Travel Agent Achievers - To Educate, Encourage and Empower Travel Professionals

Belle Goldie had worked in the industry for over 20years and had decided towards the end of 2019 that she wanted to make a change. To go out as a work from home Travel Agent. And what a change that was. From the hustle of an office to the quiet of a home environment.

As COVID-19 hit Australian shores and the borders closed, Belle worked around the clock like all travel advisors to bring her clients home, repatriate them to their home ports and consolidate hundreds of credits and refunds for her clients, just like you!

Not eligible for any government support, as she hadn't been in business long enough to 'qualify' Belle was determined not to give up. Taking on a second job to help support the family and riding the roller coaster of emotions day in and out, working on the train for her travel business and travel clients whilst holding down a second job was not what she thought would happen to her dream.

After a fall at work, shoulder reconstruction and being in hospital recovering, it gave Belle the opportunity to come back to her "Why" and she knew that Travel was her life.

The travel bug hit as a 22 year old and having a supportive husband and family, her travel business was her heart. She knew she had to keep going. With family support, Belle poured everything into her travel business and joined "itravel" as a Franchisee - itravel Penrith.

The doors opened, she was thrilled with the response and her clients rebooking travel and then the Omicron variant burst onto the scene. Once again, closures, uncertainty, illness swept the world and Belle was facing another hurdle.

Determined and looking for answers, Belle started a Movement. (ATAG - Aussie Take Action Group for Travel Advisors as a Facebook Group.)

What was to be and had to be cancelled due to the Omicron outbreak were a series of rallies. This however became bigger when a national day of action was confirmed - Tuesday 25th April 2022, whereby travel Advisors from around Australia met with local government offices and members of parliament to get their story across.

With the support of AFTA, CLIA and CATO, the message is clear and travel advisors need support to help come through this time.

Especially as there is currently 8 Billion Dollars worth of Travel Credits from Aussies, sitting with suppliers that the general public will need the professional support from Travel Advisors to utilise and navigate the ever changing travel landscape as we come through this time.

To get involved or read up on what the Travel Industry bodies are also saying in Australia - check out www.travelagentachievers.com/Episode60

In the past two years, we all have been on hundreds of Zoom meetings and possibly other types of online conferences/training or networking events. Let's be honest, somehow, we have all grown accustomed to this situation but it's also been exhausting.

In fact, when face to face connection became impossible as the world closed and we all began working and staying at home, an opportunity to move online with networking and connection for Travel Advisors was how our guest in this episode continued to build and establish a brand known for this. Our Guest is the man behind the Travel Community Hub - Richard Taylor.

Richard founded The Travel Community Hub, known as TCH to bring people together from the travel and tourism industry to start and continue conversations with suppliers and educators during COVID-19 pandemic. With the aim to keep the industry connected, informed and supported. His prior business was a Co-Working Space specifically for Travel Professionals.

In this podcast episode, Richard and I talk about Community, Connection, Networking and Education and how these will all look like post-covid. Are we still having online events? Or will we finally connect with one another in person?

We also talk about 'Hybrid events', What this means, how this will work and how this will further help us in the travel industry to continue to connect with one another and be well-informed about what's going on in our industry.

We also dig deeper about The Travel Community Hub and how Richard and his team will continue to support the travel and tourism industry now and in the future as we continue to navigate the new era of travel.

Make sure you stay up to date with the podcast by subscribing and downloading our free resources and checklists to help you with your travel business. https://travelagentachievers.com/

A New year is always a great place to start with thinking fresh, getting yourself organised, cleaning your office, tidying up old emails, and a FRESH start. I absolutely think we all need that this year. 2021 was just another crazy year we all had to experience.

If you felt like the end of last year was another kick in the guts, I understand. If you are questioning yourself and your business right now, I understand. You are not alone. Myself and my team have also faced many struggles both in business and in our personal lives towards the end of 2021. We all needed a break from everything.

As we start 2022, It's a great opportunity to start again as we welcome a new year!

