BTS: The Life of a Travel Advisor

Episode Overview

Travel advisors Ryan and Julie pull back the curtain on their daily work, revealing the extensive behind-the-scenes effort that goes into creating seamless travel experiences. From initial trip planning to post-travel follow-up, discover why working with a professional travel advisor is invaluable in today's complex travel landscape.

Key Topics Covered

Client-Facing Services

• Custom Trip Planning: Hours spent researching resorts, hotels, and excursions tailored to your travel style
• Itinerary Development: Creating detailed, personalized travel plans for destinations like Europe and multi-generational trips
• Booking Management: Handling reservations, payments, and traveler information input
• Pre-Travel Support: Passport checks, travel protection discussions, transfer arrangements
• Disney Specialization: Dining reservations, Lightning Lane planning, and detailed touring strategies
• Travel Day Assistance: 24/7 support via text and phone during your trip
• Post-Travel Follow-up: Gathering feedback and planning future adventures

Behind-the-Scenes Work

• Industry Intelligence: Daily monitoring of resort openings, refurbishments, and reviews
• Continuous Education: Weekly training sessions and networking with travel partners
• Partner Relationships: Maintaining contacts for quick problem resolution
• Travel Documentation: Creating comprehensive travel packets and using specialized apps
• Client Care: Thank you cards, welcome home notes, birthday cards, and referral gifts
• Business Development: Weekly team meetings, content creation, webinars, and community events

Featured Destination Spotlight

Pacific Northwest & Canada Road Trip: A 3.5-week adventure through Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver, Banff, and Montana, featuring the iconic Edgewater Hotel in Seattle with its rich rock and roll history.

Why Choose a Travel Advisor?

Just as you trust financial advisors with your money and doctors with your health, travel advisors provide expertise you can't get from clicking "book now" online. They navigate complex booking systems, understand fine print, and provide ongoing support that transforms travel planning from stressful to effortless.

Keywords: travel advisor, travel agent, trip planning, Disney travel specialist, European vacation planning, cruise planning, travel tips, vacation planning, professional travel services

Transcript

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 0:00

Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. we talk about trips we're working on, or we share stories of experiences our clients have had. today we're gonna go behind the scenes and share what the life of a travel advisor is really like and how we spend our time helping you.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 0:21

Listen in with travel advisors and destination experts. Ryan and Julie. I'm your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation, and she's a Disney loving Maryland mom of three. And a specialist in family travel, whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel. I looked at this list that you put on here today and yes, these are all things that we do, but now that you and I have our own agency, you left my number one task off, I'm in charge of paying out commissions. So I'm the one that pays you your money. I thought that would be the number one on the list.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 1:03

because this is about helping our clients, Ryan,

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 1:06

That's true. This is true. I really liked this, topic you put together today.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 1:10

And I think that this comes up going behind the scenes of what your travel advisor does for you, because sometimes, clients or people we talk to in the community they don't think travel agents exist anymore. or they think it's just like a side hustle or they forget the value of a travel advisor. And sometimes when I'm having that conversation, I think, do you have a financial advisor?

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 1:35

Right.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 1:36

And you trust them to manage your money because that's their area of expertise, it's kind of a similar thing and I think people just kind of forget about us sometimes if they haven't worked with an advisor for a while or ever really. because it's so easy to go online and click the book button, but maybe you don't always know what you're booking.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 1:56

I would say most of the times you don't know what you're booking and what the fine print says. you get on a Royal Caribbean site because you've seen a commercial and you can't find a ship that looks like the one you saw in the commercial, or you look and there's, 900 different categories of cabins and what does this mean and what does that mean? it's very easy to fall through the rabbit hole and think that you're doing one thing and realizing later that you've done something completely different.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 2:27

right? So this kind of comes up one of two ways. The first is like, well, how does working with you hear and how does that help me?

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 2:36

Yep.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 2:37

Or the other side of, well, I already booked my trip. But I didn't think about this, or I didn't think about that, or what do you think about this? so we're excited to kind of

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 2:46

Yes,

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 2:47

a little bit more about what we do.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 2:49

But before we do that, I wanna remind folks if they have not listened to last week's episode, we do a conversation about which is best for families cruising with Royal Caribbean or Disney Cruise Line. So Julie, why don't you start by talking about the things that we do directly with clients, that they would see the benefit for when booking their travel.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 3:13

these are all what I like to call client facing tasks. These are things that our clients know that we do for them, and these are things that you would expect to work alongside with us when we plan your trip. gonna start with the obvious. the actual trip,

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 3:29

Yes.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 3:29

more than just pressing the book

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 3:32

Yeah.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 3:33

We are almost always in communication with our clients via, zoom meetings, phone calls or messaging. I strive to build rapport, and I know Ryan does. Two, to try to understand our client's travel style so that we can create the right travel proposal for you. If we can understand you and we understand what you're looking for at the beginning of working together, I every day have clients on various trips, messaging me, emailing me, so we're always kind of having this communication, the whole time of planning our trip, whether you've booked. Two months in advance or two years in advance.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 4:11

