Travel Advisor Success Story: Becky Smith, Becky’s Travel Biz Inc

Jordana Izzo has always been a traveler, well before the West Warwick, R.I., resident decided to become a travel advisor in 2019.

Boeing has been under increased scrutiny ever since a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines plane in mid-flight.

Travel advisors weighed in on the ramifications of Gogo Vacations and American Queen Voyages shuttering their doors, along with the termination of the JetBlue-Spirit merger, noting that nothing is off the table in the post-pandemic era.

Just when you thought you’d seen everything imaginable on Instagram, one woman comes along and defies all expectations. Ever seen a professional musical theatre actor-turned-travel advisor? Well, there’s one out there, alright, and she’s attracting plenty of attention with her cleverly written original lyrics about the world of travel, which she flawlessly sets to the tune of famous songs.

The travel insurance sector is experiencing a meteoric rise, according to the U.S. Travel Insurance Association’s (UStiA) latest market report, which paints a picture of remarkable growth in the sector. According to its analysis, U.S. Total Consumer Spend on Travel Protection surged to $4.27 billion in 2022, marking a staggering 143.9 percent increase from the UStiA’s findings in 2020.

Alaska Air Group announced its quarterly financial results would not be as bad as initially expected following a January incident that saw one of its planes lose a door midflight and the subsequent grounding of several aircraft in the carrier’s fleet.

Ensemble has tweaked the name of its annual event for top-producing advisors. The event, previously called Ensemble Beyond, is now called Ensemble Beyond: Elevated Experiences.

February was a relatively quiet month in terms of travel advisory updates from the U.S. State Department.

What are the most pressing issues facing travel advisors in 2024?

TTC Tour Brands has added Celtic travel expert Brendan Vacations to the Travel Advisor Portal (TAP).Advisors can now book all guided itineraries across the TTC Tour Brands portfolio—including Trafalgar, Contiki, Costsaver, Insight Vacations, Luxury Gold and Brendan Vacations—using one convenient portal.With TAP, advisors can book itineraries with flights and insurance, pre- and post-nights, pre-paid gratuities and discounts for each client’s booking. They can also access downloadable itineraries and invoices, make additional payments, find transfer details and complete a client’s registration on their behalf."With spring nearly in the air and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations top of mind, the Celtic selling season is in full bloom which is why we’re delighted to let our travel partners know they may conveniently access Brendan’s guided itineraries through the TAP portal," Guy Young, Chief Engagement Officer at TTC Tour Brands, said in a statement."Our number one priority for advisors is ensuring all the tools and support are easily accessible to make working with TTC Tour Brands as seamless and effective as possible."Advisors can visit agents.ttc.com/login to access Brendan Vacations’ guided itineraries for booking on TAP.

Amtrak has expanded its Northeast Regional service to offer more travel choices along the U.S. East Coast. This enhancement includes the introduction of four extra weekday roundtrips and two new weekend roundtrips between New York Penn Station (NYP) and Washington Union Station (WAS), along with a fresh weekday morning departure from Philadelphia’s William H. Gray III 30th Street Station (PHL) to NYP. In addition, one new weekend departure now also connects PHL to Boston South Station (BOS). 

Success Stories focus on veteran travel advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Niki Rakowitz, founder of Visionary CARE Travel and CT Signature Collection.