It didn’t start with a niche, it started with a perspective. And in just a few short years, Karen has turned that perspective into a fast-growing travel business that’s on track to hit $1M in annual sales in 2026.
Since entering the industry in 2022, Karen has built her business around accessible travel, not as a checkbox, but as a core part of how she serves every single client. As a wheelchair user herself, she brings lived experience into every itinerary, helping travelers navigate a world that isn’t always designed with them in mind… and showing them what is possible.
Karen is a firm believer that accessible travel isn’t just for a small subset of clients, it’s something every advisor should be thinking about. From mobility needs to invisible disabilities to simply asking better questions, she shares how advisors can create more inclusive experiences without feeling overwhelmed or out of their depth.
In this episode, Karen walks us through how she’s built trust with her clients, the realities (and misconceptions) of accessible travel, and how focusing on this space has not only made her business more meaningful, but also incredibly successful.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to better support your clients, this is a conversation that might just change the way you think about accessibility in travel.
We'll be back in a moment after a quick word from our sponsor From
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Speaker:Hi everybody, and welcome.
Speaker:I'd like to start with a special thank you to today's sponsor, IMG
Speaker:Global Travel Insurance Welcome.
Speaker:You are listening to Travel Agent Chatter, volume 36.
Speaker:Travel Agent Chatter is an audio series produced by the team here at Host
Speaker:Agency Reviews each and every quarter.
Speaker:So without any further ado, let's get the show on the road.
Speaker:I am Shayna Zand, Managing Director of Host Agency Reviews and the
Speaker:host for today's interview.
Speaker:So what do we have in store for you today?
Speaker:Obviously a whole lot of fun because that's all we do at HAR is have a whole
Speaker:lot of fun, and of course education.
Speaker:So a little bit about what we'll be talking about today.
Speaker:this didn't just start with a niche.
Speaker:This started with a perspective and in just a few short years, Karen
Speaker:has turned that perspective into a fast-growing travel business.
Speaker:Her agency, Joyword Travel, that's on track to hit $1
Speaker:million in annual sales in 2026.
Speaker:Since entering the industry in 2022, Karen has built her business
Speaker:around accessible travel, not as a checkbox but as a core part of
Speaker:how she serves every single client.
Speaker:As a wheelchair user herself, she brings lived experience into every itinerary,
Speaker:helping travelers navigate a world that isn't always designed with them in
Speaker:mind and showing them what's possible.
Speaker:Karen is a firm believer that accessible travel isn't just for a small subset
Speaker:of clients, it's something every advisor should be thinking about, from
Speaker:mobility needs to invisible disabilities to simply asking better questions.
Speaker:She shares how advisors can create more inclusive experiences without feeling
Speaker:overwhelmed or out of their depth.
Speaker:In this episode, Karen's gonna walk us through how she's built trust
Speaker:with her clients, the realities and misconceptions of accessible travel,
Speaker:and how focusing on the space has not only made her business more meaningful
Speaker:but also incredibly successful.
Speaker:So whether you're just starting out or looking to better support your
Speaker:clients, this is a conversation that might just change how you
Speaker:think about accessibility in travel.
Speaker:So today any links or resources that we talk about can be found in today's
Speaker:show notes, which you can find by visiting hostagencyreviews.com/tac
Speaker:and clicking on episode 36.
Speaker:Now a map for today's talk.
Speaker:We'll be covering a variety of topics in each segment, so here's what they are.
Speaker:We're gonna start with the beginnings into operations, sales and marketing,
Speaker:then we're gonna jump right into accessible travel, a little bit of
Speaker:wisdom from Karen, and then of course we'll finish with our indispensable
Speaker:question that we ask everyone.
Speaker:There's a lot to talk about, so let's get things started.
Speaker:Karen, welcome to Travel Agent Chatter.
Speaker:Thank you so much Shayna.
Speaker:I'm so happy to be here today.
Speaker:Oh, we're so happy to have you.
Speaker:I cannot wait.
Speaker:Everybody lock in.
Speaker:We've got such a great time with Karen for the next 60-ish minutes.
Speaker:You know us, we always like to go over a little bit because great
Speaker:information is great information.
Speaker:but Karen, if you could get us started, with how did you end up in travel?
Speaker:Sure.
Speaker:I think like most of us, I've always been the travel planner
Speaker:for my friends and family.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:From mapping where we needed to stand when I first went to Disney World with
Speaker:my parents when I was about 10 years old, to planning every senior trip,
Speaker:spring break, travel, bachelorette party, and milestone birthday.
Speaker:So for me, planning travel and thinking about it has been
Speaker:something that's been core to my being since I was a little girl.
Speaker:So inevitably, people always asked me where to go.
Speaker:I tended to be one of the most well-traveled people in my group of
Speaker:friends, and I thought that I could help more people get places when I
Speaker:started getting asked, as a marketing consultant, how did I travel with a
Speaker:wheelchair so easily and so often?
Speaker:And that is what really spurred this desire to think about
Speaker:travel as a second career.
Speaker:I just didn't really expect it to be this big so quickly.
Speaker:Yeah, that's wonderful.
Speaker:So did you end up traveling a lot as you were growing up, or is it something you
Speaker:kind of came more into through adulthood?
Speaker:We traveled a lot in the continental US when I was a child.
Speaker:We had done trips to Hawaii and Mexico, but never to Europe or Asia.
Speaker:But it was always something I was passionate about.
Speaker:I did a study abroad program when I was in high school through my school, spent
Speaker:four weeks in Spain, and was hooked.
Speaker:And from then on, I always sought out experiences to travel as much as possible.
Speaker:Oh, amazing.
Speaker:so I'm gonna jump a little bit into the operations of your business and
Speaker:give- Okay … our audience a little bit of information around that.
Speaker:We know they love to hear more.
Speaker:so with your advisor business, so you started in 2022, so not that long ago.
Speaker:do you now, as an advisor, do you charge fees?
Speaker:Why or why not?
Speaker:Sure.
Speaker:I've now started two businesses.
Speaker:I've had a marketing consultancy and now I have a travel agency, and
Speaker:in both cases, I really use my own network of referrals to get started.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Both of my business started it … with an email and a text message to
Speaker:people I had worked with in the past.
Speaker:So for me, building businesses always came from that personal connection When it
Speaker:comes to planning fees, I will admit I'm not really consistent with a methodology.
Speaker:Since a lot of my clients came to me early and I have a deep personal relationship
Speaker:with them, I don't tend to charge fees.
Speaker:For new clients or cold leads coming in, especially if it's a complex
Speaker:trip, I will charge a planning fee.
Speaker:But that is something that I'm really looking at as something
Speaker:that I need to add to my business.
Speaker:That's really great to know.
Speaker:I think there's always a bit of a trepidation to charge fees, so I
Speaker:think it's great to understand wha- when you do and when you don't.
Speaker:for everyone here in our, in our notes for the episode, we'll include an
Speaker:article about fees, different types of fees, what that looks like, what
Speaker:people typically charge, just to give anyone who's listening a little bit
Speaker:of direction in terms of if you're looking to start charging fees, a
Speaker:little bit of help for you there.
Speaker:We'll also link our annual report so that you can see who in the travel advisor
Speaker:space, we have over 3,500 advisors who respond to this survey every year,
Speaker:and we have a whole section on fees.
Speaker:So a great way for everyone listening to learn a little bit more.
Speaker:But we'll link those, in the notes for you all.
Speaker:okay, so with your clients, what is your process overall for booking clients?
Speaker:So walk me through from when they reach out to you to when they come home.
Speaker:Yeah, I love having personal conversations with clients.
Speaker:I feel like that's irreplaceable to really understand what matters to
Speaker:them, hear a little bit about their preferences, and get a sense of
Speaker:their tone, their vibe, what type of things they will like and not like.