I share this as business is like climbing the mountain. There will always be obstacles, challenges and then when you are prepared and you take action you will also be surrounded by people who want you to succeed and also those that can help lead the way and clear the path for you.

That's exactly what I believe this year will be about.

Grounding, Momentum, Action and Fearlessness.

As we kick off our work year, I'd like to suggest that this year, we take it as an opportunity to build a 'NEW' travel business. Asking yourself, what can we do differently this year to make sure that not only will we get through the year, but business is going to soar to new heights.

In this very first podcast episode of the year 2022, I share with you the things I do to prepare my business for an entire new year and also tools I use to assess my travel business.

Planning, forecasting, knowing what to promote or sell, setting sales targets, being involved in a community- these are just some of the things that you can do right now for your travel business.

In this episode, I mention a lot more ideas and things that I know you can use to have a clearer mindset, vision and focus as we navigate through this year.

My goal is to take action with you and implement those dreams, plans and goals. Are you ready?

In our (almost last) episode of 2021, I wanted to invite a friend, someone I admire and respect immensely and am also a HUGE fan of as a guest on the Travel Agent Achievers podcast. James Castrission is not only a father and CEO of My Adventure group, but he was also the first person to Kayak across the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand and then to also trek across Antarctica. (His stories and experience is incredible)

From his work as a senior management consultant at Deloitte and experience leading expeditions to the most hostile corners of the planet, James understands that culture eats strategy for breakfast.

We talk all about James's adventures and how these have given him lessons both in life and in business. We also talk about the three elements and key traits in business it takes to succeed in business for survival now and in the future.

A GREAT Episode to finish off 2021 with.

🌟 Listen on your favourite platform to be inspired, motivated and be ready for the year ahead! www.travelagentachievers.com/episode57 🌟

Many travel professionals (mainly within Australia) that I know have been trained or have seen Meg Salter speaking at a travel industry event over the past 20 years or so. She has true passion for the industry and a HUGE heart wanting to help people achieve their dreams and goals.

When COVID hit and almost all of us were in a state of shock, grief and depression, Meg stood up and shone brightly for everyone. She knew what we needed at that time - SUPPORT and ACCOUNTABILITY. Hence she joined forces with a few other industry legends and founded the "Travel Industry Women" Facebook Support group. This facebook group grew exponentially in the initial weeks as agents reached out and supported one another - something I had never seen before in such magnitude to work through the countless refunds, credits and details. It was and is a place for support emotionally, personally and professionally.

As she showed up in the facebook group daily along with thousands of others, in my eyes she created a space of 'we're all in this together' in raw and transparent conversations, which hit home with so many.

With this episode, I wanted to talk about those days with Meg and how she saw it from her point of view, but also bring to life some of the things that I have learnt from her over the year.

We discuss forming new habits and attitudes, continual learning and taking your skills to the next level and how important these are as we face the surge of booking inquiries again.

We also talked about "Brainboxes", opening and closing loops on your brain and prioritising things to avoid overwhelm.

We are no longer the travel advisors we were 20 months ago. We are smarter, braver and much more skilled. We know our worth and we have pointed out the people that we love to work with. We have done so much in the past few months to make sure that we'll never go back to that crazy hamster wheel.

We have the greatest opportunity right now to relaunch and rebirth ourselves as travel professionals. Make use of all the learnings and skills we've had in the past. Really make a plan for business success and not just a plan on how to make money.

It's time to look at the broader perspective, a long-term goals.

We believe this is THE TIME to get organised if you haven't already, or you feel as though you could be stuck on the hamster wheel - you are trying to juggle work commitments as well as family, a second job even or are just not sure what to focus on.

For more details and to join the In-Person sessions in Sydney, Australia in December 2021 or January 2022: https://travelagentachievers.com/planningday

Make sure you stay up to date with the podcast by subscribing and downloading our free resources and checklists to help you with your travel business. https://travelagentachievers.com/

Sometimes, when things are hard, a question that arises, is WHY….

Why have I chosen to do something. In this instance, a question I am hearing often right now is: "Why am I still here in travel?" "Why do I still remain on the roller coater of emotions as a pandemic surrounds me?"

