Ron and Melissa featured in South Carolina Voyager e-zine

Ron Opher and Melissa Beers, co-owners of My Journey Begins Travel, were featured in a July 16, 2025 article in South Carolina Voyager.

Q: Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers and being willing to be featured in South Carolina Voyager. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

A: My wife and I have a shared love for exploration, which inspired the creation of My Journey Begins Travel. We started the company in 2019, right before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global travel. But instead of letting it stall our dream, we persevered and emerged stronger— fully committed to helping our clients navigate the new travel landscape.

SC Voyager: Melissa brings years of experience planning Disney vacations and turnkey trips, such as cruises and all-inclusive resorts. I am a seasoned entrepreneur, and my role is planning customized travel experiences. Our background in service-based businesses and attention to detail make us the go-to for creating tailor-made adventures.

Q: Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

A: The main challenge was re-establishing momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided.

SC Voyager: Like most in the travel industry, the business came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic. But instead of closing up shop, Melissa and Ron used the downtime to learn, innovate, and build tools for the future. “We came out of it better than we went in,” Melissa says. “We launched a robust, searchable website with curated travel content to inspire and guide travelers.”

Their resilience paid off. In 2025, My Journey Begins Travel was named Best Travel Agency in both the Myrtle Beach Herald and the North Strand News Readers’ Choice Awards—a reflection of their commitment and customer-first approach.

Q: Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

A: We listen carefully, we ask the right questions. And we make sure everyone in a travel group gets what they want out of their experience.

SC Voyager: From solo getaways to multigenerational vacations, Melissa and Ron take pride in offering:
* Travel consulting & concierge services
* Cruise, Disney, and resort bookings
* Customized itineraries and cultural trips
* Group travel, weddings, reunions & honeymoons
* Booking assistance and support from start to finish

My Journey Begins Travel is more than a business – it’s a part of the Grand Strand community. Ron serves as an ambassador for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and volunteers with SCORE, a mentorship group supporting local business owners. The duo is active in BNI, The Big Mixer, and other networking groups that champion small businesses.

They also enjoy giving back by sponsoring prizes and supporting fundraising events for local organizations. In their downtime, you might spot them singing karaoke with friends at Café Vincenzo’s or checking out the live music scene around Myrtle Beach.

Q: We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?

A: Success is delivering a fantastic and memorable experience for our clients – so much so that they return to us to book their next travel adventure and refer friends and family to us.

Pricing:

We invite everyone to give us the opportunity to beat their cruise quote BEFORE booking on their own. We guarantee we can beat any quote from a major cruise line of offer you 1% of the price in the form of an OBC (on board credit) If they transfer an existing booking to us in the window of time allowed by the cruise line – usually 30 days.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://myjourneybeginstravel.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myjourneybeginstravel
• LinkedIn: MyJourneyBeginsTravel