Speaker:I sometimes think you can learn the most from what people
Speaker:are not interested in doing.
Speaker:I had a client recently ask me about a trip to Paris, and I mentioned a flea
Speaker:market that I've loved visiting, and her answer was, "Never in a million
Speaker:years would I want to do that." So that already gives me a good guidepost, right?
Speaker:She wants a little more of a modern, fresh experience.
Speaker:So I think that's really helpful.
Speaker:So it starts with that phone call, and then it… I try to turn around
Speaker:that synopsis of what they're looking for quite quickly so we're on the
Speaker:same page before we start planning.
Speaker:Depends on the budget.
Speaker:If it's a DMC type vacation, then I'll send everything at once.
Speaker:But a lot of times people might be looking to optimize hotels, really stay
Speaker:somewhere lovely, do a mix of high and medium properties, and then add in a
Speaker:selection of group and private tours.
Speaker:So if that's the case, I usually start with hotels and follow
Speaker:up with tours and transfers.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:No, that's great.
Speaker:And then we say they, they go ahead, they book the trip now.
Speaker:Sure.
Speaker:So now they're traveling.
Speaker:what do you do when they come home?
Speaker:Is there any kind of process you follow for kind of post, post-trip follow-up?
Speaker:I always check in mid-trip.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And obviously, like all of us know, if there's a problem you do always
Speaker:hear about it while they're on their
Speaker:vacation.
Speaker:What?
Speaker:No way.
Speaker:Always.
Speaker:Always.
Speaker:when they come home, I do send links to give reviews.
Speaker:I find that a lot of my clients text me, and they usually are
Speaker:texting me either from the airport on departure or even the plane.
Speaker:Usually that is the last I hear of the trip review.
Speaker:I think I can be a little more dedicated at soliciting reviews post-trip,
Speaker:but I think when people have come back after a really busy vacation
Speaker:and they're back in work mode or life mode, sometimes it drops off.
Speaker:But it is very important, I know that for my marketing business, to have reviews.
Speaker:Although, I do find that the word of mouth is even probably more impactful.
Speaker:Sometimes they won't fill out the review form, but they will send you
Speaker:three or four or five clients, and that's a trade-off I'm willing to accept
Speaker:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker:I know I've sent, pretty much anyone I've worked with from a professional
Speaker:standpoint that I've enjoyed working with, like for, I say like my real estate
Speaker:agent, my travel advisor, people that I've worked with, I have continuously referred
Speaker:friends and family to them, absolutely.
Speaker:So referrals- Yeah … are huge.
Speaker:I think that's important.
Speaker:I think sometimes we can get so caught up in, templates that other
Speaker:people use to grow their business, and you have to really think
Speaker:about what has worked for you.
Speaker:In my marketing business, in my travel agency, I've
Speaker:always grown by word of mouth.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So I try to lean in there, and I don't often like pressuring clients to fill out
Speaker:forms or do review documents if that's not part of the equation that works for them.
Speaker:So I try to keep it as natural as possible.
Speaker:Yeah, and I think that's wonderful that you've found what works-
Speaker:Mm-hmm
Speaker:… works for your business.
Speaker:And I always love when there's different perspectives on it, especially for
Speaker:everyone listening, because y- one way isn't necessarily the right way, right?
Speaker:there's different- Right
Speaker:ways, um, and if one isn't working, the great thing is that
Speaker:there's other options as well.
Speaker:So I really like that.
Speaker:And I'm, yeah, I'm a big, I'm a big referral girly.
Speaker:I think referrals, even for us over here at HAR, I get referrals to
Speaker:some wonderful new businesses, that are starting in the industry and,
Speaker:and that's how I hear about them.
Speaker:so I always find that super interesting, so I love that.
Speaker:speaking of, some new businesses or kind of a new, a new-ish space is kind of that
Speaker:technology space, in this industry really focusing on travel advisors, which I love.
Speaker:Is there any technology that you use to run your business?
Speaker:Do you have any favorites that you wanna share?
Speaker:Yeah, I'd have to say one of the things that really attracted me to Fora was
Speaker:the technology, and we've been doing releases almost weekly since I've started.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:So the tools that we have now at our disposal is almost an embedded CRM
Speaker:as well as a very streamlined booking tool that keeps having new additions
Speaker:come, whether it's a flights booking engine or a cruise booking engine
Speaker:or bookable quotes where I can send hotel options to my clients- Mm-hmm
Speaker:that they can even click through and book and be attributed to my
Speaker:IATA, has been really lifesaving.
Speaker:I have found that I prefer, given how I'm wired, to have everything in one place.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:It was overwhelming for me, and I've used some good software, but I find
Speaker:it to be overwhelming when there are multiple pieces of technology
Speaker:you're using in different ways.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:I do like this integrated one view, way of working, and I'm excited
Speaker:about what's coming up next.
Speaker:Yeah, weekly releases.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:I mean, I've worked on the technology side.
Speaker:that's, that's, that's quite a feat.
Speaker:for everyone listening, we will link to our travel tech directories, and Fora
Speaker:is featured in there, so definitely check out what they have to offer
Speaker:in terms of their technology and if that's the right fit for you, Mm-hmm
Speaker:and to see what else is out there.
Speaker:but yes, Karen, I, I agree with you.
Speaker:there's so many different platforms out there, so many, so much different,
Speaker:like, so many different types of technology, which is wonderful.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:And I think for everyone, like you said, using one piece of
Speaker:technology that brings everything together works really well for you.
Speaker:And I think for everyone listening, really good to understand you
Speaker:don't need to use everything.
Speaker:Not everything is meant for you and your business.
Speaker:Um, so make sure you don't get all googly-eyed at everything that you see
Speaker:because not everything is meant for you.
Speaker:And when sometimes when you have too many different pieces of technology,
Speaker:that's when it can become overwhelming.
Speaker:I think especially when you start your business too, I would say
Speaker:focus on, like, what are the things that you have to be able to do?
Speaker:Focus on that and find what tech can help you s- support that.
Speaker:And I know Fora has kind of built kind of an all-in-one, which is very exciting.
Speaker:Yeah, I mean, I like the ability to be able to book a hotel for a
Speaker:client from my phone because I've used that in multiple settings.
Speaker:I'll be out to dinner with someone and they'll say, "Hey, I'm going
Speaker:to Palm Springs for three days," and I can quickly pull up a quote-
Speaker:Yeah
Speaker:… show them the perks, and do it on my phone in three minutes.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I don't think I would've done a career shift, while already owning a
Speaker:marketing company if I had to learn a new language and I had to learn deep
Speaker:tech skills- within GDS or others.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So having that really user-friendly interface has
Speaker:been a core part of my business.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:Yeah, amazing.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:Also, we'll share one more link for everyone, which is our HAR Wired.
Speaker:Yes, the name is super cute because we are all over here at HAR.
Speaker:which is the travel agency technology event that's happening
Speaker:at the beginning of June.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:depending on when you're listening to this, everything stays
Speaker:recorded in our YouTube channel, so feel free to go check back.
Speaker:and it's complimentary, absolutely free of charge for anyone who wants to join.
Speaker:So we'll share that as well.
Speaker:now getting into the sales and marketing of it all, how
Speaker:do you market your business?
Speaker:What's worked best for you in the last few years?
Speaker:Shana, I keep it consistent.
Speaker:I think we, a lot of times, get shiny object syndrome when we're
Speaker:starting a business, and I did this myself with my marketing consultancy.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I'd worked with big brands all across the country, Fidelity, Delta Airlines, and
Speaker:when I started my marketing consultancy business, I had this feeling that I
Speaker:had to take all of these classes to become a small business and understand
Speaker:how to market my services differently I realized pretty quickly that that was a
Speaker:waste of time and money, that I needed to lean in to what really worked for
Speaker:me, and that was having conversations with qualified people to solve problems.
