One of the most frequently asked questions I get as a travel agent is “how do you make any money?”
The year 2021 is coming to a close, and like many people, I am reflecting back over the past twelve months. I find this to be a valuable exercise, no matter what happened along the way – the years seem to go faster and faster as I age, and I appreciate the ability to take a moment and remember.
The Bad Stuff from 2021
This year wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows and trips abroad. In September, I managed to catch Covid despite being fully vaccinated. The lucky part was that I had a fairly mild case. Additionally, my employer allowed me to work from home. The not-so-fun part was being stuck basically in one room of the house for ten days.
Covid also wreaked havoc with client plans; several clients canceled trips and a few more postponed. I don’t blame any of them – uncertainty is tough, especially when it has the propensity to cost you money. Like many people, by the end of summer, I thought we were on our way to being past the time when covid would disrupt people’s travel plans, but it appears she’s back for one more round!
The Good Stuff from 2021
Fortunately, a lot of good things happened as well in 2021 – much of it travel-related. One of my favorite memories of the past year is taking my family to Maui – probably the biggest vacation we’ll ever take as our family of four. My oldest child fell in love with the state and I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up having someone to visit in Hawaii in the future. We all enjoyed the time together, eating fresh pineapple, soaking up the sun, chasing waterfalls, lounging around the resort, and watching the sunset on the beach. My younger child discovered that he likes Spam on that trip.
I took my kids on an epic road trip to California back in March. The kids saw the Grand Canyon for the first time (covered in snow), ate some good food on the road, dug for diamonds in Arkansas, camped in Joshua Tree, visited some petrified trees and white sand dunes, and dunked their feet in the Pacific Ocean. We played silly road games, looked for license plates, laughed a lot, and made up new lyrics to 70s rock classics. I loved long road trips with my family as a kid, so this was a good blast of nostalgia and discovery for me.
In the early fall, I got to take my oldest kid on a European adventure for the first time. We had planned the trip originally for the summer of 2020, but covid scuppered those plans. We spent two weeks in Germany, Belgium, France and Ireland. It was really fun to watch my kid experience new cultures and I’m pretty sure I was totally embarrassing (especially when I tried speaking German).
In October, I had the opportunity to attend the agency conference for the travel agency I work for, WDWGetaways. They’ve held the conference almost every year since I’ve been an agent, but I typically had a commitment at my day job that kept me from attending. However, this year, I had no conflicts and the conference was in Orlando so I was able to attend. It was so great! We had a guest presentation by Lou Mongello of WDWRadio fame, which really inspired me to work on taking my business to the next level. After the conference, I launched my website and started working on my marketing plan in order to up my sales for next year.
Finally, in late November/early December I got to take a solo trip to Northern Europe. I crossed three things off my bucket list on that trip: visiting Berlin, seeing London at Christmas, and seeing the Northern Lights (magic!). Solo travel is one of my favorite things to do, and glad I had the opportunity.
What’s Next for 2022?
I am working on some goals for next year and hopefully will be able to share them publicly very soon. Zach and I are heading to New York City at the end of January for an adults-only trip. Additionally, I have three cruises booked (covid-dependent): a three night Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas with my mom in February, a five night Royal Caribbean cruise to Cozumel with my family in March, and a weeklong Mediterranean cruise on Princess with my BFF in May. Tentatively, we have decided on a Pacific Coast trip for the summer but I still need to work out the details. And I plan to keep working hard for my clients, planning trips and delivering joy, one magical adventure at a time!
