This week looked a little different at J5Travel. Kendall, our client care manager, Hawai’i and Italy Specialist, along with the many other unofficial titles she holds, has been attending the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Future Leaders is the only event in the industry dedicated to connecting the next generation of travel professionals. Participants are between the ages of 22 and 37, have a passion for professionalism, show enthusiasm for impacting the future of travel, and are inspired to find new and better ways to sell travel. Kendall and several others in our team fall into this category and it's something I am deliberately cultivating to ensure J5Travel spans the generations and stays around for a long time to come. I could not be prouder of Kendall in her leadership role this week.

I’ll pass it over to Kendall to share her experience at the conference.

The Future Leaders in Travel Retreat is something that I am honored to attend as it was a pretty extensive application process and a big success to be accepted. I remember when I first started in the industry a couple of years ago, it was a big goal of mine to attend. Participants are required to carry themselves with a certain level of professionalism and success in the travel industry, so it’s a huge honor that I was selected to attend this event.

The conference was split up into 3 main days: a supplier day, a professional development day, and a fun day. The supplier days were similar to as we described at Virtuoso Travel Week: one on one meetings with the suppliers we know and love to strengthen those relationships. I had meetings with representatives from companies like AmaWaterways (above), Travel Insured International, tourism boards, and many other amazing suppliers we love to use for our clients. I always love building and maintaining these relationships with suppliers because those relationships are what help make our clients’ experiences that much more special!

The professional development day was my personal favorite. As young travel advisors in the industry, it is important that we build relationships with our clients and suppliers, look at business models for the future, and explore ways to better the travel industry as a whole. We discussed problem solving, communication between advisors and suppliers, and just overall ways we as travel advisors can increase the value of our clients’ experiences - the entire reason why we do what we do! The one point that really stuck with me was our relationships with our suppliers. This isn’t often thought about, but our incredible relationships with our suppliers are how we are able to offer the amazing service we can to our clients and bring the value that would not be found elsewhere.

The final day of the conference was dedicated to fun. We travelled about an hour from our resort to the beautiful ancient Mayan ruins in Tulum. We had the chance to learn about the Mayan culture firsthand; their temples, homes, rituals, etc. We then travelled to an actual Mayan village where we got to swim in cenotes and learn how to make authentic tortillas with an amazing traditional Mayan paste made from pumpkins.

All in all, I just love attending these events. Being able to connect with other travel advisors in the industry and share thoughts, struggles, and victories is priceless. These events always make me so grateful for our clients. These past 18 months have not been easy on anyone. There are constant changes and "what if’s" in our world. However, attending events like this has made it so clear that travel advisors are not only prominent right now, but also a necessity in the changing times, whether it be for Covid protocols or staying up to date with country reopenings. We are ready to provide our clients with amazing experiences. Our whole team is ready to make your trips unforgettable, and we are not going anywhere (metaphorically speaking)!

We are so grateful for your ongoing support of J5Travel.

Next week I will be reporting from England and describing what it's like to travel to Europe right now.

I love travel and I love travel planning just as much and I am proud to be building a team as passionate about exploring the world as myself. It took me a very long time to align my career with my undeniable passion for exploring, but now I and the team are here for you. Your personal travel tailors - award reservation and luxury custom itinerary experts. We provide a bespoke service, imagining and creating itineraries for independent minded families and groups.

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