Yep.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 4:12

And depending on that destination, for something like a custom Europe vacation or a multi-generational trip, we can spend hours reworking an itinerary. So the client is getting that finished itinerary to, Look over and give us feedback on, but we are spending a lot of

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 4:30

Right.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 4:31

scenes, making sure we've chosen the right resorts, researching what that resort offers our client that they're looking for. maybe we're researching various hotels or different excursions, making sure the time will fit with what you wanna do, making sure you're not gonna have too much jet lag. There's a lot going on behind the scenes when we prep that itinerary for you. you just get this really pretty looking itinerary to say yes or no.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 4:57

Yeah, and sometimes what I like to do is set the expectation upfront, especially if they're booking farther out, which I want them to do. We have everything that we can book now booked. Everything is set. You're not gonna hear anything from me for a while, but here are the dates that I'm gonna be pressing you for things like I need to know your flight information by this time. Or I need to know, what restaurants you want to go to so that they,

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 5:25

Make,

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 5:25

there's an expectation from the beginning of what that relationship,'cause it really is a working relationship. what that's gonna look like.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 5:32

Yeah, I, you're right. the whole point is that, we're not clicking the button and then saying, see ya. Have a great trip. We are here along the way. so after we've perfected this itinerary that we're working on together. We do handle the actual booking details, taking your payment, inputting traveler information and confirming the details on the reservation, like the room and the dates, all the client information we're gonna need, and actually making that booking. And then you just get that nice little confirmation from us. But rest assured, that is not the only thing that we do and not the biggest part of our job.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 6:07

what are some of the ways that we talk to our clients about upcoming trips or firming up details? These are conversations about travel protection. transfers, I am thinking of some recent trips that I've had with folks in Europe this past summer. I mean, there's transfers here, there and everywhere, making sure that we have all that information set up, making payments all along the way. Either, the final payment the destination. Requires, or I have folks that'll say, I wanna make payments all along the way. can you set that up for me? specialized destinations, like Disney, require prep for dining, lightning lanes, making all those reservations. Also, you know, touring plans for places like Disney. I give more of an overview so folks can make their own decisions, but you really do go in and say, you know, boom, boom, boom, boom. And I think for a lot of folks, that's really helpful.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 7:00

I think that's the nature of our clients, I think my clients are more younger families, so they need that information of like, okay, what do I do first with my kid? They're already doing so much mental work of managing their kids that I'm like. just look at this paper and go where I tell you to go.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 7:16

Yeah.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 7:16

my planner all week is check so-and-so's transfers, confirm so-and-so's travel protection, make a payment for this client. those are things that are on my calendar every single day. So it, it really, again, is not just hitting book and have a great trip. It's all the details leading up to it.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 7:32

we've talked about the prep for the trip, our job doesn't stop there when they're on their trip. we're checking in, making sure everything's okay having them understand, you know, we're only a text away. what's the best thing to do in case there's a problem? Is it reach out to us? Does it reach out to the destination? And then really after the trip, it's following up. one of the things that we really want to do, Julie, is we wanna learn from our clients and their experience. So, you know, if I'm sending somebody to a resort that I have not been to personally or haven't gotten feedback from past. Past folks. Don't be surprised if you get a phone call and I say, you know, I wanna talk about this resort, or I wanna talk about this cruise line. tell me the ins and the outs, the things that you like, the things that you didn't like so that I can help people like you. and then I always check with folks, you know, what? What's on the horizon when it comes to travel? It may not be right away, but if I know you're thinking about Thailand and things come up about Thailand, I've got you in my brain.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 8:31

Absolutely.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 8:33

so Julie, usually at this time in the show we do where in the world is all things travel and we've decided to make a little pivot with this. as we like to celebrate our clients and teach folks about the types of trips that we plan. I am now calling this Where in the World Is Wonder and Beyond Travel, and I know you want to take the first swing at this. So when you're thinking of some clients traveling soon, where in the world is wonder and beyond travel? Julie?

