Hi! I'm Katie Prince
Before starting our travel agency, I loved traveling. But after countless hours of researching hotels and countless more hours of researching sights, attractions, and experiences, I would be disappointed.
Because many times the travel materials were dated, old, and had misleading photos. Or you would have surprises and unplanned expenses.
For years friends would ask me for my itineraries to the places I traveled. I was happy to help them avoid my disappointments and experience the joy of traveling without some of the headaches.
Burning Out in My Career,
I Asked for Help
In 2017 I was facing burnout in my profession. A couple of my mentors chatted with me about passions.
One of them suggested I consider researching a job in the travel industry. I shrugged it off.
Fast forward to 2019, I faced a major life change.
Traveling and connecting with humans helped me heal. 2020 showed me how much travel meant to me.
In 2021 I decided to make the world as easily accessible to anyone who wanted to experience it.
Did I Have What It Takes? Could I do a Good Job?
In the beginning, I did nothing but train over suppliers, destinations, travel laws, industry standards, and best practices.
I was nervous!
I worked in my previous field since 1997 and was highly recognized and achieved.
Starting over was humbling as a learner. I thought the transition would be easy. I had traveled so extensively that I thought I would have a leg up.
It turns out that owning a travel agency and booking travel for clients has very little resemblance to consumer travel.
A significant turning point in my agency was early 2022. I had back-to-back training. I was in Jacksonville for a week followed by a week in Vegas. These training days are often up to 10+ hours.. It was absolutely exhausting.
I left with such an assurance of what I was doing that it exploded my business. Since then, I have consistently been recognized as a top agent out of over 9,000 agents.
Confidence was a big factor. I knew I knew things. But who was I to share that?
I felt like being a new agent I had to get years of experience under my belt to earn my place. I now realize that I made the right decision to invest in my education as an agent.
I surrounded myself with strong mentors with years of experience and a wealth of knowledge. I invested my time and money into building a solid foundation as an agency owner. I continue to cultivate relationships and experiences that impact the agency today.
Confidently Creating Custom Curated Travel Experiences and Providing Exceptional Service
The amount of training, site visits, networking, and endless meetings with tourist boards, tour operators, and property managers has helped me truly learn about destinations and properties. I no longer need to guess who might provide the service expected. I have contacts when something goes wrong. I'm able to take stress off my clients by selecting properties and tours that align with the experience they desire to have. Having a robust network that I can lean into allows me to build itineraries for clients that are curated specifically for them.