocking out travel, holidays, and time off so you’re not in constant reaction mode.

1:24:00 – Clients Don’t Need Unlimited Access—They Need Clear Expectations
Resetting expectations with old clients and why aligned clients stay.

1:30:00 – Why You Don’t Do Conferences, Ear-Splitting Noise, or Old-School Schmoozing
Building relationships your way, with BDMs and vendors who respect you.

1:35:00 – You Can Make Six Figures in 20 Hours a Week
Letting go of the “more clients, more hours” lie and choosing boundaries instead of burnout.

1:40:00 – Final Pep Talk: Redefine Success & Block Your Calendar
Encouragement to start now, not on January 1st, and design the damn business you actually want.

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By Marcie Muensterman

5656 ratings