Working in the travel industry, I’ve often heard people express their dream of traveling the world for a living. For many, it’s a fleeting thought, a momentary escape from job dissatisfaction, but for others, it’s a genuine aspiration backed by real drive. If you’re serious about turning your passion for travel into a career, becoming a premium travel consultant could be your perfect path. This profession, celebrated by Oprah as one of the “happiest jobs in America,” is attracting individuals from diverse backgrounds, including law, finance, beauty, fashion, media, and education.
Do you envision a career where your love for travel fuels your professional life?
The travel and tourism sector is experiencing remarkable growth, outpacing many other industries with a 7.2% growth rate and creating numerous new job opportunities, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. My experience at Virtuoso Travel Week, surrounded by leading luxury travel advisors and suppliers, truly opened my eyes to the significant earning potential in planning travel for others. I encountered agents who, starting from scratch, built businesses generating millions of dollars within just a few years. I was particularly inspired by meeting dynamic young advisors such as Kristen Korey Pike and Kate Corey from Currie & Co. Travels, Josh Alexander from ProTravel, Erina Pindar from SmartFlyer, Laura Allen from Century Travel, and Lindsey Epperly from Columbus Travel. These are individuals whose passion and success are truly contagious. I had the opportunity to discuss career paths with Pike, from her corporate background to becoming a luxury travel advisor, and some highlights from our conversation are shared later in this article.
Embarking on any new career path, especially one as rewarding as this, comes with its challenges. Here are key insights gathered from industry experts to guide you on your journey to becoming a successful premium travel consultant. Ultimately, in this profession, you are selling yourself and your expertise.
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Cultivate a Lifestyle Passion for Travel: A recurring theme I encountered was the absolute necessity of personal travel experience. As many advisors emphasized, “If you aren’t traveling yourself, you shouldn’t be in this business,” and “You must genuinely love travel, or you’ll quickly burn out.” While the profession may appear glamorous, like any job, it involves its share of less glamorous tasks. A deep-seated love for travel and a genuine desire to share it are essential for long-term success.
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Develop Your Network – Your ‘Little Black Book’ of Potential Clients: Before transitioning into this career, start building a list of initial contacts. These individuals will be your first clients and sources for valuable referrals. Remember, as a premium travel consultant, you are solving a problem for your clients – the complexity of travel planning – and helping them realize their travel dreams.
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Master the Art of Delivering Exceptional Travel Experiences:
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Strategic Alignment with a Travel Consortium and Agency: Numerous agency and advisor networks exist, and choosing the right one is crucial for your success and client benefits. Consider factors beyond hotel, tour operator, and cruise line perks, such as commission structures and educational opportunities. Virtuoso, an exclusive, invitation-only network focused on luxury travel with $9.6 billion in annual sales, offers significant advantages to its members. Their Hotels & Resorts program provides exclusive amenities, valued up to $450 per stay, offering tangible value to clients. The Virtuoso Trust program offers extensive training in sales skills and supplier knowledge through webinars. They also emphasize relationship building and community support, ensuring assistance is always available and suppliers are committed to exceeding client expectations. Annual conferences, like Virtuoso Travel Week, which gathers 4,000 advisors and luxury suppliers in Las Vegas, are vital for networking and building industry connections.
Other reputable consortiums include Signature, Ensemble, and Travel Leaders. When selecting an agency and consortium, inquire about lead generation responsibilities and potential specialization opportunities, such as cruises, tours, or resorts. Determine mentorship availability from experienced advisors within the agency, especially when starting.
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Stay Informed with Industry Publications and Newsletters: Keep your finger on the pulse of the travel industry by subscribing to essential trade resources such as TRAVELAGE WEST, LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR, TRAVEL AGENT, AGENT AT HOME, VACATION AGENT, and Travel Pulse. VIRTUOSO LIFE magazine is an exclusive resource for Virtuoso network members. These publications provide invaluable insights into industry trends, news, and best practices.
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Leverage Social Media to Drive Your Business: In today’s digital age, social media is a powerful tool for marketing yourself and your services. Stacy Small, President of Elite Travel International, highlighted at Virtuoso Travel Week how social media has quadrupled her business in three years. “The time I invest in updating Facebook and Twitter is today’s version of direct marketing,” she explained. “Everyone from my past now knows what I do. You no longer need traditional mailings or postcards.”
Insights from a Rising Premium Travel Consultant
Kristen Korey Pike, a dynamic young travel advisor affiliated with Virtuoso, exemplifies success in this field. Transitioning from the corporate world, she has rapidly established herself in luxury travel. She was recognized as one of Travel Agent Magazine’s Top 35 Under 30 Travel Agents and serves on the Saveur Travel Advisory Board, curating culinary-focused itineraries for the magazine. Pike’s global upbringing, having lived in the UAE and England, studied in Paris and London, and fluency in French and conversational Arabic, naturally positioned her for this career. Even planning her own two weddings, one in Sea Island, GA, and another in Beirut, Lebanon, showcased her organizational and travel planning skills. “Seamlessly coordinating 30 Americans to travel to Lebanon made me realize I could translate my passion into a career. The planning process was enjoyable and incredibly fulfilling knowing I created life-altering experiences for my guests,” she says. She is now an independent contractor with Currie & Co. Travels in Atlanta.
Key Success Factors for a Premium Travel Consultant
According to Pike, “Firstly, effectively communicating our value to clients is paramount. Just as clients rely on financial advisors, they need to understand the benefits of our services to build the necessary trust for a successful advisor-client relationship.
Today’s luxury traveler is sophisticated and constantly evolving, making it crucial to deeply understand their needs. Attending the International Luxury Travel Market in Cannes as a buyer provided valuable insights into the future of luxury travel. I believe in offering clients ‘extras’ that distinguish authentic travel from mere tourism. Being part of Currie, and representing a similar demographic to our clientele, allows us to truly understand their desires. My client base has expanded significantly, starting with family and friends to now encompassing clients across the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Social media has been instrumental in this growth, with platforms like Facebook and Twitter offering unique avenues to share experiences and ideas with current and potential clients, often sparking new business opportunities.”
Note: Virtuoso provided accommodation and admission to Virtuoso Travel Week. Annie Fitzsimmons is a freelance travel and hotel writer based in Manhattan.
Read more about Luxury Travel Trends here.
