Travel Advisor Success Story: Monday Cleghorn, Such A Time As This Travel

13.08.2024 - 06:36 / travelpulse.com / Claudette Covey

Monday Cleghorn. (Source: Megan Cleghorn)

Success Stories focus on veteran travel advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Monday Cleghorn, owner of Such A Time As This Travel.

How did you get your start as a travel advisor?

From the time I was a little girl, I wanted to be a mom and I wanted to travel. And as I grew up, I loved serving and helping others. Although my travel experiences were very limited, I knew that the travel industry was something I wanted to be a part of. I had this great desire to see the incredibly beautiful world that God created, along with a desire to learn about other cultures. I also loved the idea of serving and nurturing.

I found some satisfaction in the hospitality industry in my early 30s as a director of sales for a few of our local hotels. But it didn’t quite feed my passion as I had hoped. It did connect me with people from around the world, but it didn’t help me to see the world the way I wanted to.

So, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and I purchased Joanie Ogg’s book, ‘How To Start a Homebased Travel Agency’ around 1999 and started doing my research. Joanie is such a sweet person and has been an incredible light and visionary in our industry. I’m so blessed to know her.

I joined a host agency around 2001. But it wasn’t until 2010 that I opened my agency, Such a Time as This Travel, and I’ve not regretted a second of it since.

How did you build your business over the years?

I mostly marketed to my circle and involved myself in our local chamber of commerce and hospitality committee. I involved myself in my community and quickly built relationships with people who became loyal clients and lifelong friends. 

Of course, when Facebook was launched, I used it to my advantage. But over time, word of mouth became my biggest driving force and now I only book repeat and word of mouth clients. I don’t personally market anymore, but I do market for my agency.

Being relevant and having a good name was – and still is – extremely important to me. That alone will impel your career in the most honest and organic way.

What characteristics make you a successful advisor?

Honesty, integrity and passion are of utmost importance to me. When you love what you do and you’re passionate about it, you work it with a desire to be the best. That passion is displayed in everything you do to make your clients’ trips successful. 

I’m very attentive to my clients and make sure that I hold true to my word. Integrity is huge. If you are in the service industry, taking care of people, being kind, having integrity and a good character means that your clients never forget the way you treat them – and they’ll always come back to you and tell others.

The Bible tells us that ‘a good name