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 9:01

So this is an exciting trip and a little bit different than what we normally plan, and that's the fun part of sharing these trips. this is a trip my in-laws are taking, and if you've been listening to All Things Travel for a little while, this probably sounds a little bit familiar because they did something similar a couple years ago.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 9:19

Yes.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 9:20

So they're going to the Pacific Northwest and then into Canada. on a road trip they leave next week. by the time this comes out, they'll literally be in the middle of their trip'cause it's about three and a half weeks long. so they're actually gonna fly into Seattle and then drive through Canada, including Victoria, Vancouver, Camloops, veil Mount, and Banff, then come back into the us. To Montana and then back to Seattle. They're ending their trip at the Edgewater Hotel, Seattle's only over the water hotel. There's a lot of rock and roll history here.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 9:58

And I remember from their earlier trip, they were really into music. They wanted to see a lot of music options.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 10:05

Yeah, so they're actually, the day they go to Seattle to start their trip, they're going to a concert as well.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 10:12

Very fun.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 10:13

and then this is the back end of the trip. So the Edgewater Hotel is in Seattle. It was originally built for the 1962 Worlds Fair. So there's a lot of history there, but it has also hosted some of the most famous names in music, including Led Zeppelin, Neil Young. The Beatles who famously fished from the window of their suite. And there's a photo of this that has become iconic if you look it up.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 10:39

cool.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 10:41

we love celebrating where our clients are headed. it inspires some curiosity and we can't wait to hear about their trip. And maybe your trip will be the next one we highlight.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 10:51

Very, very cool. So let's talk about the stuff that we do that clients won't necessarily see. What's on your list here, Julie?

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 11:01

There is a lot here, and this is something that a lot of people probably don't think about staying up to date on resort openings, refurbishments, and reviews. literally, on a daily basis, I am looking at reviews that other travel advisors, our colleagues are sharing about what their clients thought about a resort or what they personally thought after their travel experiences. And that is something that helps us immensely to know where to send our clients Our inboxes are full of this. Hotel's going under refurb. This hotel's coming soon, this change is happening. as a consumer, you're not gonna get any of that information. You might see some TripAdvisor reviews. but personally, I'm gonna trust a fellow travel advisor over TripAdvisor. We're also always doing training not only to better our business and how we approach our clients, but also just to learn more about destinations, I also have opportunities within my inbox and with other travel partners to. Take training about a new resort, about changes at a resort, about something that they wanna highlight. Ryan has done alma waterways training before on a cruise as I am going to do a World Caribbean one soon. We are constantly finding these opportunities to network with our preferred partners, and maintain that great relationship. Along with that, we're also building that relationship with our preferred partners by keeping in contact with them, emailing them, so that way when my client, if they have a problem at a resort, I say, I know exactly who to contact for this problem. confirming, do you have the pack and play that my clients need for their trip? Do you have a scooter that my client requested to be delivered? this client has a dietary request. A lot of these back office details that a client might request but might not know how to ask for themselves if they are just booking as a consumer. I also prep travel packets.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 13:01

and I would say with that, Julie too, as we've started our own agency. You know, not only travel packets, but our, our system that we now use to keep track of everything has an app for clients. I've also got clients going to Africa next month, and we were having a meeting with the supplier this week, there's an app that they specifically use to upload documents, and all that kind of stuff. And having a WhatsApp, group So there's a lot of ways that we can provide information. I know you like to do it paper-wise, but there's a lot of ways we can keep things organized for our clients.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 13:35

Yeah, absolutely. some other random things, our clients do. See, every time you book with me, you receive a thank you card. When you come home, you receive a welcome home card. Sometimes you get a referral card if you've referred a client to me and they book, you get a little gift in the mail, a packing postcard that says, Hey, this is when your final payment's due. These are some other dates that we need to know about for your trip. Just kind of these little touch points that we do and, and a lot of behind the scenes communication that we do. Ryan and I since launching our own agency, meet weekly to set aside time to go through our client's trips, any issues we're having, any advice we can offer each other, any communication we've had with travel partners, all to better our clients' experience.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 14:21

Well, and I would say too, adding to this list, the content that we create as small business owners. this podcast is something that obviously takes time. Not only the recording of it, but The backend with the editing it's helped make us, experts in the different areas that we've talked about doing stuff like social media posts. that doesn't seem like it's really travel advisory, but from a small business standpoint, that's really vital. doing things like hosting webinars. this past week I had an Amma Waterways webinar. next month I'm gonna be doing several in-person events. So I mean, there's a lot of ways that we,

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 14:57

that.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 14:58

we connect with the community, with our potential clients and our current clients, all along the way.

j_1_08-29-2025_133758: 15:05

So we hope this gives you a little bit of a glimpse into all the things that your travel advisor, a K, A US does for you behind the scenes that you might not see. All this is to give our clients an effortless travel planning experience. There's so much more that we do than just hit the book button. That makes working with a travel advisor a no-brainer.

ryan_1_08-29-2025_133758: 15:29

The world is full of wonder and your next great adventure is waiting at Wonder and Beyond Travel. We work with you to create a one of a kind journey, taking the stress off your plate so you can focus on the joy of exploring and the memories that will stay with you forever. If you're ready to start planning or you just want to dream a little bigger, head on over to Wonder and beyond travel.com. We would love to help you get started. We look forward to talking to you next week on All Things Travel. when Julie and I talk about our recent food crawl through Disney Springs,