The Travel Business Unpacked
The Travel Business Unpacked
Podcast Description
Welcome to The Travel Business Unpacked, the podcast by Gifted Travel Network, the premier host agency for luxury travel advisors. Hosted by Meredith Calloway, this podcast is your gateway to discovering how to turn a love for travel into a thriving career. Explore inspiring stories, expert insights, and proven strategies for building a sustainable and lucrative travel business. Whether you're dreaming of making a career leap or seeking fresh ideas to grow your existing travel venture, this is the podcast for you! Learn more about Gifted Travel Network: https://www.giftedtravelnetwork.com/
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast centers around themes of travel entrepreneurship, personal growth, and effective business strategies. Example episodes dive into topics such as transitioning careers into travel, maintaining work-life balance, and leveraging personal passions for business success, highlighted by stories like Soldi Foster's journey from pharmaceuticals to luxury travel advising and Erica Carr's rise in the multimillion-dollar travel agency niche.
Welcome to The Travel Business Unpacked, the podcast by Gifted Travel Network, the premier host agency for luxury travel advisors. Hosted by Meredith Calloway, this podcast is your gateway to discovering how to turn a love for travel into a thriving career. Explore inspiring stories, expert insights, and proven strategies for building a sustainable and lucrative travel business. Whether you’re dreaming of making a career leap or seeking fresh ideas to grow your existing travel venture, this is the podcast for you! Learn more about Gifted Travel Network: https://www.giftedtravelnetwork.com/
This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean International’s Senior Vice President of Sales, Trade Support and Service. With a career spanning more than four decades, Vicki has become one of the most respected leaders in cruising and one of the strongest advocates for travel advisors.
In this episode, Vicki reflects on her path from selling travel in her early 20s to leading sales at two of the world’s biggest cruise lines. She shares why relationships have always mattered more than titles, how Royal Caribbean stood by advisors during the pandemic, and why she believes kindness and compassion should guide leadership.
They also explore:
- The evolution of the travel advisor’s role from agent to trusted advisor
- How Royal Caribbean has invested in supporting advisors long-term
- The cruise industry’s biggest opportunities for growth and new-to-cruise clients
- Innovation at sea, from Perfect Day at CocoCay to Icon of the Seas
- Why entertainment, luxury suites, and even shipboard dogs are redefining the cruise experience
- How perspective, gratitude, and “mental muscles” help leaders navigate stress
Vicki also shares the philosophy that drives her work: travel advisors aren’t just booking trips, they’re memory doctors, creating life-changing moments that clients will never forget.
Disclaimer
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