Today we’d like to introduce you to Martina Lenore.
Hi Martina, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Our journey into the travel industry wasn’t necessarily something we had planned years in advance. We’ve both spent more than 30 years in our professional careers, while also being parents, grandparents, active in our church and community, and myself serving as a Girl Scout leader. I’ve always enjoyed helping people, mentoring others, and bringing people together, so when the opportunity to start a travel business was introduced to my husband, Christopher, and me, we saw the potential to build something of our own.
In July 2022, we started Affinity World Travel through InteleTravel, and like many new business owners, I initially had a lot to learn. I had to learn the travel industry, develop relationships with suppliers, understand the business side of travel, and most importantly, determine what I wanted Affinity World Travel to represent.
In the beginning, I was willing to book just about anything—and I think that’s part of discovering yourself as a business owner. [Laughs] As I gained experience and worked with more clients and groups, I began recognizing the types of travel I truly enjoyed planning and where I felt we could provide the most value.
That’s what eventually led us to focus Affinity World Travel around three primary areas: Signature Group Travel, Faith-Based Travel, and Couples Getaways.
Those specialties really reflect who we are. I love bringing people together through group travel. My faith and involvement in my church naturally created a passion for helping churches and ministries plan meaningful travel experiences. And after being married to my husband for 27 years, couples travel has a very personal connection for us as well. We understand the importance of couples taking time to reconnect, celebrate milestones, and simply create new memories together.
Over the years, I’ve continued investing in my education and development as a travel advisor. I’ve attended industry trainings, built supplier relationships, earned certifications, participated in professional travel events, and continued learning how to better serve my clients. In December 2025, I was honored to become an InteleTravel Ambassador, which was an important milestone for me because it represented not only how much I had grown in the industry, but also the opportunity to help and encourage other travel advisors.
Today, I’m much clearer about what Affinity World Travel is and where we’re going. We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. We’re intentionally building a brand centered around relationships, personalized service, group experiences, and what we call The Affinity Standard—providing the level of care and attention that we would want someone to give our own family.
We’re still growing, and I’m actually excited about that. I don’t look at our story as though we’ve “arrived.” I see these first few years as the foundation for what we’re building next.
Our long-term vision is to continue growing Affinity World Travel into a trusted brand known for creating meaningful experiences that bring people together. Ultimately, I want people to know that when they travel with Affinity World Travel, we’re not simply booking a destination.
We’re Crafting Memories, One Destination at a Time.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like many entrepreneurs, We learned early on that building a business takes time, consistency, and patience. One of our biggest challenges was figuring out how to grow Affinity World Travel while balancing the many other important areas in our lives.
My husband and I still work our full-time careers while building our travel business part-time. Although, I primarily handle the travel side of our business, my husband supports me 100%. I’m actively involved in my church, I serve as a Girl Scout troop leader, and help manage the cookie season each year for approximately 70 troops. Most importantly, I’m a wife, a mom, and “Mimi” to three wonderful grandchildren. So yes, our schedule stays pretty full! [Laughs]
I’ve had to become very intentional about how I use my time. I consider myself a fairly organized person—although my family might laugh when I say that! [Laughs] When we started our travel business, I knew I couldn’t simply add another responsibility to an already busy schedule and hope everything worked itself out. I had to build the business around my existing commitments while also creating dedicated space for it to grow.
I began setting aside specific days and times for different areas of the business. I have dedicated time for preparing client quotes, researching destinations and trips, following up with clients, handling administrative responsibilities, and working on business development.
Creating those boundaries has helped me maintain balance while still providing my clients with the level of service they deserve.
I’ve also learned that balance doesn’t necessarily mean giving everything equal time every day. It means understanding your priorities, being intentional with your time, and creating systems that allow you to be fully present where you’re needed.
That structure has allowed me to continue serving my family and community, maintain my career, and build Affinity World Travel on a foundation that’s positioned for sustainable growth.
I think that’s one of the lessons I’m most proud of as a business owner: you don’t necessarily have to wait until life becomes less busy to pursue something you’re passionate about. Sometimes you have to create the structure that allows your vision to grow within the life you already have.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Affinity World Travel is a full-service travel agency that my husband, Christopher, and I started in July 2022. What began with our love of travel has grown into something much bigger—a business centered around helping people create meaningful memories and experience the world without feeling overwhelmed by all the details that go into planning a trip.