Speaker:So I've replicated that same approach in my travel agency side.
Speaker:How I started my business is this simple: I sent a text to seven people
Speaker:that traveled most in my network and said, "Hey, you already know and ask
Speaker:me for travel advice all the time.
Speaker:I'm now doing this new job.
Speaker:Here's what I'd like from you.
Speaker:Anytime you're taking a trip, text me, call me, email me.
Speaker:I'll give you a second opinion.
Speaker:If you like what I can offer and the benefits and the
Speaker:price point, book with me.
Speaker:If you don't, continue as is." Mm-hmm.
Speaker:That is what grew my business.
Speaker:It was that intentional, that specific, and that easy.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So I think that it doesn't need to require a huge campaign, a mighty
Speaker:email list, or paid advertising.
Speaker:You simply need to get to the right people with a simple ask.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And I think I love that you pointed that out because I think an objection that
Speaker:we get a lot of times is, "I don't want to ask my friends and family," right?
Speaker:"I, I don't want them to feel like they need to give me business." And I always
Speaker:remind advisors that they want to, right?
Speaker:But the way you do it specifically, I love that you, you tell them what
Speaker:you're doing and offer to them, but no pressure, as in, "You like what
Speaker:I send you, great. You don't, go do it on your own." And so it kind of
Speaker:almost takes the pressure off of you.
Speaker:It takes the pressure off of them, um, in that regard because that
Speaker:is an objection that we get quite often is, "I don't want to have to
Speaker:reach out to my friends and family."
Speaker:And I do always remind people, friends and family want to help
Speaker:support your business, just like you would do the same for them, right?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:But sometimes it feels odd, right, to ask.
Speaker:I think there's a real flip.
Speaker:It's a small nuance, but it's important.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Asking for business is very different than giving travel ideas,
Speaker:tips, techniques, wins- Mm-hmm
Speaker:hotel recommendations.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So I always tell everyone, start from the place of giving value.
Speaker:And it's as simple as that.
Speaker:If you show up at a baseball game or a cocktail party and y- somebody tells you
Speaker:that they're going to Paros this summer, and you say, "Oh my gosh, here's the
Speaker:three restaurants I love, and I really love this hotel but didn't love this
Speaker:one," they will usually follow up with the next question of, "How do you know?
Speaker:Are you Greek?" Like, "Are you a tr- " And I say, "Oh, I'm a travel advisor.
Speaker:I book Greek all the- Greece all the time." Then stop.
Speaker:Let them invite the conversation, um, invite you in for more.
Speaker:And that's a way where it doesn't feel like you're being a scary salesperson.
Speaker:You're just showing up and demonstrating the knowledge that
Speaker:you already have, and that's the way I've always approached sales and
Speaker:marketing, um, in any of my businesses.
Speaker:Oh, I think that that's wonderful.
Speaker:Everyone listening, take note because I know sometimes it can, you know, that
Speaker:it can feel scary even, you know, like myself, I do some consulting and, you
Speaker:know, I know a lot of people in the industry, so to ask them, you know, feels
Speaker:initially felt odd, and then I realized, no, they actually really could use my
Speaker:advice, and then they've started coming to me because of, you know, what I know
Speaker:that can help support their businesses.
Speaker:So I, I think that that is spot on exactly what our audience needed to hear.
Speaker:So thank you.
Speaker:have you tried anything that hasn't worked from a sales or marketing perspective?
Speaker:I feel like I've learned a lot of those lessons on paid ads- Yeah … and
Speaker:really structured content creation schemes in my first business.
Speaker:So I haven't replicated a lot of that in my second one.
Speaker:What I have found to be the best kind of soft lead generator that
Speaker:I've used- Mm … in these two companies would be to listen and hear.
Speaker:And I know Shaina told me five months ago that she's really interested in
Speaker:going to Japan, specifically around the power of the ramen noodle.
Speaker:I'm making up this, this scenario.
Speaker:But-
Speaker:I love Japan and I love ramen noodles- Right?
Speaker:… so please
Speaker:continue.
Speaker:Continue,
Speaker:right?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So any time I come across a really strong recommendation about an amazing
Speaker:new chef or ramen restaurant in Tokyo, I would send Shaina a text being like,
Speaker:"Thought of you. Here's an idea."
Speaker:I used to do that in my marketing company.
Speaker:I would send people pieces of press.
Speaker:I would mail a book that I thought coincided with a business cha-
Speaker:challenge that they're having.
Speaker:It keeps you top of mind, but it keeps you top of mind from a place of
Speaker:providing value, of being thoughtful, of remembering what matters, and
Speaker:I think that is the most effective marketing technique you could have.
Speaker:You're showing someone that you are relevant to their life and their needs.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And whether or not they convert, I don't even count.
Speaker:I just do those things naturally now, and I think that's been one
Speaker:of the ways that I ha- have grown my business without having to spend
Speaker:money on- Yeah … paying for leads.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I, it's the thoughtfulness for me- Mm … that always resonates.
Speaker:like I'm, I'm going on a big trip to Europe.
Speaker:I have friends getting married in Sweden, and one of my ex-colleagues
Speaker:happened to just be there.
Speaker:And so I said, "Hey, anywhere that I should go while I'm in Stockholm?"
Speaker:I, I've been there, but I was in my early 20s, so many moons ago.
Speaker:You know, so I- Different time … you know, different time, different
Speaker:budget, that we're working with here.
Speaker:And he gave me a list.
Speaker:and it was just, and he gave, he sent me the list right away, and
Speaker:he works in the industry, and he knows any time he comes to me, needs
Speaker:anything, I'm there in a heartbeat.
Speaker:So the, in a different, it's in a different way, but kind of, kind
Speaker:of parallel to what you're saying is that, you know, he provided me,
Speaker:he was so, so thoughtful in what he provided me, that anything I can
Speaker:do to help him, the same way, so.
Speaker:Absolutely.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:so speaking about sales, so I mean, I, your agency is still quite young.
Speaker:We're still kind of in the first three years, which is exciting with
Speaker:how well everything has been going.
Speaker:how have your sales grown as your agency has matured?
Speaker:Have you had to switch gears at all, or do you feel like it's been
Speaker:kinda smooth sailing with what you set out to do from the beginning?
Speaker:It's been smooth sailing.
Speaker:I had, explosive growth between year one and year two.
Speaker:Mm.
Speaker:And then I had two years that were basically flat and even.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Like, around that, you know, half a million dollar level of business.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Keep in mind though, I was also still running and I still own my marketing
Speaker:consultancy, so I was juggling both, and I feel like I really needed
Speaker:to get my feet wet to understand what was the right volume of travel
Speaker:clients to take on before you break.
Speaker:last year I had one month in the spring where I had, like, 30 trips in the
Speaker:same month, and I realized that was, like, too much for me to do- Mm … as
Speaker:a sole proprietor with another income stream happening simultaneously.
Speaker:So as I've grown my business this year, I think you begin to see what
Speaker:are good fits and what are maybe trips that are not going to be as perfectly
Speaker:aligned with your, I don't know, your understanding of the market and your
Speaker:ability to deliver a solid experience.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:I have traveled to almost 50 countries myself, so I am well traveled in that
Speaker:it's not hard for me to plan most trips.
Speaker:There's probably been two or three locations that I've been asked for
Speaker:that I haven't actually been to.
Speaker:So in that way, I feel like it's easier for me to do it, but now I have to get
Speaker:a little bit more picky about the trips that I agree to and the timing, and I
Speaker:think that's important for all of us to do when we own our own businesses.
Speaker:You can't be on 24/7.
Speaker:So this year I'm actually piloting something this summer where I'm going
Speaker:to Japan with my teenagers for a couple of weeks, and I'm not gonna take trips
Speaker:two weeks pri- prior or two weeks after.
