Community Highlights: Meet Betsy Blodgett of Hello Voyager

Today we’d like to introduce you to Betsy Blodgett.

Hi Betsy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my career in the sewing industry in 2006, when my sister and I opened a store in Westport called bon bon atelier. For six years we had great fun working with local artists, selling fabric, and teaching customers to sew and knit. After bon bon closed, I began working for local sewing pattern companies. At the same time, I was able to really indulge my love of travel. As a life-long Anglophile, I felt like England was overlooked in the realm of textile tourism. So, in 2018, I took my first group on The Grand British Textile Tour.

The Grand British Textile Tour combines all of my favorite things; travel, textiles, design, and England. I feel very lucky to be able to introduce our travelers to sites, history, and design that have made an impact in my life. Plus, I get to work with my sister again – she is my co-host on the tour.

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?
The biggest struggle came in 2020 when the Covid pandemic shut down everything. Of course, we canceled the tour that year, and again in 2021. It was disappointing because interest in the tours was really gaining momentum, and then it all came to a stop. Luckily, when tours resumed in 2022, we had an audience that was ready to go – I think we were all ready to travel by then!

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Hello Voyager?
Hello Voyager is a textile tour company that organizes small-group tours to England. Our goal is to create handmade journeys for a community of passionate textile lovers. We love to create unique experiences for our travelers, introducing them to artists, ideas, and techniques that will inspire their own creativity.

We want our tours to feel small and personal – like you are traveling with friends, not a big group of strangers. Each tour has a unique itinerary that is crafted to combine a love of textile design, history, and both heritage and contemporary craft.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think all entrepreneurs are risk-takers. Putting your ideas out in the world is a scary proposition. Even more so if it involves a monetary investment. I was lucky enough to grow up with a mom who started her own antique store and cafe. Watching her build that business made it feel very natural when my sister and I opened our store, bon bon atelier. I’ve been very lucky to have a family that supports my own entrepreneurial streak.

Sometimes the risk you take doesn’t work out, but it has been my experience that there is a reward nevertheless. While my store was only open for 6 years, it laid the foundation for my career in the sewing industry, and eventually, Hello Voyager Tours.

Every tour launch still feels like a risk – I’m putting a lot of effort into something I love, and there is always the worry that no one will be interested. Someday that may happen, but even if it does, I’m still so happy that I took the plunge and was able to create an experience that brings positivity and creativity into people’s lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hellovoyagertours.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellovoyager/