Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rhonda Rhodes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Rhonda, thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

Most people would say that I am a travel agent, but I prefer to see myself as a travel advisor. When I think of a travel agent, I think of an order taker or a booking engine like Expedia. Sure, I book trips, but that is the easy part. The services that I offer you before, during and even afterwards in addition to booking the trip are more like an advisor. There are a lot of people who are trying to sell travel now. And, unfortunately, many of them are doing it because they think they will get discounted travel or free trips. So, they sign up to be a travel agent and with very little training or support, and start “booking trips”. Honestly, when I started Rhodes Travel Company, I really didn’t expect to grow like I have over the last 3 years. Most people who come to me want advice on location and options. Many people have never been out of the country and may not even have a passport. The very first thing that I do is have a conversation with them to help them discover what they would like to do and what kind of experience they would like to have. I also help them understand the costs associated with their wants to see where we need to scale back if necessary. Once we nail that down, we move on to options that would fit within their budget. Then, between the time the deposit is made and their trip departs, I help get them ready. Sometimes, its helping with entry requirements, choosing the best flights, picking out excursions, and guiding them through the process of flying and navigating airports. My clients can always reach me if they have a question before or more importantly during their trip. I track their flights and many times I know before they do if there is a delay. One of my clients said that I had their problem solved before they even knew they had a problem. My goal is to make sure that my clients have the best trip possible and know that I am here if they do encounter a problem along the way. The best part of my job is getting that text or picture from them when they reach their destination. The smiles on their faces make the long days and sometimes nights very worthwhile for me.

Rhonda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

First, I am an accountant and worked in that field for 12 years before moving into the education field. I just recently took early retirement from teaching in the elementary classroom for 19 years. I started Rhodes Travel Company almost 4 years ago.. My background in accounting and teaching has served me well as a foundation for my new career. My kids say that I am good with budgets and telling people what to do! My husband and I started traveling to the Caribbean when our children were in high school and fell in love with that area. I always enjoyed researching new areas to visit, so starting a travel business peaked my curiosity. In February, 2020, the month before the whole world shut down, I decided to jump in. Little did I know what was about to happen. I wasn’t sure what kind of trick God was playing on me, but while many established advisors were cancelling trips and wondering if they would survive, I was actually helping people find alternative plans. It was slow the first year, of course, but that was exactly the pace I needed. Since, then, my business has grown tremendously and I have already exceeded the goal I had set for myself this year. Many of my clients are new travelers and need a lot of guidance. I would say that 95% of my clients were referred to me by others who had used my services in the past. We live in a very small town near some other small towns and word travels pretty fast. I take pride in the fact that most of my clients are now repeat clients and are now my new friends. And, I am so thankful to all of them who continue to support me by booking their trips with me, sharing my posts, and referring their friends and family. Because of them, and by the grace of God, this year, I have consistently been in the top 150 agents out of over 8500 in my agency. I think what sets me apart is that I really care about you and your trip. And, yes, I do get to travel. But, I am very strategic about where I go. I try to see first hand as many of the places that I sell. So, any perks I get, I use to go and scope out the resorts and locations so that I can share my knowledge with my clients and help them pick the best options for their own trips. I sell a lot of Sandals and Beaches Resorts. My goal has been to visit all of them. So far, I can say that I have stayed at or did site inspections on 13 of the 21 resorts. I want to make sure I learn all I can so that I can help them choose the best options for themselves.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

For a small business, social media should be more than just “selling”. I like to highlight the trips of my clients on my page. Most of my posts are about my clients and their trips. It’s a great way to let people know what I do, how I help, and what options they have. My clients love it when I post about their trips! And, people are more engaged when they see real people not just stock photos. And, we all know that engagement is the key to success on social media channels.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As I said, I started Rhodes Travel Company the month before the world shut down. I wondered if people would think I was crazy to start a travel business when we couldn’t even leave our homes. But, I knew God had a plan, I just had no idea what it was at the time. So, instead of throwing in the towel before I even got started good, I chose to take advantage of the down time and learn as much as I could. I started out wanting to sell the Caribbean, but instead started selling Key West. I took every client and trip that came my way. Over the last few years, my business has grown and has allowed me to be more selective and focus on the locations that I love. Sandals and Beaches Resorts, all inclusive vacations, ocean cruises, river cruises, Alaska, Hawaii and European vacations make ups the majority of my business now.

Contact Info:

• Website: rhodestravelcompany.com
• Instagram: @rhodestravelcompany
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhodestravelcompany