Welcome to Humans in the Hot Seat, a spinoff series of Humans of Travel. This is Emma Weissmann, Managing Editor at TravelAge West, and your host.

Over the coming weeks, we will be interviewing the finalists of the TravelAge West Trendsetter Awards, which were created to acknowledge the work of exceptional travel advisors. This year, TravelAge West honored travel advisors in five categories, and named a winner and a runner-up and each category.

Today, you’ll hear from the fourth travel advisor in this series: Lauren Quirk, the runner-up in the category of Best Use of Social Media. Lauren’s agency, Travel With Character, has a truly unique social media strategy. Lauren created a series of travel-related comedy songs for her social media accounts that have original song lyrics and Broadway-style theatrics. By focusing on messages that encourage engagement and brand awareness, her social media accounts for about $500,000 in sales per year. What originally started as acoustic videos played on piano has become professionally produced tracks and music videos.

This episode was sponsored by the Iberostar Resorts.

Lauren's Trendsetter award was sponsored by Sandals Resorts.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Lauren's Social Media: @travelwithcharacter (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook)

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Wolters was an early social media influencer — he created his YouTube channel, Wolters World, in 2009; since then, he’s uploaded more than 2,300 travel videos and racked up more than 227 million views and nearly 1 million subscribers. In 2014, he was named the No. 1 independent travel videographer by USA Today.

And when Wolters isn’t documenting his travel endeavors on YouTube, he’s a professor of marketing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Gies College of Business.

In this episode of Humans of Travel, Wolters provides a crash course in social media marketing and advises travel businesses looking to build their brand and grow a following online.

Listeners will hear Wolters reflect on his own path to success, why he chose to feature honest travel advice (that shows both the good and the bad sides of traveling), the importance of remaining authentic online and the main challenges that wannabe influencers may face when starting out.

This episode is sponsored by Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Follow Mark Wolters on Social Media

Youtube:

Wolters World

Wolters World Eats

Wolters World Shorts

Professor Wolters

Wolters World on Facebook

Wolters World on Instagram

Wolters World on TikTok

Wolters’ Favorite influencers:

Megan Daily

Rob from Trip Hacks DC

Samuel and Audrey: @thatbackpacker

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Humans in the Hot Seat, a spinoff series of Humans of Travel. This is Emma Weissmann, Managing Editor at TravelAge West, and your host.

Over the coming weeks, we will be interviewing the finalists of the TravelAge West Trendsetter Awards, which were created to acknowledge the work of exceptional travel advisors. This year, TravelAge West honored travel advisors in five categories, and named a winner and a runner-up and each category.

Today, you’ll hear from the third travel advisor in this series: Nikki Hendrix, the winner in the category of Best Use of Social Media. Nikki is the founder and CEO of Favorite Grampy Travels. What started out as a small, local Facebook group for Disney fans in Loudoun County, Virginia, blossomed into a network of 10 themed Facebook groups, the largest of which boast memberships of 212,000 and 237,000, each. They offer members interactive online Facebook events with advisors and preferred suppliers and, in turn, can nurture hundreds of relationships with potential clients each week. Today, you’ll hear from Nikki exactly how the Facebook group came about, and her goals in creating it.

This episode was sponsored by the Iberostar Resorts.

Nikki's Trendsetter award was sponsored by Sandals Resorts.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Favorite Grampy Travels

Favorite Grampy Travels on Facebook

Nikki on Facebook

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jenn Lee, the former vice president of industry engagement and support for host agency Travel Planners International (TPI), made her Humans of Travel debut in the podcast’s very first episode in 2020.

Now, she’s making her return to Humans of Travel four years later in her new role as president of Vacation Planners, the just-launched franchise division of TPI.

In this episode of Humans of Travel, listeners will hear all about the new Vacation Planners brand, and why franchising can be a desirable option for travel businessowners. We will also dive deeper into what makes Jenn Lee who she is — the choices and the past experiences that have shaped her, including a name change and a childhood defined by constant change. She’ll also reflect on lessons learned as a young mother, and why she believes it’s important to practice forgiveness every day.

This episode was sponsored by the Iberostar Resorts.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

From Travel Weekly: Why Jenn Lee Hates Independent Contractors

Trade Secrets Podcast on Succession Planning for Travel Advisors: So, You Want to Sell Your Business? Here's How

Trade Secrets: Vocabulary episode with Jenn Lee: Travel Advisors, Stop Using These Phrases Right Now

Vacation Planners (launching in October)

Email Jenn: jenn@vacationplanners.com

Jenn on Facebook

Jenn's Fiercely Forward Facebook Group

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello everyone. And welcome to Humans in the Hot Seat, a spinoff series of Humans of Travel. This is the second episode in our TravelAge West Trendsetter series; over the coming weeks, we will be interviewing the finalists of the TravelAge West Trendsetter Awards, which were created to acknowledge the work of exceptional travel advisors. This year, TravelAge West honored travel advisors in five Trendsetter categories, and named a winner and runner-up in each category.

Today, we are speaking with Mary Beth Lynn, who was named the runner-up of the TravelAge West Upward Bound, Rock Star Advisor Under 40 Trendsetter award.

On this episode, we are speaking with Mary Beth Lynn with Your Vacation Plan. Mary Beth created an education course for fellow advisors called Assistants That Work. Through the program, she teaches business owners the processes, systems and methods they can use to grow their businesses. Her program is designed to empower travel advisors to regain control of their time and lives, and she has had more than 3,400 agents sign up for her free Life-Changing Assistants Masterclass. Another advisor said of Mary Beth that “she embodies the community-over-competition model in the travel industry.”

This episode was sponsored by the Iberostar Resorts.

Mary Beth's Trendsetter award was sponsored by Inclusive Collection, Part of World of Hyatt.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Assistants that Work

Mary Beth Lynn of Your Vacation Plan

Email Mary Beth: marybeth@assistantsthatwork.com

Instagram: @assistantsthatwork

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello everyone. And welcome to humans in the hot seat, a spinoff series of Humans of Travel. This is the first episode in our TravelAge West Trendsetter series; over the coming weeks, we will be interviewing the finalists of the TravelAge West Trendsetter Awards, which were created to acknowledge the work of exceptional travel advisors. This year, TravelAge West honored travel advisors in five Trendsetter categories, and named a winner and runner-up in each category.

Today, we are speaking with Jordana Izzo who was named the winner of the TravelAge West Upward Bound, Rock Star Advisor Under 40 Trendsetter award.

Despite her young age, Jordana was recently named Director of Accessible Travel at Travelmation, where she also created the first Accessible Travel Certification for the agency. Jordana also coaches her own team of agents, while still managing a million-dollar book of business. In this episode of Humans in the Hot Seat, Jordana explains her personal connection to accessible travel, and gives tips to advisors looking to broaden their book of business to include accessible travel.

This episode was sponsored by the Globus Family of Brands.

Jordana’s Trendsetter award was sponsored by Inclusive Collection, Part of World of Hyatt.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Jordana Izzo, travel advisor and director of accessible travel at Travelmation

Jordana Izzo’s article in TravelAge West: Community Voices: How I Plan Travel for My Autistic Son

Jordana’s Instagram: @jordanaizzotravel

Email Jordana: jordanaizzo@travelmation.net

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whitney Shindelar, owner of Undiscovered Sunsets, wears many professional hats: In addition to being a travel advisor, she’s the founder of the Masters in Travel online community of advisors; the host of the Masters in Travel podcast; and the creator of The Hive, a new technology platform that revolutionizes the way knowledge and insights are shared between travel agents.

Prior to becoming an advisor, Shindelar spent much of her 20s living in Shanghai, China, where she taught English before transitioning to work at Le Meridien Shanghai (first in a role within the food and beverage department, and then in Operations Excellence).

In this episode of Humans of Travel, Shindelar describes the lessons she learned while living and working abroad, and what it was like to handle operational challenges in a large luxury hotel. She reflects on making a career switch to travel advising after an especially impactful trip to Germany, and what her early pain points were when she was just starting off as a travel advisor.

Listeners will also hear about Shindelar’s latest venture, The Hive, and learn why she decided to create the Masters in Travel podcast and online community during the pandemic.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Whitney Shindelar on Trade Secrets: How Do I Find My Travel Industry Mentor?

Undiscovered Sunsets

Masters in Travel Podcast

Masters in Travel Online Community

@MastersinTravel on Instagram

@thehive.travel on Instagram

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most members of the travel industry community know Samantha Brown as the host of PBS’ Samantha Brown's Places to Love, a long-running television show that allows viewers to tune in as Brown jets all over the world, showcasing some of the planet’s most fascinating destinations, communities and cultures.

During this episode of Humans of Travel, Brown reflects on her upbringing — her early relationship with travel, and how her interest in theater prepared her for a life in front of the screen. She’ll also share a memorable story about getting to her audition — and ultimately landing the role — for the Travel Channel’s Great Vacation Homes, and reflects on some of the most memorable moments from her career. Finally, listeners will hear about Brown’s focus on sustainability and human connection while traveling, and what she respects most about the travel advisor profession.

This episode is sponsored by the Globus Family of Brands.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Samantha Brown's website

Samantha Brown on Instagram

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.