My Journey Begins Travel Meets the Professional Definition of a Luxury Travel Concierge, for All Clients

This article by Ruthanne Terrero originally appeared in the October issue of Agent at Home Magazine and republished in TravelPulse.

My Journey Begins Travel: We are a Luxury Travel Concierge

I recently moved into a new home, and I have been doing a lot of work to make it “mine.” Of course, this can be an intensely stressful process, but thankfully, I’ve had consistent good luck with my contractors, and all the Google reviews I’ve left them read the same: “The experience was seamless and stress-free.”

Not having to worry about the little details, potential problems and “what-ifs” of making this house into my home has become the very definition of luxury for me. Add in a dose of empathy from the contractors, and the luxury quotient soars.

Forget about opulence and elegance; if you provide an experience that makes me feel like I’m gliding on air — where I don’t have to constantly make new decisions or spend more boatloads of cash — I’ll have a grin on my face for days.

Now, translate that to the travel industry: Travel advisors who craft itineraries as if they were for their own personal travels create a beautiful bubble where the important decisions have already been made and the potential pitfalls have been determined. That shows emotional intelligence on the part of the agent, and it stands out in a world where AI is getting all the headlines. It’s a perfect demonstration of that irreplaceable human factor.

Delivering on the Luxury Promise

At Virtuoso Travel Week in August, Virtuoso chairman and CEO Matthew Upchurch noted that the overall number of travel advisors is growing quickly and globally. That’s due to the rise of the independent contractor model, although Upchurch said he is not fond of the “IC” label.

“I prefer to call it ‘entrepreneurialism,’” he said. “This is an entrepreneurial revolution.”

And these entrepreneurs, often hailing from other industries, have the emotional intelligence to understand that their business model must include three things: attention to detail, a heavy dose of empathy and happy clients.

“Customer satisfaction doesn’t come from what you did; it comes from doing what you promised you would do, and if you delivered on what you promised” Upchurch said.

Today’s Luxury Clientele

Additionally, a standout trend revealed at Virtuoso Travel Week was the ongoing rise of solo female travelers — a potentially lucrative revenue stream for luxury-minded advisors. Consider this: 68% of solo Virtuoso travelers are women, and 62% of them are baby boomers.

Now, consider that staggering “boomer wealth transfer” that’s about to take place. But, that money is not just going to the kids. Nine trillion dollars will be going to surviving spouses, and mostly widows. It’s creating a perfect storm of an extremely affluent group of consumers seeking to see the world in a seamless and stress-free manner with people similar to themselves. For travel advisors, that’s a win-win.

Game on, luxury entrepreneurs.

My Journey Begins Travel agrees with the viewpoints expressed and feels that we consistently meet the article’s definition of a Luxury Travel Concierge – even when booking trips that are not traditionally considered “luxury.”

We strive to meet the 3 essential elements of: 1) attention to detail; 2) a heavy dose of empathy and 3) happy clients – on a daily basis.