Speaker:So I'm basically gonna take a month off of new inquiries, and I'm gonna
Speaker:see how that works in the summer season because I need some time to, to manage
Speaker:the trips that are in motion and not constantly add to your to-do list.
Speaker:So I think that's the difference with travel agencies and us- Yeah … and
Speaker:other job descriptions, right?
Speaker:I know.
Speaker:It's a never ending list of to-dos.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I think we're gonna have to bring you back to find out how that all went,
Speaker:and also hear about your Japan trip.
Speaker:If you need any suggestions, that is one of my favorite countries in the world.
Speaker:just let me know because oh, I love Japan.
Speaker:okay, so, before… I've got two very quick questions for you, and then we're
Speaker:really gonna get into the meat of today- Yeah … which I'm so excited about.
Speaker:have you found any secret sauce when it comes to closing a sale?
Speaker:I think turnaround time is important in setting expectations for clients.
Speaker:I think you also have to really listen to the budget piece, and a lot of times
Speaker:people can't tell you what that budget is.
Speaker:I find that all the time.
Speaker:So I usually use the methodology that is, "You may not know what your budget
Speaker:is, but you know what your budget isn't." Most people are much more clear about what
Speaker:they do not want- versus what they do.
Speaker:So I say, "Okay, so if I send you a quote for $20,000 H- or
Speaker:do you have a stomach ache?
Speaker:And usually if they can't give me a budget, I can push for details on
Speaker:what a level is that's too high so I know where they need to come in.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And that's helpful, right?
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:' Cause you need to set expectations.
Speaker:I had a client come to me a few weeks ago about a summer trip for a family
Speaker:of five to Yellowstone in Montana.
Speaker:Mm. It's April.
Speaker:They wanna go in two and a half months.
Speaker:And instead of saying no immediately, I called her back and I said, "Listen,
Speaker:do you have airfare?" "No." "Okay," I said, "quick look, those date ranges,
Speaker:it's gonna be 4,500 for airfare."
Speaker:And she immediately was able to say, "Well, I didn't wanna spend more
Speaker:than, you know, $8,000." And I said, "Okay, so the car rental is another
Speaker:12." And immediately we knew it wasn't going to be a workable trip.
Speaker:Mm. But it saved her time, it saved me time.
Speaker:I didn't have to say no or have an awkward conversation.
Speaker:I just said, "This is the market reality of these really popular
Speaker:national parks midsummer."
Speaker:Mm. Like Fourth of July week, you have to be on this nine
Speaker:months prior, not two months.
Speaker:And she was appreciative, right?
Speaker:Mm. And I think that's a way that you turn what could be a potential negative
Speaker:interaction into something positive.
Speaker:She had no idea, and then we went through a lot of options that
Speaker:could work until she picked one.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:No.
Speaker:I think that's wonderful.
Speaker:It's a way… I think it's such a way to find out the budget without just blatantly
Speaker:saying, "So what is your budget?"
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:but it's also showing her what you have to offer in terms of, "Okay,
Speaker:well, taking a look, right now flights are looking to be about this much.
Speaker:What do you think?" I think it, it's such a way to settle in to discussing
Speaker:the budget without blatantly asking, and kinda showing respect both ways.
Speaker:So I like that.
Speaker:I like that tactic a lot.
Speaker:do you, final sales question, do you find any, or do you do any special
Speaker:touches for clients during the sales process or when they come home?
Speaker:I mean, you did mention one earlier, which is just about, you know, "Oh,
Speaker:you love ramen in Japan? Great, I just saw this new ramen place. Let me send
Speaker:it to you," which personally I think is an incredibly thoughtful touch.
Speaker:but is there anything… Is that, is that kind of what you do, or is
Speaker:there anything else you do, little special touches for the clients?
Speaker:I don't have a real systemic program of this is exactly what I offer,
Speaker:but I try to surprise and delight.
Speaker:Sometimes I'll book a photographer.
Speaker:I've done that on safaris so that they are on the game drive
Speaker:with the clients taking pictures.
Speaker:I will sometimes send an amenity to the room.
Speaker:I will ensure that there is a birthday or an anniversary, something, within
Speaker:the hotel experience if they're going.
Speaker:If they have little kids, I like to make sure something exciting happens.
Speaker:I just had clients at, the Four Seasons on Lanai with a seven-year-old, and they were
Speaker:able to spell out his name in bath chalk by the tub and give him a mini stuffy.
Speaker:And I mean, that little detail, he was so excited that that happened.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And I think those are the little things that people remember, right?
Speaker:the mom even went so far as resetting the name every day in the room because
Speaker:he wanted to see it when he woke up.
Speaker:So it was very cute.
Speaker:So little things like that can go a big and long way.
Speaker:I think for me, the key what you're saying here is that it's,
Speaker:it doesn't have to be complicated.
Speaker:No.
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:Something- No … something so simple.
Speaker:In all honesty, from all of my travels around the world, it's actually the
Speaker:simplest things that are the special things that I remember and what I've taken
Speaker:away from these destinations or where I've stayed or what I've experienced there.
Speaker:So I love that.
Speaker:Just keep it simple.
Speaker:I have one client who's a major Diet Coke lover.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:And I, I- You know, I've also
Speaker:got a friend over here that's a major Diet Coke lover.
Speaker:It's why I don't keep any in the house.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So she's, she's big.
Speaker:So if, if I know it's a property that is a Pepsi property-
Speaker:Yeah
Speaker:… I will sometimes have it couriered to be waiting.
Speaker:Oh, get out.
Speaker:So I think it's little things like that that can make a huge difference, right?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You feel seen and heard and valued.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And that's not an expensive undertaking.
Speaker:You're talking about 10, $15 max.
Speaker:But that matters.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:well we're gonna move, into, our questions more specific to accessible travel,
Speaker:which I'm really looking forward to.
Speaker:Thank you for, I think, for everyone here, myself included, to understand
Speaker:your business model and how you work with clients is incredibly helpful,
Speaker:and I cannot wait for kinda the second half of, of our podcast together.
Speaker:We'll be back in a moment after a quick word from our sponsor
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Speaker:I'd love to start with, if you could take us back to the moment where
Speaker:travel shifted for you, or something shifted for you that made you really
Speaker:wanna focus on accessible travel.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So I've known that I've had a progressive muscular dis- order my
Speaker:whole existence, since I was 19.
Speaker:And it was always my lifetime goal to beat it.
Speaker:I really thought I would be the first person who wouldn't see this implication
Speaker:of living life in a wheelchair with the type of muscular dystrophy that I have.
Speaker:And I spent decades doing everything possible to avoid that outcome.
Speaker:And the unfortunate reality of that was 2020, I'm homeschooling two
Speaker:elementary school kids, working really hard on my own business.
Speaker:I was baking brownies, doing a Zoom call, had ch- two kids at
Speaker:home, and I tripped on an area rug.
Speaker:I went down, I flipped my ankles.
Speaker:I broke one ankle, one foot, and tore my MCL.
Speaker:Oi.
Speaker:And that was literally it.
Speaker:I mean, in that moment, I had to face that not only was I gonna be non-weight-bearing
Speaker:for a while, we were stuck in the house, and after that it really wasn't safe.
Speaker:I didn't feel safe to walk independently anywhere by myself.
Speaker:I was terrified of falling.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I had atrophied more quickly because of being off my feet and confined
Speaker:to such a small space for so long.
Speaker:And it really became that moment of time of- Continuing to feel proud
Speaker:and limping around with a state of internal panic in every moment.
Speaker:Like, it got so bad that I didn't even want to go get a glass of
Speaker:water 'cause it was so hard.
Speaker:Oh, wow.
