Do you ever just want to just bang your head? Like how do you get your ideal client (not the looker, but the booker) to hire you to design that trip? Sure, you get all kinds of inquiries but they are shoppers – they don’t want to pay a deposit, let alone a fee.

Then your email is flooded with hundreds of people telling you how to make more money, how to amplify your message, and you’re like “I just want to design travel”… you’re a travel expert, not a marketer, a Social Media guru, (fill in the blank here with other titles.), etc. Read the rest of this entry »

Did you watch the basketball game on April 13^th to close out the Kobe Bryant era? I didn’t but I certainly heard about it, and later watched a few highlights. Occasionally in my life as travel agent, I feel as if some people will watch my whole game, and some will just watch the highlights. But if I think of myself as Kobe, I force myself to come out 100% for every game and capture the attention of my audience.

Let’s break this whole travel agent life into bite size pieces, because to do otherwise is like playing the whole basketball season at once instead of game by game or each win or loss. Read the rest of this entry »

Before 9/11, we looked to travel agents for knowledge and expertise, and booked our travel experience with a lot more confidence than we do today. Now, everyone is a travel agent because everyone knows how to book travel on OTAs. But, is that the qualification of a travel agent? Does your qualification mean the ability to put together an itinerary online? I submit that many travel consumers have very little insight into the day-in-the-life of a travel agent; and if they did, our value would become more apparent. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week when we turned the clocks back an hour, it hit me that we are already in November and within a few short weeks, we would be saying goodbye to 2015. And, I got a reminder that I will be saying goodbye to the Travel Agent Diaries… or at least for 2015!

When I started to write for this column back in January, I was excited and scared all at once. I was excited at the opportunity to share my thoughts, my struggles, and my successes, but scared that no one would be interested, that my writing skills were not up to par, and of course the list goes on and on when you are your worst critic. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s football season again, and nothing gets us more animated than cheering for our favorite team. Its 15 seconds to go in the fourth quarter and the opposing team is up by 4. A field goal does no good. Facing 4^th and 12, you have to go for the touchdown, no question. The quarterback steps back out of the pocket, his favorite target is open for the touchdown… we are all on our feet! To…to — touchdown? Nope, an interception. Sigh! Read the rest of this entry »

There are some days I get out of bed and I get an email or a travel request and I scream in delight and think this is the most exciting and sexy industry in the world. And, then there are those days where a long face seems to be a part of my uniform and I feel utterly frustrated and think, why am I doing this. Yikes! So what does one of those “long face” days look like? Read the rest of this entry »

What is your favorite television program that you feel you have to watch and at the least you have to DVR it because you just cannot bear to know that you have missed an episode? How did you learn about that program to the point where it became your favorite? Did you stumble upon it or did you see some preview that pulled you in and promised to deliver a story that you could resonate with? If you think about it like this, there is a lot of planning that goes behind the scenes of bringing that program to you that will get you “hooked” on it. By appealing to you and others, producers are hoping that you will watch, and hopefully the viewership and ratings will explode. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the first things I do when I get up in the morning is check my email, and it is also the last thing I do before I go to bed. I have notifications set up on my cell phone and an alert goes off as soon as I receive one. I frequently will take a peek to check the subject. Much to my chagrin, it is often junk mail and I roll my eyes frantically trying to unsubscribe. I sometimes think of all of these unwanted emails as being similar to those pesky telemarketing calls that you just can’t seem to shake at home. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you a bride? Getting married? No! Well, the truth is, neither am I but I sure feel like it. As a Romance Travel Designer, I talk to a lot of couples who are overwhelmed with the planning and decisions that comes with wedding and honeymoon planning. As an entrepreneur, I can identify because I feel just like a bride – I have tons of decisions to make, a mountain of information to sift through and a plethora of tools to choose from.

Last month, I felt like I had garnered a lot of information about running a successful Facebook advertising campaign and did so with some decent results. Woohoo, this is certainly going to help me reach millions of people, I can “set it and forget it” and just move on to the next big thing on the agenda, right? Well, not so fast Read the rest of this entry »

Did you watch the Super Bowl?  Well, you will no doubt hear all the analysis about the call of the Head Coach for the Seahawks – did he make the right call? Should they have run the ball instead of throwing?  Not making the right call can cost you all that you have worked hard for!

It’s all well and good you think, that’s the Super Bowl but what about my travel business? What Super Bowl plays and travel have to do with each other? Read the rest of this entry »

Hello! I am Judith White, the owner and founder of White Sand Travel. White Sand Travel is a boutique travel agency that specializes in designing romance travel for busy couples in love who want to experience rich romantic adventures without the stress of planning it themselves. We help them by carefully planning every component of their experience so they do not have to lift a finger but can just show up and have the time of their lives.

My passion for travel and my yearning to experience different cultures fueled my desires to learn more about the travel industry. As my interest increased so did my frustration on my prior job Read the rest of this entry »