With Nine Muses Travel, I left behind working for larger organizations to realize my dream of being a travel entrepreneur. It's very fulfilling being the decision-maker for my company and seeing the results of hard work, experience and passion come to fruition while helping people have inspiring travel experiences. Living the "laptop lifestyle" has its advantages - like no more overcrowded subway cars on the morning commute (which I am grateful for Every Single Day). I often get asked though if I miss working with others in an office, but I have never been more motivated, focused and productive. And the fact is, I'm not really doing this alone at all.
You may have noticed on my marketing materials I mention Nine Muses Travel being an independent affiliate of my host agency, Gifted Travel Network. The benefits of a host agency to travel entrepreneurs are immeasurable. Besides taking a ton of back office work off my plate, GTN connects me to a large, vibrant community of travel business owners across the country through private Facebook groups, annual conferences, local events, group calls and more. GTN members are also actively a part of the Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs (GIFTE), which opens up my network even wider. (Not to mention other terrific communities I participate in like the NY chapter of American Society of Travel Advisors and the Virtuoso luxury consortium!) While all these people may not be in the same room while I work, we are regularly exchanging news, information, best practices, marketing tips, anecdotes, frustrations and our wins too - just like you would in a brick and mortar office space.
While I brought over five years of luxury travel experience and industry contacts around the globe to Nine Muses Travel, GTN is also able to leverage our membership's collective buying power with suppliers to better advocate for and maintain robust, favorable relationships with destination management companies, tour operators, wholesalers, cruises, vendors and more. Should anything unexpected ever befall your trip, my having these strong relationships in place is key for a fast, satisfactory resolution for you!
Nine Muses Travel's success isn't because I knew how to do it alone when I left the "office life." It's because I knew connecting with respected and influential communities like GTN would take my business further faster. Eliminating the stress of subway commuting didn't hurt either.
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