Speaker:And I think I had to realize, like, this… It took a while.
Speaker:It took over a year to really get comfortable and release the fight
Speaker:with insurance, with the medical establishment, with fighting to get a
Speaker:wheelchair, and say, "I have to stop being at war with my body. I cannot do
Speaker:this for another minute." And for me, the barrier of getting over that was
Speaker:really trying to find ways to have fun and feel free in the body I was now in,
Speaker:and that started with adaptive skiing.
Speaker:That was the gateway drug to everything that was better.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:It was zipping down the hill in New Hampshire and feeling like, "Oh, my
Speaker:God, I feel like I'm 22 again." And from that place, I started venturing out in
Speaker:a wheelchair on trips, and I realized it was possible, and it wasn't as
Speaker:terrifying as I had made out in my mind.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And the more I traveled and the more I pushed the limits of zip-lining or
Speaker:scuba diving or even ending up doing the Camino de Santiago in my wheelchair, I
Speaker:was like, wow, those feelings of being limited, of being unfree, of being
Speaker:boring, all the things I feared most about the wheelchair were untrue, and the
Speaker:wheelchair itself was actually the device that was making it all possible again.
Speaker:And as I was doing that, I started to realize that people in my sphere, clients,
Speaker:friends, neighbors, were saying things like, "How did you do that?" Like, "How?
Speaker:H- I wanna take Grandma," or, "I wanna go with my sister," or, "I
Speaker:wanna take my cousin, and we never thought it was possible." So it was
Speaker:a shift, a huge shift in mindset-
Speaker:Mm-hmm
Speaker:where I had to stop fighting myself, my body, my existence.
Speaker:I had to accept where I was, and then I had to lose that identity that
Speaker:this chair meant something negative.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:I don't even know how to follow that up with a question.
Speaker:th- that was, what, what a beautiful story and revelation and, just, just wow.
Speaker:Thank you for that.
Speaker:so now that the thing is now that you do, you know, you do travel, like I've
Speaker:actually looked at doing the Camino myself and even to be honest, even as
Speaker:somebody who could walk the whole, like I say the whole thing, I was … I'm
Speaker:looking at the last 106 kilometers of it.
Speaker:That's
Speaker:no good, yeah.
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:I
Speaker:didn't do the whole, the whole thing, but 106, yeah.
Speaker:It's a long trek.
Speaker:It's a long trek.
Speaker:that already is something that in my mind I'm like, "Okay, wow, can I, you know,
Speaker:seven days or six days, however long of walking multiple kilometers every day?"
Speaker:It's something that's gone through my mind as somebody who would walk the trail.
Speaker:what are you, now that you're traveling, you have travelers with accessibility
Speaker:needs, what are some common misconceptions that you wanna share with other
Speaker:advisors about accessible travel?
Speaker:I think the thing that pains my heart so much is when people
Speaker:think they're so limited.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I speak so often to family members or to even people that are newly diagnosed
Speaker:with a condition, whether it's ALS or MS, or they've had an, an incident, an
Speaker:accident so they're a new paraplegic or quadriplegic or a parent of one.
Speaker:And I hear the number one question they ask me as a traveler is, "Where can I go?"
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And that is already so defeatist and so sad that they're not being able to
Speaker:start from, "Well, where do you wanna go?
Speaker:What kind of vibe?
Speaker:Are you a city person?
Speaker:Do you like nature, beach, lake?
Speaker:What, what would make you excited?"
Speaker:Mm. So I always try to reframe the conversation from that place
Speaker:of, there is literally possibility in almost every destination.
Speaker:You just have to be patient and a little bit more process-oriented
Speaker:to figure out how to match that destination with your needs.
Speaker:So I like to start from that place of empowerment, of like, "We
Speaker:can go many, many, many places.
Speaker:So let's first talk about what it is you like before we limit
Speaker:the scope of possibility."
Speaker:Oh, I love that.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:Um, do you find with advisors, do they… Is there anything that
Speaker:they overlook when planning trips?
Speaker:You kind of led into that a little bit, but do they overlook anything
Speaker:when planning trips or looking at potential itineraries for
Speaker:clients with accessibility needs?
Speaker:I think advisors and suppliers make the same mistake, and that same mistake is
Speaker:showing up with nervousness that you are going to have to be an expert to tell
Speaker:the client what they can and can't do.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:That is not your job as a hotel, that is not your job as a DMC, and
Speaker:that is not your job as an advisor.
Speaker:Your job in those cases is to be curious enough to seek the information
Speaker:from the expert, who is the person who is traveling with the difference,
Speaker:to find out what they need as support mechanisms to be successful in this
Speaker:adventure or this trip or this- Vacation.
Speaker:Um, that's all that needs to happen.
Speaker:So you are getting that information out of the other person and then matching
Speaker:those requirements with the right setting.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And that's the place.
Speaker:It's leaning in.
Speaker:It's being curious.
Speaker:It's not being so nervous that asking these questions are gonna be insulting.
Speaker:Like, I'm clearly sitting in a wheelchair.
Speaker:I, I'm aware, you're aware.
Speaker:You can ask me what that needs to look like.
Speaker:Am I gonna stay seated in the wheelchair at dinner, or do I want a chair?
Speaker:It's a very valid question.
Speaker:You don't have to be nervous to ask it.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I think also, you know, a lot of times you may not see your client and
Speaker:you're talking on the phone with them.
Speaker:To ask them the questions, for me personally, I would feel like, "Okay,
Speaker:great, like they're really getting to understand me and know me."
Speaker:So that's gonna make for a better experience for me, whatever
Speaker:it is that I share with them.
Speaker:Because also, some accessibility needs you can't see when you're looking at somebody.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So to ask them, I think is incred- and there's a sign, that's a sign
Speaker:of respect is just, you know, let me know because then they, they
Speaker:are gonna feel more comfortable, you know more about them, right?
Speaker:I, I'm all about asking the questions, so and not to shy away from it.
Speaker:You can f- visibly or you can feel the difference, right?
Speaker:you always know when someone is leaning in and acting from a place of
Speaker:kindness and compassion and openness.
Speaker:And when somebody is asking from a place of nervousness,
Speaker:you can almost feel that wall.
Speaker:And so I tell all of our advisors when we're talking within Fora about how to
Speaker:access this population is just to say, you, you want to make the other person
Speaker:feel comfortable with having needs.
Speaker:And you do that by saying, "I understand, Shana.
Speaker:You have 25 food allergies.
Speaker:I hear you.
Speaker:Why don't you give them all to me, and we'll find a way
Speaker:to make this work together?"
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:So-
Speaker:Absolutely
Speaker:… by simply taking that burden away from the person, it makes the one
Speaker:who has these extra challenges relax.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Yeah, it's interesting you bring that up.
Speaker:I have, um, a past colleague who has a gluten allergy, a soy allergy,
Speaker:and has like something like that.
Speaker:Really takes a lot of things off of the menu for her.
Speaker:And when she told me, and she kept apologizing to me for it, and I said,
Speaker:"No, no." I said, "This is great that I know that because there's lots
Speaker:of places that we can go and eat.
Speaker:I wanna make sure that there's things on the menu for you and for everyone
Speaker:else." And it's the way that like I found for me too that I framed the
Speaker:response to her too as, "No, no.
Speaker:This is great.
Speaker:Like, I'm really glad that I know because now, like there's so many
Speaker:fantastic restaurants," 'cause food was what we were focusing on where
Speaker:we were going. And I was like, "No.
Speaker:Now I know, and this is gonna be great," right?
Speaker:So it's, you know, it's how you frame it back to them too and then that
Speaker:continues to build that trust, which I think is incredibly important.
Speaker:It is.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:'Cause nobody wants to feel like a burden.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:And especially when you're in a commercial relationship where you're
Speaker:supposed to be, as the advisor, the advocate for the client.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:You don't want that client to feel like asking for these things is a problem.
