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Most travel advisors are familiar with Edyta Teper who, over the course of a nearly 30-year-old career in travel, held positions at Jet Set Tours, Carnival Cruise Line, Crystal Cruises, Virtuoso, Virgin Voyages and Travel2. She’s a repeat winner of the TravelAge West WAVE Award for being a favorite sales representative, and now she’s turned her attention to the Last Frontier, joining Space Perspective as head of global sales, trade partnerships.
While there’s no doubt that Teper is beloved by the travel advisor community, many may not know her unique backstory.
Credit: 2022 TravelAge WestIn this episode of Humans of Travel, Teper reflects on a moment that changed her life forever: The day she left her home in communist Poland at age 10 with her then-28-year-old mother and 3-year-old brother, embarking on a multi-country journey that eventually led her family to Austria, where they sought political asylum.
Listeners will also hear about Teper’s moves to Australia (for high school and college) and Los Angeles, where she took an internship at Jet Set Tours in a move that kickstarted her travel industry career.
Finally, Teper will talk about her latest venture: selling luxury spaceflight experiences with Space Perspective, which brings passengers to the edge of space during a six-hour ride up into the atmosphere in a space balloon. She’ll share some common misconceptions about space travel, and give tips to travel agents who want to sell space tourism to clients.
Note: This episode is sponsored by Windstar Cruises
Inside This Episode
02:00: Meet Edyta Teper, head of global sales, trade partnerships for Space Perspective
03:30: Teper believes that relationship-building and supporting the travel advisor community has led to her success.
05:45: Teper reflects on her early life in communist-run Poland.
09:00: At age 10, Teper and her family escape Poland and seek political asylum in Austria.
15:00: Teper shares a defining moment in her life, when she experienced true kindness from border patrol agents in Austria.
18:00: Teper attends Star of the Sea, an all-girls school in Australia.
23:00: While earning a degree in travel and tourism management, Teper heads to Los Angeles for an internship with Jet Set Tours, a move that kickstarts her travel industry career.
27:45: Teper shares her past successes with other roles within the travel industry.
30:00: Listeners will learn about Space Perspective, the world's first luxury space tourism flight that takes clients to the edge of space.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Space Perspective
Get in Touch With Edyta: [email protected]
About Your Host
Emma Weissmann is Digital Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.
TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.
About the Show
TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the experiences — the highs and the lows — that make them human.