For our specialty, we created The Affinity Signature Experience with three primary areas: Signature Group Travel, Faith-Based Travel, and Couples Getaways. Whether we’re coordinating a church or ministry trip, designing a milestone celebration, planning a romantic anniversary getaway, or bringing a group together for a cruise or all-inclusive vacation, our goal is to create an experience that feels personal from beginning to end.
What are you known for?
I believe we’re becoming known for the level of care we put into the entire travel experience. We don’t want clients to feel as though they’ve simply purchased a vacation from us. We want them to feel that they have a trusted travel advisor in their corner.
That means learning why they’re traveling, understanding what matters to them, helping them navigate their options, coordinating the details, communicating throughout the process, and being available when questions arise.
Group travel is especially important to us because travel has an incredible way of bringing people together. Some of the experiences we’re most passionate about are the ones that allow families, friends, couples, churches, and communities to create memories together.
What sets Affinity World Travel apart?
For us, it’s the combination of personal service, relationships, and intentional planning.
There are plenty of places where someone can book a hotel, cruise, or vacation package online. Our role goes beyond making the reservation. We provide guidance and help clients make decisions based on the experience they actually want—not simply what’s cheapest or what appears first in a search.
With group travel, we also understand that the person organizing the trip shouldn’t have to carry the entire burden. We help manage communication, accommodations, payment timelines, transportation and other moving pieces so the group leader can enjoy the experience too.
Our philosophy is simple: service doesn’t end when the booking is made. We want to be there from the initial conversation until our clients return home.
What are you most proud of, brand-wise?
I’m most proud that Affinity World Travel is developing a brand with a clear identity and purpose.
Our three pillars—Signature Group Travel, Faith-Based Travel, and Couples Getaways—aren’t random travel niches. They represent what matters to us: connection, relationships, celebration, and creating experiences that have meaning.
I’m also proud that we’re intentionally building what I call The Affinity Standard—the level of excellence, communication, personalization, and care that we want every client to experience when they work with us.
Our tagline, “Crafting Memories, One Destination at a Time,” captures that beautifully. The destination matters, but ultimately, it’s the memories people bring home that matter most.
What do you want readers to know about your brand and services?
We want readers to know that you don’t have to plan meaningful travel alone.
Maybe you’re a church leader who wants to bring your congregation together for a fellowship trip. Maybe you and your spouse haven’t taken time away together in years. Maybe you’re celebrating an anniversary, birthday, retirement, reunion, or another milestone. Or maybe you’re the person everyone always looks to when it’s time to organize the group vacation.
That’s where Affinity World Travel comes in.
We take the time to understand the why behind the trip, and then we help turn that vision into an experience.
Ultimately, we want Affinity World Travel to be the name people think of when they say, “We want to go somewhere together, but we need someone we trust to help us make it happen.”
And that’s the kind of brand we’re building—one relationship, one group, and one unforgettable journey at a time.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along this journey is to give yourself grace while remaining consistent.
When you start a business, it’s very easy to look at what other people are doing and wonder, “Why am I not there yet?” You see someone else’s success, their number of clients, their sales, or how quickly their business appears to be growing, but you don’t always see what it took for them to get there.
I’ve learned that everyone’s journey is different, and comparison can sometimes distract you from recognizing your own progress.
For me, building Affinity World Travel while working a full-time career and balancing my family, church, community involvement, and other responsibilities meant that I had to determine what growth looked like for me. There were times when things moved more slowly than I wanted, but I’ve learned that slow progress is still progress when you’re consistently building the right foundation.
I’ve also learned the importance of being teachable. This industry is constantly changing, and I don’t believe you ever reach a point where you know everything. I’ve invested time in training, attending industry events, developing supplier relationships, learning from mentors, and even learning from mistakes along the way.
One of the biggest shifts for me was realizing that I didn’t have to try to serve everyone. As I’ve grown as a business owner, I’ve become much more intentional about who we are as a brand, the clients we want to serve, and the experiences we want to be known for.
So today, I remind myself to stay in my lane, continue learning, remain consistent, and trust the process.
Success doesn’t always happen as quickly as we’d like, but when you continue showing up, serving people well, and building with purpose, eventually you can look back and realize just how far you’ve come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.affinityworldtravel.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/affinity_world_travel
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090795888884