Speaker:It's the same preference as your corporate guy who tells you, "I only
Speaker:will go to a hotel with a gym," or, "I need to be able to get breakfast by
Speaker:5:00 AM," or, "I have to have the Wall Street Journal everyday print edition."
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It's just a requirement.
Speaker:And as agents, that's what we're here for.
Speaker:We're here to match the right property with the set of requirements.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Absolutely.
Speaker:how has your personal experiences, I mean, you talked about the
Speaker:Camino, you talked about skiing, you know, different experiences.
Speaker:How has that shaped the way you plan trips for your clients today?
Speaker:I think it's first the personal, and then it's how it's impacted my business.
Speaker:I think this was always … Living life in a wheelchair was the
Speaker:thing I was most terrified about.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:I thought that I would be viewed differently.
Speaker:I thought that I would possibly not be able to be as successful because people
Speaker:would judge me in different ways, or I wouldn't be accepted in every room.
Speaker:And I think by forcibly throwing myself around the world, and now making this a
Speaker:leading part of my career, living life in the wheelchair, the thing that I was most
Speaker:terrified of, it's been a great way to come to terms with the difference faster.
Speaker:Mm. This has been way more effective than years of therapy or any
Speaker:other, thing I could have done to be like, "Okay, this is me."
Speaker:I don't even think that I'm the only person.
Speaker:When I roll into a room, I'm the only person seated in most audiences.
Speaker:There could be 2,000 people, I'm the only person in a wheelchair.
Speaker:And now it doesn't even enter into my realm of being
Speaker:nervous or feeling different.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:I think when I c- when it comes to clients, they feel that difference.
Speaker:They feel my confidence- Mm … in that I travel across the world,
Speaker:across the country by myself.
Speaker:I'm in New York right now.
Speaker:I took the train alone.
Speaker:I'm very comfortable now getting around in my chair.
Speaker:If I hadn't pushed myself out of my comfort zone beyond PT and OT
Speaker:and into the real life environment and had to figure out things like,
Speaker:what do I do if the bed's too high?
Speaker:Or what happens if I get stuck in my hotel room?
Speaker:This actually happened to me two nights ago.
Speaker:I was in a hotel room, it was not fully accessible 'cause it was a last minute
Speaker:booking, and I was trying to scoot my w- my open suitcase out of the way by
Speaker:pushing my power chair into it, and it got wedged in between the wheels of my chair.
Speaker:So picture this.
Speaker:I'm sitting in this tiny little wheelchair and there's a suitcase
Speaker:down the middle, and I can't move.
Speaker:It's jammed.
Speaker:I, I try and I try, and it's not, it's not working.
Speaker:Mm. So at this point, I'm so confident, because this has happened so many
Speaker:times, I just call the front desk.
Speaker:I go, "Hey, I'm totally, fully clothed, but I'm gonna need someone to open
Speaker:the door with the master key, come into my room and get me unstuck."
Speaker:And they always hesitate for a minute, and they're like,
Speaker:"Wait, what?" You explain again.
Speaker:They're like, "Oh, okay. We'll send something, somebody up." Now, when
Speaker:they open the door, they're always a little bit worried about what
Speaker:they're gonna see on the other side, but the maintenance guy looked.
Speaker:He's like, "Whoa, you are good stuck."
Speaker:And I'm like, "Sure am." He just pulled it out, laughed.
Speaker:He was like, "That's it?" I'm like, "That's it." And we went about our day.
Speaker:People want to help you.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:But sometimes it just takes them a minute to process a request that isn't as common.
Speaker:Like I'm stuck on my wheelchair over my suitcase, which sounds
Speaker:quite bizarre, but it did happen.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Oh, I love it.
Speaker:Honestly, that was probably the highlight of his day, if not his week.
Speaker:For sure, 100%.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:Getting, um, getting more to the suppliers, we talked
Speaker:a lot about, like, hotels.
Speaker:and do you find… How do you vet different suppliers, so, like
Speaker:hotels, destinations, to make sure that they're truly accessible and
Speaker:not just saying that they are?
Speaker:I think it's really, again, that perfect match to the client.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So for me, I can make a lot of things work.
Speaker:If I needed to have a lift that would go under the bed and pick me up, it's
Speaker:called a Hoyer lift, and put me onto the, onto the bed, then I would need…
Speaker:A platform bed doesn't work very well.
Speaker:So it's very personal to the client that you are supporting.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And I think the challenge, right, for us as advisors is a lot of this
Speaker:information isn't listed online.
Speaker:We keep a very detailed database at Fora of all the properties that we've
Speaker:vetted for food allergies or mold remediation or, you know, accessible
Speaker:rooms for wheelchairs or walkers.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:But it also requires having relationships with suppliers, because you always
Speaker:uncover more information when you can get somebody on the phone.
Speaker:And I think it's important to really listen to the person on the other end
Speaker:of the phone at the hotel or at the transfer company to hear if they're
Speaker:really hearing you, because sometimes you'll get kinda that lip service, but
Speaker:you know that they're not listening to how important this could be.
Speaker:It's very different than having a preference on pillow firmness.
Speaker:If I match a client to an incorrect hotel room, they may
Speaker:not be able to use the bathroom.
Speaker:That's a big deal.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:That's dangerous, right?
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And it's possibly a complete trip ruiner.
Speaker:So we have to be more dedicated and more willing to push,
Speaker:and know why you're doing it.
Speaker:And when you get that inevitable, sometimes someone's not really paying
Speaker:attention or pushing back a little bit, you just have to explain, "Okay,
Speaker:if Shayna's coming to this hotel and her lift doesn't fit under the bed,
Speaker:she's not gonna be able to get out of her wheelchair for the whole week.
Speaker:So we really need to sort this out now so that you don't have a crisis
Speaker:when she arrives and my client doesn't have somewhere to stay." Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So usually when you give it a little more context, people start to lean in
Speaker:a little bit more and do the questions.
Speaker:I've ha- I've had hotel managers take apart bed frames to see
Speaker:if we can make something work.
Speaker:I've had people film bathrooms with great detail using their
Speaker:hand for scale or, you know, their size for scale to really- Mm-hmm
Speaker:… help
Speaker:them understand, you know, what, what could happen.
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:So I think it's important to push, ask those questions.
Speaker:That's what they're there for.
Speaker:They also, I think everyone should remember too that I think a lot of these
Speaker:properties, especially, like, with hotels and things like that- That I think they're
Speaker:aware that they may get asked these things again, or even if they're not asked, it
Speaker:becomes, it becomes valuable information that they can share in the future.
Speaker:So I, I think that that's wonderful.
Speaker:and I know you've shared, so I love some of these, kind of these stories
Speaker:of like some, like things that have, that you've done with your clients.
Speaker:Can you share like a client story that has really stuck with you over the years?
Speaker:Yeah, there's so many.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:there are just so many great stories.
Speaker:But one of the two really wonderful stories that have come up recently
Speaker:is- Mm-hmm I had a client who hadn't traveled in 15 years, and he'd always
Speaker:wanted to take his wife to Italy.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:he'd had a heart transplant, and just international travel felt like something
Speaker:they weren't gonna be able to do.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:He uses a power chair, and like I mentioned before, he uses a lift to
Speaker:get him out of the chair and into a bed or, you know, into the bathroom.
Speaker:And we finally decided the best way for them to get to Italy was to go on a
Speaker:cruise ship in a more luxurious section.
Speaker:for us that was Norwegian Cruise Lines and The Haven.
Speaker:That enabled a few things.
Speaker:It gave his wife a break in the morning, 'cause it takes some
Speaker:time to help him get ready.
Speaker:She could have her coffee, snack on her omelet while they're both getting ready
Speaker:in the room with their adult daughter.
