Meet Rachael Rogers of For The Story Vacations

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Rogers

Hi Rachael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I graduated from Stephen’s College in Columbia, Missouri, in 2010 with a BFA in Theatre Performance, Music, and Dance. Upon graduation, I made my way to Okoboji, Iowa, for my first professional summer stock season performance before heading to NYC that autumn with two suitcases and a big dream.

Over the next six years, I worked in the theatre industry and had the opportunity to perform in the city and tour around the country in musicals. It was a very exciting few years, and I learned a lot, to say the least.

During one of my breaks between shows, I spent one month backpacking around Europe with my mom. That trip changed the direction of my life, and upon returning, I started booking the cheapest flights I could find to explore Europe further—I just couldn’t get enough.

In the meantime, I met my husband in NYC, who happened to be from Ireland. It was a whirlwind love, and we followed each other from city to city over the next year- from New York to London. Upon returning to New York, I spent a year in the city- enjoying it- but not truly focusing on my craft. That is when I decided to start applying for jobs in Europe that allowed me to still “perform,” in a sense, while getting to live abroad, and this is when I found Fat Tire Bike Tours in Paris.

I had a phone interview on my break between shifts at the restaurant and received an email asking me to come interview in person that January for the next stage of the interview process. I was beyond excited, but I had some big decisions to make.

I decided to take a leap of faith, sell everything I had in NY, and purchase a one-way ticket to Europe. It worked out quite well, as my fiance was doing his master’s degree in Ireland that year, allowing us both to be near one another without an ocean between us.

At the interview, we were required to change a bike tire by ourselves in under 10 minutes (A requirement, as this is a regular occurrence on bike tours.), and to research, create, and memorize a speech about a famous monument in Paris to present to all the other people interviewing and the current Fat Tire staff. It was daunting, to say the least, but I went to a local bike shop in Galway, where my husband is from, and they graciously taught me how to change a bike tire (I came 4 days in a row), refusing any payment.

After landing in Paris with a one-way ticket, a friend’s couch to crash on for two weeks, and my interview…I was nervous to say the least! But—I got the job, and I was able to change that tire—thank goodness.

Fast forward to a year of working in the tourism industry and giving tours of Paris and Versailles, I fell in love with the tourism industry. It was, without question, my favorite job to date.

After heading back to the States after my year at Fat Tire, I knew I wanted to create something in the tourism industry that helped people ensure they had the trip of a lifetime. While on tour, I encountered so many guests who were staying in awful neighborhoods, eating at touristy restaurants, and overall disappointed with their “dream trip to Paris” because they lacked the knowledge or experience of where to stay, eat, and do.

I knew there was a need for this in the tourism industry—something far beyond the standard booking of a hotel and flight combo with a transfer. I wanted to offer adventurers something personalized, special, off-the-beaten-path, and authentic. I wanted to ensure that if I was going to plan the trip, I knew those locations.

When I launched FTSV in April 2016, I knew this was only stage 1. It wasn’t until my husband started working for himself a couple of months later that stage 2 began. We sold everything we had in New York and decided to travel full-time, out of our suitcases, around Europe.

Fast-forward to 2025. We have been traveling full-time for 9 years and have never looked back. Nearly every month, we move to a new city or area around Europe to discover the gems, meet the locals, and make connections. This has been a game changer for my business and what I can offer and create for my clients.

After 9 years in business, I am proud that my team (3 amazing, well-traveled ladies) and I have helped thousands of adventurers take their dream trips to Europe. For some, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, while for others, it’s a yearly getaway. No matter, I pride myself on the fact that we offer a very personal, high-end service for our clients.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing worth doing is easy. At least that is how it’s felt for me.

I am proud of how far For The Story Vacations has come over the last nine years in business, but I have faced many challenges along the way.

It was difficult finding a way to get my name out there at the start. I was so reliant on word of mouth for the first few years and just trying to get my name out there. I charged half nothing and worked for hours on end to build up my reputation.

I lived on a very tight budget for quite a few years.

Once my business took off, the challenge became having enough hands to do all the work that needed to be done. It’s funny how you get to the point you have been dreaming about, only to find a whole new set of problems.

There just weren’t enough hours in the day, and I was sleeping with hand braces on both hands each night to help with the carpal tunnel I had developed. It just was not realistic long term to keep going the way I was.

I had done everything independently for so long that I found it very challenging to let go and accept help. I also was not used to explaining my work process to anyone- so getting past the idea that “it’ll just be faster if I do it” and teaching staff was a big learning moment for me. By moment, I mean, it took a full year of me figuring out how to do this over time. I am so lucky to have such an amazing crew working alongside me. They have taught ME so much in the last few years.

BUT, life is better with a team and others to help you. I decided to get help two years too late, but I am so thankful I did.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
For The Story Vacations is a boutique European Travel Planning business. We also offer Elopement services for clients looking to do something more personal and unique abroad.

I have been traveling full-time around Europe since November 2016 and move every month to a new city or location around Europe. With this in mind, I only plan to places I have spent time in.

I want to ensure that when you pay someone with your hard-earned money to plan your trip, they truly know the area you will be traveling to. FTSV is your expert for Europe. Vacations days are few and inflation sucks. You deserve to have the very best people putting together your trip abroad.

We truly know our clients and have a very personal relationship with them as we go through the planning process. We want to ensure this is a trip you talk about for the rest of your life, and it’s the small details that really are the most important.

For The Story Vacations is a boutique European travel planning business. We offer bespoke trips that reflect the person traveling. From the travel trajectory portion of the planning process to the questionnaire to Layouts Round #1-#3, the planning process is a detailed experience that allows the client to feel part in making decisions without any of the stress.
You can check out my intro video to learn a bit more or other things on my site to get to know us better 🙂

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
This was a challenging time for the tourism and travel industry. Everything shut down for a very, very long time- March 2020-September/October 2022. Even in the Autumn of 2022, there were still very stringent and specific rules to enter countries, and testing was still required while traveling.

My business truly did not return to normal until January 2023.

BUT, I learned a lot about mindset and how to look for the positives in a crisis. As a small business (Like nearly all of us), I did not get any unemployment or funding from the government. I also didn’t want to take out a loan, so I had to survive off of the savings that I had for a solid 2 years. It was pretty painful to say the least.

Regarding my clients, I have to say I was so fortunate to have such kind, caring, and patient clients. Many hotels and third-party sites to book airlines- like Expedia, were taking 60-90 business days (not including holidays) to refund money.

It was just insane. I ended up refunding clients more directly affected in their industry by Covid with my own money while I waited for the refund.

I learned that booking directly was 100% key. After COVID, I no longer used third-party sites. Even if it saves clients money, it’s better to book directly, as the airlines and hotels will take better care of you when a situation arises.

As a small business, I worked with many small businesses, from my Sommelier in Tuscany to my driver in Rome, so they were all very easy to work with in such a stressful time.

Pricing:

• Pricing for our planning services are dependent on the number of people traveling and t he number of days you will be on the ground.
• We have two different packages from Elopement services in Europe.
• I highly recommend setting up a free inquiry call where we can go through different travel trajectory options based on the number of days you’ll be traveling, your budget (or what I think is a realistic budget based on your desires), the planning process and working with FTSV, and our pricing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.forthestory.vacations/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forthestoryvacations/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forthestoryvacations/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-rogers-096859351/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17DcWIjvKHM