We travel a lot….a whole lot. Which is why we use a travel agent. We don’t want to spend every waking minute planning our many trips. Nor could we ever keep track of it all.

Now, that’s not to say we don’t book an easy flight or two ourselves. But the complicated stuff? We rely on Matt, our travel advisor. He is a wealth of information, has found us flights when we couldn’t find a thing that worked, ourselves. He’s recommended restaurants and hotels. He does all the hard work, because, let’s face it, internet searches end up with a ton of ads and no organic info. Honestly, we don’t want to do all that digging through search results.

So I thought you’d like to know a little about our guy and how he ended up doing this for a living–and some of his thoughts on travel.

Travel advisor. It sounds like a dream. job, no? At least for those of us who love to travel. I was curious about how Matt came to do this for a living, so I asked him a few questions. He’s shared a bit of his own background and travel interests, as well as some of the trends he’s seeing. Come along!

What got you started in the travel business?

My boyfriend was doing some programming work for a woman who ran a boutique travel agency. She invited us over for dinner one night. I was very intrigued about the business. Then, she invited us to join her on a cruise about how to run a successful travel agency. I signed up as a travel advisor immediately. It was the job I had been looking for that I didn’t know existed.

This was us two months ago in Greece. But it’s Matt in Sorrento.

What appealed to you about it?

After college, I served in the Peace Corps for two years. That’s how I caught the travel bug. When I returned home I looked for work in travel, but didn’t find anything that appealed to me. When I first learned about being a Travel Advisor, I loved that I could run it as my own business. I wanted to travel more and I wanted more autonomy in my career: this offered both. Plus, I love helping people. I had already been helping my friends with their trips to Europe since they knew I lived there for 2 years. I knew right away this was something I wanted to do.

How did you train? What preparation did you do?

At first, I took a lot of online courses for travel companies I knew I’d want to work with. Then, I started attending conferences. Eventually, I asked the woman who owned the travel agency to mentor me. I’m also big on taking courses on how to run a successful business in general (not just focused on travel agencies). Several years in and I started training new agents. Teaching people is another great way of learning. The education never stops. I’m always learning in this role.

Did you start your own business right away?

Not right away. I was nervous. I didn’t want to make a mistake booking someone else’s travel plans so I started practicing with my own trips and educated myself for the first six months before I announced that I had opened a travel agency.

What is the most challenging part?

Keeping up with all of the changes in travel. Entry requirements, inclusions on a particular cruise line, new hotels opening. I read a lot every week just to try and stay up to date with it all.

What do you love the most about it?

I love the researching and planning part. Everytime I book a trip for a client I wish I could go with them. I get excited for them as I put all the pieces together. I like to think I inspire my clients to travel, but sometimes it’s them who inspire me.

What’s the best experience you had as a TA?

Being invited to lead a group of travel agents on a safari in Kenya. I had never been, but they just needed eyes and ears and I was happy to lend mine. I always wanted to go on an African safari, but I thought it was years away in my future. It was such an incredible experience.

This could be you! But it’s Matt in Puerta Vallarta.

What’s the best travel experience you’ve had?

It has to be my Peace Corps experience in Bulgaria. It was my first time abroad. I lived with a family for the first couple of months and then I was sent to a small village as a volunteer to help them in any way I could for the next 2 years. The tagline for the Peace Corps at the time was, the “toughest job you’ll ever love” and it was true. It was tough, but so rewarding. I loved making new friends, immersing myself in the culture, and learning the language. It’s hard to put into words how this experience changed my life and is still affecting me.

Why should someone use a TA? What are the top 4 advantages or benefits from your point of view?

1. A good travel advisor is on your side. They advocate for you should any issues arise. They don’t work for the tour company, cruise, etc. They work for you and have your interests at heart.

2. They are your go-to-person. Have a question? Need to make reservations? Need to change your plans? Just shoot your Travel Advisor a quick message and consider it done.

3. An established Travel Advisor has clout and oftentimes inside information that you might not be able to find (even on the internet). I’ve been working in travel since 2014 so 11 years now. I’m well connected in the industry. I’ve seen almost everything that can happen on a trip and I’m prepared to advise my clients should a situation arise and I know who to call to get resolution.

4. As you get to know your advisor, they understand your preferences and how you like to travel. They are able to find the right cruise or hotel to match your vibe. They can prepare a custom itinerary based on your preferences rather than a cookie cutter vacation. They ask the right questions to understand how you like to travel. This saves you time in doing all the research and planning yourself. Let a TA put together a proposal for you and manage everything so you can focus on everything else you need to do in your busy life.

Matt’s in Spain near the village his grandparents came from.

What is the argument used most against the use of TAs and what would you say to that? (I have my own responses to those things?)

Oftentimes travelers wonder why they should use a TA when they can book their trip themselves online. One major reason is to receive excellent service. Travelers spend so much money on their trips, they should receive good service before, during and after their trip. Good service is hard to come by when you book online.

What are the biggest misconceptions about using a TA?

That TA’s just book your trip and don’t offer anything else. A good TA can help you vet your travel decisions to make sure you’re making the right choices for you. Most of my clients are busy and prefer I do all the leg work. Some clients prefer a more collaborative approach. They send me ideas. I send them ideas and we put a great experience together. There are so many moving pieces when it comes to travel it’s reassuring to have a second pair of eyes to double check your thinking and all the fine details.

Where are your top 3 places to send people?

Europe (especially Italy), cruises to Alaska, and the Caribbean. It’s not just places, it’s travel styles including river cruises and beach resort vacations. Securing villas and yacht experiences for clients is the latest trend. I think a lot of people want to stick to their pod these days so instead of going on a cruise, they want to charter a private yacht with just their friends. Instead of going to a big resort, they opt for a private villa.

Where are your own top 3 places to go?

Italy has been one of my favorite places to visit for over 20 years now. I’ve been several times and recently spent 3 months in Rome. I love Hawaii. It’s my happy place. No matter what’s going on in the world or how busy I am, the islands keep me calm. My 3rd pick is usually wherever I last visited for the first time. Right now I would say Spain, but before that it was New Zealand, and before that Japan, etc. etc. I love coming home, throwing a dinner party, and sharing recipes and snacks I brought back from my travels.

Matt’s taking new clients. And yes, he works remotely. If you’d like to talk with him about how he might be able to help you, email him at Matt@Matt.Travel and his website is HERE.