If you have asked yourself this or many other "Why" questions, you are not alone. Sometimes I too ask myself this when having a tough day. I answer myself with my love and passion for the industry, travel and adventures we can have exploring this incredible planet we live on and my passion for helping others create memories of their own experiences as well.

Over the last few years, I have shared my journey with you. How my team and I have worked through the struggles, challenges, and moments we faced. As a team and also as individuals.

In this episode, I asked one of my long term clients share her story. She has ridden the same roller coaster, lost thousands of dollars worth of bookings, but decided that this was not the end of her travel experience as an advisor.

It is a journey of discovery, experience, up-skilling and working ON herself and her business to come through this time. A story of hope and what you can do too.

Kerstin has been part of the Travel Agent Achievers community since its inception and to watch her overcome the challenges has been an honor and privilege.I have seen her grow and flourish. Riding the wins and achievements as well as walking with her through the challenging times.

Her big heart for travel and wellness has helped her pivot and cope at times during the pandemic.

Even though her business ground to a halt, when the shock and main activity subsided, she did not let emotion and challenges bring her down. She asked herself - "Why" but then also followed with "What".

She has worked on what resonated with her and has taken action working ON her business. Given the greatest gift of time to get organised.

Business can be challenging. No one ever told you that having your own business would be easy. But with the right support and guidance, you will come through this time stronger and more resilient than ever.

You can be the Travel Advisor that clients are looking to turn to. One that is an expert, knowledgeable and ready to take care of them.

Kerstin is a member of the Achievers Mastermind as well. Her progress, implementation and training have been remarkable. I know that with the solid foundations she is putting in place, her business will soar when we are once again allowed to travel.

If you are looking to uplevel your business, check out the resources at www.travelagentachievers.com

If you've listened to our previous episode, I talked about the recent news we've been hearing all over the world about the world slowly opening up. I invited a special guest onto this episode as I wanted to dig a little deeper into the topic with an incredible woman who champions other women on their business journey. Michelle Broadbent.

We both want you to be ready for what is on it's way with regards to bookings and to get prepared as things start to unfold for now and the future! Helping you to clear the overwhelm and be the boss in your business.

Our special Michelle says she's 'the woman behind the woman', and the sounding board and cheerleader and is very passionate about seeing others succeed. But she's so much more.

She provides realistic, practical solutions and operational support together with out-of-the-box creative ideas - all served with a big dose of TLC.

Michelle and I have a lot of things in common and one you will hear about on this episode. (Please excuse my singing - OMG I almost died when I realised I did this and it is now recorded. )

Michelle shares with us ways to help to clear overwhelm, manage our time well, set up boundaries to ensure that we are on top of our business and not our business on top of us.

As we move on to a new era, I want you to be in charge and put yourself in the driver's seat. Do what you can do right now. One step at a time.

Organise, plan and understand your clients better and connect with them. Plug into a group that will help you grow, succeed and be accountable.

"Work out those things that work for you and put yourself in the driver's seat because you don't want to live your entire life according to other people's agendas". - Roslyn Rase

In-Person Planning Sessions - Get your Travel Business Ready and Organised for 2022

Achievers in Travel Facebook Group

Recently, there has been lots of positive information and news about the world starting to open up. A lot of discussion around what we can and can't do, how we will navigate the travel experience and seeing things from both sides of the industry - suppliers/operators/wholesalers and travel agents/advisors and professionals.

Things are happening. The question is at the moment, ARE YOU READY?

How are you feeling about this?

Discussions are still about and the roller coaster of emotions. Should we book, do we risk cancellations.. There are still so many questions and uncertainties, things we can't control but we need to be aware of and assess as we move into this new era.

However, even with all these uncertainties, we have control and authority over one thing - our behaviour, our actions and preparing the future for our travel businesses. So, what could you be doing right now to secure your clients as we move into a new era?

In today's episode, we will be walking you through some ideas that we use in our business to stay on task and are using to get ready for the new future of travel.

