It’s been an interesting year in travel. A global pandemic, social unrest, and economic uncertainty have dominated the headlines. The question I get most often is, “are you still selling travel?” followed most often by “why?”

As I worked feverishly on business operations and invested more into Luxe + Leisure Travel – as the world was at a travel stand-still – it’s a question that constantly arose. For me, it was a no-brainer. It had more to do with my journey to travel than the current state of the industry.

I’ve been traveling professionally for more than 13 years. As an event professional, I’d been all over the United States planning small and large-scale events. I was usually the only one from my team traveling and charged with putting on some pretty spectacular experiences in new destinations. It required that I learn a lot of information about a lot of places in a short amount of time. I’d form great relationships with hotels, speciality vendors, tour operators, transportation providers, and destination management professionals to create amazing experiences that allowed people to connect to each other and their destination in ways that left them in awe. I like to think of that as a precursor to my group travel planning experience. 

Over the past five years, I placed an emphasis on traveling more personally, oftentimes solo. I appreciated the time, space, and energy to connect to the places, people and cultures in an intimate way. I started adding international destinations and creating itineraries that allowed for more of that – connecting! I even added romance trips with my husband and family travel to the mix. I discovered the power of sharing the world with my family through travel and sharing my family with the world.

People took note. I would often get questions about the best places to go, the must-do things in a destination, and how I maximized the time I spent in a location. I realized that not only did I love to travel, but I had the experience and relationships to help create those same or even better experiences for others. 

And that’s what I’ve been doing since. 

So now, more than ever, when people are craving the opportunity to connect, I’m there. Thinking, creating, building and preparing for the next phase of this journey.