Behind the Scenes with Heather
Hi, my name is Heather……. . .
and I’m a travel agent/travel advisor/travel consultant/travel planner. Why am I (re)introducing myself to you, you might ask?
Well, I never really actually ever made this announcement 4 years ago. It was more like “yeah, I am joining a travel agency and found my dream job and now I post a lot of pictures about travel and fun things I do when I explore new places”. But I skipped the basics....namely what do I do. And now have friends say things like,
“I only thought you booked weddings/honeymoons,”
or
“I didn’t want to bother you with my little trip,”
or
”Are you still doing that travel agent thing?”
So, here’s the deal...
I plan, customize, and book all types of travel. But I specialize in:
Group travel for destination weddings, family reunions, and small incentive groups
Luxury travel, especially all things Europe
Bucket list type trips that require something a bit “extra”
All-inclusive vacations, especially in the Caribbean and Mexico
Foodie adventures because I am *very* opinionated about local cuisine
I’ve lived more than half of my life outside the US in Egypt Scotland the Netherlands Germany England and Austria. And when I moved back to the US, I began a career in the hotel industry in the mountains of Big Sky, Montana.
I now travel both personally and professionally to scope out places with amazing food, wine, scenery, and awesome hotels with fuzzy bathrobes. My expertise in this industry comes from a lifetime of merging living in different cultures, travelling extensively, and growing up in hospitality and tourism. I am a “travel agent that travels”, visiting at least 100+ properties a year, and this unique skill set is something that I can offer my clients.
And for those of you interested in supporting predominantly women-owned businesses, I’d also like to emphasize that most travel advisors are local, small business owners. And how having an advocate on your side, especially now, is beneficial for helping make a trip extra special, or reaching out when things need to be adjusted or changed.
I consider myself very fortunate to count many of my friends and family as clients already. And if you are currently not in the mood for travel, you can still support small businesses, and mine specifically, by:
referring my services to someone who is planning an upcoming trip
sharing a travel-related post
writing a review from a past trip (Google, Yelp, FB, WeddingWire)
contacting me to help plan that big 2022 bucket list trip that is the safari/50th birthday bash/family reunion/ anniversary that you really want to make extra special
To say 2020 has been a challenging year to work in travel would be an understatement. But it solidifies why I advocate *everyone* should use a travel advisor for booking future trips. Staying on top of countries’ entry requirements, border policies, insurance updates, and refund and cancellation policies is a full-time job.... believe me, I know! And moving forward, when people want to begin travelling again, working with a professional who can advise and guide you through these parameters is a wise investment for your time, sanity, and travel dollars.
So all of this is to say, “Hi, my name is Heather and please contact me to help plan your next vacation!”