Speaker:The other thing that's really important when you're planning a trip for
Speaker:somebody in a power chair is that you're not transferring into tenders.
Speaker:Little boats, four or 500 pound chairs do not work well.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So you have to pick an itinerary that all has docks where
Speaker:you can just roll right off.
Speaker:So we had planned all of that out.
Speaker:We had private drivers.
Speaker:We had done discrete types of excursions so that they could really see what they
Speaker:wanted and not maximize their time.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So the day they arrived on the ship in Barcelona, I get a call from the room,
Speaker:day one, I mean, we have not even like left the port- Yeah … and the lift that
Speaker:has been delivered to the room is broken.
Speaker:So everybody's almost in tears thinking they're gonna have to fly home.
Speaker:Now, this is where the power of having a travel advisor really comes to play
Speaker:because these cruise ships pay attention to these bookings when they're by the
Speaker:preferred partners and when they're in a, you know, a VIP part of the ship.
Speaker:So the engineering team on this Norwegian ship spent three hours in
Speaker:this room fixing this lift to make it operational enough for this family.
Speaker:And then myself and two partners in… Well, one in Spain, but she
Speaker:has contacts in Italy, spent the next two days ensuring that we got a new
Speaker:replacement in the next available port.
Speaker:'Cause it was workable, but it wasn't gonna be workable for 10 days.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:and that is… You know, I get so emotionally invested in the happiness of
Speaker:my clients, which I'm sure you do, too, but these situations hit even more close
Speaker:to the chest because it's a difference in- It's not about the trip just being
Speaker:good, it's about is this even serviceable?
Speaker:Like, do we have to get on a plane home if this is, if I have to sleep
Speaker:upright in my wheelchair for a week?
Speaker:Like, that wouldn't be a positive experience.
Speaker:And we were.
Speaker:We were able to get a brand-new, um, lift purchased in Italy and delivered
Speaker:to their stateroom while they were out on an excursion in a winery.
Speaker:And that I was forever grateful.
Speaker:Again, I don't wanna ever live that again because it was terrifying and I was really
Speaker:nervous, and I was ready to write a check myself and buy a new lift if I needed to.
Speaker:but we, we solved it, and you can with the power of a really great deep
Speaker:bench of contacts and connections.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:Wow, how incredible.
Speaker:I think that really does drive home these supplier relationships that you
Speaker:have, especially the ones that the hosts have as, like your host Fora has
Speaker:with, you know, different suppliers, and how they really do support the
Speaker:clients as well, and they're there to support you as their advisor.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:So I absolutely love that.
Speaker:Do you have, do you have any additional kind of go-to resources, communities or
Speaker:partners that you would recommend with
Speaker:regards to- Yeah.
Speaker:I mean, we love Wheel the World.
Speaker:They do the best job in mapping rooms, globally, and we're working
Speaker:on hopefully getting more of their data into our Fora booking tool.
Speaker:I love Disabled Accessible Travel in Barcelona.
Speaker:I think Miriam and her team are the number one for booking private
Speaker:tours and excursions in Europe for people that have mobility needs.
Speaker:She knows how to source all the right transfer vehicles and how to have
Speaker:guides that not only know the local environment, but know the step-free path.
Speaker:Because I think oftentimes you can book, "Oh, we need an accessible tour," but
Speaker:then you're faced with a tour guide who's, like, never done it that way
Speaker:before, and they may be pulling you up to places that are just not accessible.
Speaker:Miriam's guides always know where the bathrooms are, what restaurants
Speaker:are step-free, where you can stop and get a coffee that's going to
Speaker:be easy to access, and I think that's an invaluable asset, right?
Speaker:It's just really important that you don't have to be advocating for yourself in
Speaker:a private experience at every moment.
Speaker:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker:And we'll share the links as well, for everybody for Wheel the World and Disabled
Speaker:Accessible Travel, so do not worry.
Speaker:You do not have to go find them yourselves.
Speaker:We'll have that available to everybody.
Speaker:where do you see accessible travel heading in the next few years?
Speaker:I think if you don't feel like this is part of your business,
Speaker:you're not looking hard enough.
Speaker:We all know that boomers are aging, and we are going to see,
Speaker:you know, 30-plus percent of the population being 65-plus by 2030.
Speaker:They hold 50% of the wealth.
Speaker:50. If you're not seeing a rise in multi-gen vacations, you will be.
Speaker:So I think this is a market readiness moment where the elders among us who
Speaker:are booking trips and oftentimes paying for them, for multiple people… I know
Speaker:for myself, in my book of business, I've seen a 200-plus percent lift this
Speaker:year, and it's driven by this segment.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So I think we have to be ready to know that when multi-generational trips
Speaker:are happening, we're often seeing many accommodations on one itinerary.
Speaker:You're seeing a mobility need from the older generation.
Speaker:You're definitely seeing a food allergy somewhere amongst the group.
Speaker:And oftentimes you're seeing, a neurological difference or an autism
Speaker:diagnosis or somebody that just needs a slower pace, a less frenetic
Speaker:environment, or a quieter experience.
Speaker:And I think that is the future of travel.
Speaker:For people that want to have a personal touch and continue to work with advisors
Speaker:who aren't gonna rely on digital tools or ChatGPT, they're gonna expect that
Speaker:you can help steward them through those more complicated experiences.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So I think it is a core part of all of our businesses.
Speaker:I agree.
Speaker:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker:if there is one thing that you wish every advisor really understood about
Speaker:accessible travel, what would that be?
Speaker:I wish everybody understood that even though it might require more work, there
Speaker:is the potential for greater beauty.
Speaker:Simply because people thinking that they can't do something, and you
Speaker:turning that around and showing them what's possible has such a longer
Speaker:leg and a deeper impact than simply, "I had a great trip to Disney."
Speaker:It's the moments of that family who took that first trip to Disney with
Speaker:a child who was severely disabled and realized that they could travel again.
Speaker:Or it's grandma, I'm sending one next week, she's 90 years old.
Speaker:She's never left the country, and she's going to the Vatican for the first
Speaker:time because that is her deepest wish.
Speaker:Oh.
Speaker:And it's the families who have a food allergy, whether it's a peanut or a full
Speaker:nut or a dairy allergy- Mm-hmm … who have never felt comfortable not
Speaker:being in a rental home, and giving mom and dad a break and allowing
Speaker:them to dine out for the first time.
Speaker:So yeah, these trips take more planning, the stakes are higher, but they become
Speaker:raving fans, and the impact that you deliver, I think, is way more You
Speaker:just feel way, more empowered and more satisfied with what you've been able to
Speaker:do than the family that drops 100 grand every year to stay somewhere bougie.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Those are the trips that I remember, and they're the stories of the calls that
Speaker:make me choked up when they come home.
Speaker:And I think that's the opportunity that we have.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Give people the opportunity to see the world and their lives could change.
Speaker:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker:What a wonderful way that, I… Yeah, I absolutely love it.
Speaker:And for everyone here listening too, you wanna hear more, you wanna understand
Speaker:more about accessible travel, you wanna understand more about Karen and, you
Speaker:know, what she's been doing in the space, we've got a few links to, some articles
Speaker:and other podcasts that she's been on.
Speaker:We're gonna make sure that those are linked for you as well.
Speaker:So please continue to listen, continue to learn about this space.
Speaker:I, I think it's so incredibly important.
Speaker:but also really a core piece of the travel experience, and the client experience too.
Speaker:So that's wonderful.
Speaker:We're gonna, we're gonna end off with a little bit, if you
Speaker:could share some wisdom with us.
Speaker:Not that you haven't shared about 59 minutes of wisdom with us already.
Speaker:so I'm just asking for more.
Speaker:what are some of your favorite places in general to learn in this industry?
