These 8 Travel Advisors Are TravelAge West's 2021 Trendsetters

There’s no question that the past year and a half brought major challenges to the travel industry. Suppliers have spent months struggling to navigate ever-changing COVID-19 conditions in destinations at home and all over the world, while advisors had to deal with cancellations, lost revenue and nervous clients.

Because of these struggles, this year’s Trendsetter Awards for advisors held a special significance. Following are a few of the advisors who figured out ways to adapt to the unique challenges of the pandemic, while continuing to support customers even in the darkest times. 

Upward Bound, Rock Star Advisor Under 40: Whitney Shindelar, Undiscovered Sunsets

To develop a community for those new to the industry, Shindelar created the “Masters in Travel” podcast. Episodes cover topics that typically are not included in industry workshops and webinars.

Next, Shindelar also created the Masters in Travel community, an online space for advisors who are at a similar point in business to collaborate and share ideas.

“It has meant so much to feel the enthusiasm from the travel advisor community as I stepped out of my comfort zone to provide more support for advisors through my podcast and the development of our collaborative community,” Shindelar said. “The positive feedback I have received about Masters in Travel from my peers, and now from the larger travel industry, has encouraged me to continue seeking ways to support others in building and improving their businesses as I continue to improve my own.”

Sponsored by AMResorts 

The winner in this category received a five-night stay for two at Secrets Bahia Mita Surf & Spa Resort. The runner-up received a five-night stay at Secrets Puerto Los Cabos Golf & Spa Resort.

Runner-Up: Byrd Bergeron, The Travel Byrds

In order to train her colleagues, Bergeron started a Facebook group called Sales Strategies for Travel Professionals. The group has grown to more than 700 members. In addition to providing training and education to her peers, Byrd describes the group as “a family in a dark time.”

Best Pandemic Business Pivot: Jennifer Wayland, Island Travel Group

When the pandemic hit, Wayland decided to start her own YouTube channel where she hosted live conversations with travel suppliers, which she shared across all her social media channels. Next, she created a training program for agency owners, as well as an ongoing travel CEO mentoring program. Finally, Wayland partnered with Sandals on a food trailer where she sold shave ice while also promoting her agency.

“As a full-time travel professional with many years of service, in the past year I still had to figure out a way to put food on my table and pay the bills,” Wayland said. “I created not just one, but three unique streams of income. I utilized all my years of travel industry experiences and relationships to market every asset I had in my arsenal, and I am a better business owner, manager and person because of it.”

Sponsored by Royal Caribbean International

The winner in this category received a five- to seven-night cruise for two — and the runner-up will receive a three- to four-night cruise — onboard Navigator of the Seas, roundtrip from Los Angeles.

Runner-Up: Lia Vincent, Vincent Vacations

At the start of the pandemic, Vincent made a pivot and started training new-to-the-industry advisors. With the help of sales representatives from various brands, she began hosting training sessions about every six weeks for beginner advisors that included information on specific products. Vincent now has a team of more than 100 agents, and her training classes have a waiting list.

Best Client Engagement Strategy: Cathie Lentz Fryer, CTA Travel 

When the pandemic hit, Fryer rolled out her “Stay Connected - Stay Inspired” program, a multi-stage, multi-touch coordinated effort to give her clients confidence in her expertise and keep them inspired to travel in the future. The effort included phone calls, emails, photos of past travel and more. The result was that more than 75% of clients opted for future travel instead of refunds.

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“Receiving the Trendsetter Award means the world to us,” Fryer said. “Our connection with our clients is our top priority, and we are humbled and honored to have been recognized. Travel opens the door to a world of adventure and connects us in ways that we never imagined. I truly love partnering with my team in crafting each unique journey for our clients.” 

Sponsored by Celebrity Cruises

The winner in this category received a seven-night Celebrity cruise in Europe in a veranda stateroom for two. The runner-up got a seven-night Celebrity cruise in the Caribbean in a veranda stateroom for two.

Runner-Up: Cruise Planners, Represented by Scott Koepf 

With consumers cooped up during lockdown, the team at Cruise Planners came up with the Where2Next Virtual Travel Series on Zoom, which — combined with more events in 2021 — has resulted in a major increase in sales. Most importantly, these events helped advisors weather the storm by giving them ways to regularly connect with their clients, positioning themselves as travel experts and continuing to inspire the desire to travel.

Best Use of Social Media: Shannon Kittner, Main Street and Beyond Travel Co., LLC

With the goal of promoting her blog, Kittner began her social media campaign on Pinterest, and in just a few months she had more than 400,000 monthly views. Kittner did not stop there — she decided to add Instagram and TikTok to her efforts, and now she has more than 60,000 TikTok followers. She estimates that social media accounts for about 98% of all her clients.

“I cannot tell you how many countless hours each week are spent on my social media planning, but it is all worth it to keep the clients coming in and coming back,” Kittner said. “Travel and adventure fill the soul, and there is nothing I love more than to be able to share that experience with my clients. My favorite emails are the ones I receive from clients saying how much I inspire them to travel and make it part of their budget. I love being able to influence them every day in new travel destinations they may not have thought about.”

Sponsored by Globus Family of Brands

The winner and runner-up in this category will each receive their choice of any seven-night Avalon Suite Rewards Cruise (or independent fam cruise) in 2021 or 2022.

Runner-Up: Jennifer Jacob, Explorateur Travel, LLC 

Jacob’s social media was mostly centered around Facebook Live and Instagram Live sessions, where she shared education and information on what country conditions were like for partners around the world. Next came the “Come Fly With Me” podcast where Jacob interviewed sales team members, DMC representatives and others on specific destination insights. The podcast now gets thousands of downloads per episode.