If you think things are starting to feel heavy and too much once again, I want you to take a deep breath. Look at the facts, look at what you can do and communicate as much as you possibly can. I am here to encourage you and support you and I know you will come through this time.

For resources to help you on your travel business journey, check out: https://travelagentachievers.com/

As we all know, the entire Travel and Tourism industry is among those harmed the most by the COVID-19 pandemic. In previous episodes, we have highlighted voices of amazing travel professionals who in spite of COVID-19 have continued to move forward and achieve results for their travel business that they may not have had time, insight or the determination to chase before.

There's so much that we can do with the gift of time that we have right now. And I know our guest for today will agree to this as well.

In today's episode, we have a very special guest. Lisa Pagotto - the founder and director of Crooked Compass.

Lisa has a fascinating journey creating one of Australia's leading niche travel brands, Crooked Compass.

Lisa sold her home to fund her business and what unravelled on her journey will have you spell bound, on the edge of your seat and on the brink of tears.

With over 21 years of travel experience, she's excelled in all facets of the industry. Lisa's efforts in the experiential travel space have directly influenced the development of the experiential travel movement. Her commitment, curiosity and daring sets new standards for the industry. With incredible stories overcoming adversity and challenges you never dreamed possible, Lisa has battled it all. With a passion for fading cultures, education through travel and a new skillset of becoming a pilot at a time when tourism was at a standstill, she's poised, whip-smart and straight shooting and will leave you feeling inspired and fired up to chase what you really want.

Lisa may be someone from the 'other side' of travel as a wholesaler and supplier but she has the same determination, guts, knowledge, and expertise as you do. AND is willing to do what it takes to get through this time.

2020 was set to be the biggest sales year for Crooked Compass, Lisa's biggest year yet. Everything in her business was going on an upward trajectory then COVID-19 hit. However, she did not let the sadness and depression get the best out of her and her business.

She took action. Which is exactly what we encourage you to do as well.

She chose to accept the situation calmly and work on the things that she can do right now. She chose to move forward and made use of the precious time to look at her cash flow, work on her systems and content plan, continue to build the relationship with her clients, and also reassess who she loves to work with.

Yes, we are not in an ideal situation. No one is right now. However, we are in the best position to prepare our travel business when things reopen once again. We will travel again and we want to ensure that your clients are going to book with you again.

I want you to be ready when that time comes. Now is the time to get stuck into those projects you never thought possible. Work on the back end of your travel business to help you in the front end as the bookings come in.

If you are not sure which direction to take, reach out. Send us an email at [email protected] or a direct message on Instagram @travelagentachievers

www.travelagentachievers.com/episode52

Do you realise or understand the level of service, the expertise or guidance you provide to your clients?

I know it, you ARE the expert.

So why is it that sometimes we question everything we do. We feel guilty when we can't control a situation. Do you feel the pain physically or emotionally when a client gets upset?

Sometimes we don't or our clients don't actually understand the amount of time, the expertise we have to guide them through a booking experience.

I know for a fact that you AREN'T a booking agent that does set and forget bookings. You are there when a client is in need and have navigated the last 18+ months like a true professional.

This episode is to really help you look into yourself. See the true value that you provide and then look at ways, by involving your clients as to how to get the message across that you too deserve to be paid for the work you do.

Not sure how to get started? Listen to this episode as I walk you through my 4 Step plan. Grab the resource to help you articulate your own value and the steps to also roll out your own 'Professional Fee' for your Travel expertise.

Whether you are just starting your travel business or a seasoned professional, this episode is for you.

If you are feeling uncomfortable about the conversation, it's ok. I get it. If this is new to you, its also ok. One step at a time.

If you are thinking about your Travel Business and what you can do to move forward as a Travel advisor, Travel Agent, Travel consultant, Travel Professional, whatever you would like to call yourself moving forward, then check out our "Achievers" Mastermind.

I'd love to see you in our Facebook group, "Achievers in Travel - Accountability" for additional support and guidance. I am here for you, you can get through this and I believe in you.

Grab the resource for this episode at www.travelagentachievers.com/episode51