Tessa Marsh was in the middle of a leisure trip to Nigeria
when borders around the world began to close. She would end up extending that
trip, to a total of three-and-a-half months, before she was able to charter a
private plane to Paris, then fly through Canada and Boston en route to her home
in Charlotte.
Before that trip, Marsh had worked in several customer
service positions. It wasn’t that exciting, she said, and after losing her last
position, she thought, “There’s got to be something for me to do where I can
make money for myself instead of working so hard for other people and not
getting the recognition I need.”
Tess Marsh
And so last month Majestic Vacation Paradise, a Travel
Planners International affiliate, was born.
Like many others who find their way to the agency community,
Marsh has always loved travel. It may seem counterintuitive to start a travel
business in the midst of a global pandemic, and indeed, she came in just as
others were exiting. According to a survey of travel advisors conducted earlier
this month by TravelAge West (a sister publication to Travel Weekly), 40% of
respondents said they knew a colleague who had left the industry due to the
Covid-19 crisis, and more than a third said they had considered leaving the
business themselves.
And yet host agencies and franchises alike are seeing
interest from new entrants.
To respond to that demand, Dream Vacations recently launched
a weeklong virtual training program for new agents. Classes have averaged 25 to
28 people each month; the maximum allowed is 30.
Dawn Haugen
Dawn Haugen is a new Dream Vacations franchisee based in
Hannaford, N.D.
Her background is in information technology, project
management and employee relations. For years, she worked for a manufacturing
company, but in April decided to take the plunge and open a travel agency.
“When I say now is the best time for me, it’s because this
gives me the time to learn and gain the education I need to become a great
travel agent, and really just start from the ground up and set up my business
how I want to,” Haugen said.
Leah Rubiano and her husband, Richard, were also drawn to
starting an agency during the pandemic. They, too, purchased a Dream Vacations
franchise, in May.
The Rubianos, based in Apopka, Fla., have been avid cruisers
for years. She has been a pharmacy technician for 30 years, teaching for a
pharmacy technician program at a technical college for the past 10. He worked
in construction.
Richard and Leah Rubiano purchased a Dream Vacations franchise in May.
They had been considering starting an agency for some time.
“When I told everybody that I was doing this now, they were
all like, ‘What is wrong with you?’” Leah Rubiano said with a laugh.
Their reasoning was similar to Haugen’s: The pause in travel
is giving them a chance to set up their business. It turns out, circumstances
have reaffirmed their decision. They purchased their agency on a Tuesday. On
Wednesday, Richard Rubiano found out he was part of layoffs affecting 40% of
employees.
Sayra Stone-Harris also came to the industry from outside
travel. A media specialist at an elementary school, she recently started her
Rincon, Ga.-based agency, Tumble Beans Family Travel Co., with her business
partner Sharon Knight.
Knight has business experience -- she owns the Tumble Beans
Cafe and Play, an indoor cafe and play space geared toward families in Medway,
Mass. -- and Stone-Harris has been engaged in learning the travel consulting
side of the business.
“I’m not going to lie: Starting a travel agency during a
pandemic is a crazy idea,” Stone-Harris said. “But it also provided me the
inspiration and time to devote to the classes, research and setup I needed to
get this business up and rolling.”
Michelle Mulimbayan
Michelle Mulimbayan, owner of Current Location Travels in
Los Angeles, founded in late May, agreed.
“You find yourself with more time on your hands, and you’re
like, you know what, I can only bake so much banana bread -- let me acquire a
new skill,” she said.
Coming in from the industry
Some with industry experience are also gravitating toward
the agency community.
Lizbeth Carrasquillo has worked in the travel industry her
whole career. She started at 17 behind a Continental Airlines ticket counter,
then moved on to receiving cruise ships in port. She’s been a flight attendant
with JetBlue since 2011.
Lizbeth Carrasquillo, owner of Cruise Fly Repeat in Orlando.
When the pandemic struck, she found herself flying less and
had more time to devote to training as a travel advisor. She started her
Orlando-based agency, Cruise Fly Repeat, in April.
Stephen Schenck is also based in Orlando. He has been a
software developer for years, specializing in the photo imaging and capture
market, specifically within theme parks. He’s been moving toward a career as a
travel advisor for several years.
His inspiration lies in his children, who perform music with
an orchestra. He and his wife often accompany them on trips around the world.
He offered to help the orchestra more with travel in the coming year, and with
plenty of time because of the shutdown, has accelerated those plans and founded
Taking Care Travel.
Stephen Schenck
The industry’s freshman class is in agreement that when
travel returns, they will benefit from pent-up demand and an increased desire
to use travel advisors.
“Although we have a pandemic going on and although travel
may be halted temporarily, I don’t believe travel will ever just go away,”
Haugen said. “People still need time to get away.”
Carrasquillo is already enjoying business from two
new-to-advisor travelers.
“They just recently shared with me that they felt a lot more
comfortable traveling with someone than venturing out and going onto a computer
and buying something,” she said. “It’s nice to have someone on the other side
that knows more and can look out for your best interests.”