Speaker:Is it conferences, masterminds, social groups?
Speaker:Kind of where, where do you go to first?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I mean, I always find supplier events to be really helpful
Speaker:to get a deep dive on- Mm-hmm
Speaker:an actual place.
Speaker:I find that I learn a lot from my own personal travel.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And I think you can learn a lot from other agents, whether they're
Speaker:in your organization or others.
Speaker:I oftentimes when I'm sitting at a supplier lunch or dinner like to ask
Speaker:around the table, like, "What's a hidden gem or someplace that you feel
Speaker:like people don't know enough about?"
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And most agents will readily share that information, and
Speaker:I think that's im- important.
Speaker:And I also like reading travel publications.
Speaker:It's something I've done my whole life, and I get a lot of gems from Substacks and
Speaker:from print media just to see what trends are and what reviews are looking like.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I think it's one of my favorite things about this community of travel advisors.
Speaker:Like you said, whether within your host, outside of your host if you're not a
Speaker:member of one- How much everybody wants to share their knowledge within the community
Speaker:of travel advisors, I think it's one of the things that has kept me working in
Speaker:this industry for 15 plus years, is just, you know, even the way I watch suppliers
Speaker:share information with each other, others locally, like in a destination.
Speaker:It, it's a beautiful thing about this industry that I don't think we talk
Speaker:enough about, is how much we really do support each other, even if you're,
Speaker:quote unquote, "competitors." so- And I
Speaker:think we don't always ask our clients.
Speaker:I have a client that's- Mm … on her way back from the Azores right now.
Speaker:I'm planning the trip.
Speaker:And she said to me, "I have a list of the restaurants I love the most for you."
Speaker:Amazing.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:And so that's a great question, right?
Speaker:Ask your clients, "What was the hidden gem that you think I should share?" I mean,
Speaker:we can't be an experts in everything, and sometimes it's those places you
Speaker:stumble into that are always the best.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker:is there any advice you have for newbies, or new advisors coming into the industry?
Speaker:I think with most things it's easy to feel that if you're
Speaker:not perfect, you're not enough.
Speaker:And I think with anything, it's really about the way that you approach your job.
Speaker:People don't expect you to know everything, but if you're curious
Speaker:and you're dedicated to seeking the information and providing good service,
Speaker:you can be an incredible at your job.
Speaker:So I think it's just that idea of how do you lean in more?
Speaker:How do you deliver more value?
Speaker:And how do you show up in a way that you would want a travel agent to do for you?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I think one of the biggest, one of the best things that I was… And I,
Speaker:I don't even remember who had given me this advice, but, was if I don't know
Speaker:the answer just to say, "You know what?
Speaker:I'm not sure.
Speaker:Great question.
Speaker:Let me go take a look." Absolutely.
Speaker:And people- Exactly … think that that's a sign of weakness, and I find it
Speaker:personally a sign of strength because- Mm-hmm … it's building my trust with
Speaker:the client or whoever I'm speaking to, whatever the situation may be.
Speaker:But with a client, it builds that trust.
Speaker:Like, "Okay, she doesn't know, but she's gonna go find out for me.
Speaker:So she's not effectively telling me something just to answer the question
Speaker:to feel like she's perfect or that she knows the answers, but rather she's
Speaker:being honest with me." so that was a piece of advice I was always given, and
Speaker:I think that that kind of sits well with what you just kind of expressed, so.
Speaker:And we can find information so quickly right now.
Speaker:That too.
Speaker:I
Speaker:mean, I had a client last night ask about how late Pompeii
Speaker:was opened for a 3:30 flight.
Speaker:I'm like- Yes … "Well, it's open till 7:00." And she was asking about
Speaker:the pros and cons of a tour guide.
Speaker:Within three seconds I was able to say, you know… I was like, "I think
Speaker:they have audio guides," but I'm…
Speaker:You know, sometimes you struggle to remember when you were there.
Speaker:I'm like, "Did they, did I use an audio guide?
Speaker:Did I not?
Speaker:I can't remember." And I mean, with, with AI tools or Google right now,
Speaker:it was like two seconds later I said, "Guide might be this much, but they
Speaker:have audio guide." She's like, "Great.
Speaker:Audio guide."
Speaker:I mean, quick, quick answers these days.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:Um, you just have to utilize too technology to fill in some of those gaps
Speaker:when you can't remember or you don't know.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:Absolutely.
Speaker:so our final question that we ask everyone who joins us on Travel Agent
Chatter is:What person, book or technology has been indispensable to
Chatter is:the growth of your agency, and why?
Chatter is:I think I will forever be indebted to Fora Travel and to Evan Frank,
Chatter is:who's one of the co-founders, who invited me in week three of becoming
Chatter is:a brand-new advisor to train the team.
Chatter is:They had heard my story, heard about my marketing background, and they believed
Chatter is:this was something that was underserved.
Chatter is:I was able to give that presentation, I think it was week six of Fora in 2023.
Chatter is:Wow.
Chatter is:And they attended and said, "I think we should build this." And
Chatter is:the leadership team here has been so supportive of this growth.
Chatter is:And I think when you've fought against a disability that has been, you
Chatter is:know, kind of ignored in the medical mainstream your whole life, I mean,
Chatter is:I fought for a wheelchair, I fought for cures, I fought for treatment.
Chatter is:There's never been an door that has opened for me easily.
Chatter is:And I feel like in a lot of my life I've had a lot of that out- external
Chatter is:pressure, like it's been for Karen.
Chatter is:Like, Karen grows through hard times and hard change, and this is the one
Chatter is:moment of my personal and professional career where I felt like the doors
Chatter is:have just been open quick- quickly.
Chatter is:Hmm.
Chatter is:I had a dream in 2023, 2024 that someday I would impact the travel industry.
Chatter is:And to see this happening so quickly with so much push from
Chatter is:a big brand has been beautiful.
Chatter is:I feel like they see the opportunity and they're opening the door for a lot
Chatter is:of us to make big change in the market.
Chatter is:And for that, I'm, I'm forever grateful.
Chatter is:Oh, that's so wonderful to hear.
Chatter is:It's why we ask the last question, so that I can cry at the end of the podcast.
Chatter is:No, that's so wonderful, and, uh, thank you, Karen.
Chatter is:You've built such an incredible business in such a short amount of
Chatter is:time, and sharing your story and perspective so openly with the HAR
Chatter is:community, I cannot thank you enough.
Chatter is:the work that you're doing to make travel more accessible and to help
Chatter is:advisors feel more confident in the space is so important, so thank you.
Chatter is:Thank
Chatter is:you.
Chatter is:I'm really glad to have this conversation today.
Chatter is:Me too.
Chatter is:I wanna thank everyone that's listening today.
Chatter is:please remember to submit reviews if you are a member of a host agency, or using
Chatter is:a piece of travel technology, working with a tour operator or travel insurance
Chatter is:provider now live within the HAR website.
Chatter is:Your insights truly help other advisors make informed decisions.
Chatter is:A huge thank you to IMG Global Travel Insurance, our sponsor this quarter, and
Chatter is:for supporting this episode with Karen.
Chatter is:And a reminder that the Travel Agent Chatter podcast is a quarterly series
Chatter is:where we feature and learn from your travel advisor peers, so stay tuned for
Chatter is:our next episode that will come up in Q3.
Chatter is:You can go read the transcript, view the trip notes, or watch the video
Chatter is:of today's episode all in one place.
Chatter is:Head over to hostagencyreviews.com/tac and click on episode 36.
Chatter is:Karen, an absolute pleasure.
Chatter is:Thank you so much for being here, and we will absolutely have you back soon.
Chatter is:Perfect.
Chatter is:Thanks, Shana.
Chatter is:Thanks, everybody.
Chatter is:Bye-bye.