Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Jones.
Hi Rebecca, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My oldest daughter and I were talking about my “dream job.” As a stay-at-home mom, I never felt like I reached my potential with that role, but I sure loved helping people plan their vacations. So I told her I wanted to be a travel advisor so I could help other families have as much fun on their vacations as we did on ours. The next day, I saw an ad for college-educated moms who wanted to reenter the workforce, working from home, as a professional travel advisor. It was truly meant to be. Thirteen years later, I now own my own independent travel agency, have attained several certifications, travel extensively, and work full-time from home while providing the same opportunity to seven other professional women around the country.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This industry is so reliant on outside factors that it’s rarely a smooth journey. We have dealt with fluctuating costs for airline tickets and hotel rooms, political forces that determine where our clients can travel and whether they even want to, and especially during COVID, when we truly thought travel was over as we knew it and our jobs would be eliminated. But through it all, I have tried to focus on the positive, treated my clients with respect and professionalism, and their loyalty has built the business I have today.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Marigold Travel Company?
Marigold Travel Company is an independent travel agency with eight amazing advisors around the country. While we’re based in Kansas City, our advisors cover four US time zones, and we each have our own niche of travel that we focus on. I am an Accredited Cruise Counselor, meaning I’ve taken hundreds of hours of training and cruised with several different lines so that I can guide my clients onto the best one for them. We are all theme park specialists, whether you’re looking at Florida or California. Our other two areas of specialty are Europe and Mexico/Caribbean destinations.
Every advisor in my agency has over five years experience doing this professionally. We each take several trips each year, both for personal and professional reasons, and we truly believe that our travel experience enhances our clients’ travel experiences. We are able to provide first-hand knowledge of the destinations they’re visiting, and use our extensive network of connections to ensure we supply the correct information.
We work together as a true team, supporting each other in our businesses and sharing information and resources. I am proud of the women who work with me and the job they do. The difference between working with our team of advisors and planning a vacation on your own through the internet or a large corporation is that we truly care about your experience. We want you to have an amazing memory-filled adventure, and we do everything we can to help your travel dreams come true.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My main goal in my business is to ensure that my advisors know I support them and will do everything I can to help them be successful. I know what it’s like to have a supervisor who isn’t engaged, who is only interested in what you can do for them, and I strive every day to be the opposite. I hope that by supporting them, they are confident and able to provide the best service to their clients, knowing I have their back.
I am also determined to have positive relationships with industry representatives. Those relationships are so important for many reasons. If our agency is viewed well, I can provide more training opportunities for my advisors, and if a client has an issue during their vacation, I have already developed a rapport with my reps in order to provide great service to our mutual clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.marigoldtravelcompany.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marigold.travel.company/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarigoldTravelCompany
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marigold-travel-company/
- Other: https://www.travelleaders.com/agent/427514
