Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Anderson Pieri.

Hi Alicia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

I’ve always loved to travel. When I was young, my parents took us all over the US. We road-tripped, sometimes camping, sometimes with a major destination in mind, and constantly experiencing something new. When I was in high school, a well-known hospitality school sent out a brochure that had a picture of an airplane, a cruise ship, and a five-star hotel on the cover. I knew immediately that I wanted to study hospitality, a career in travel was the dream! While in college, I had the chance to study abroad in Spain, which further fueled my fire to see the world.

I started my career out of school by working in hotels. It allowed me to meet people from all over the world and help them create lasting memories. However, I was disappointed to find that working in hotels didn’t afford me as much opportunity to travel personally as I’d hoped. After five years working in operations, I left the hotel world to join Expedia, where I still got to talk about travel all day long but had a lot more flexibility and opportunity to travel.

Expedia moved me from Milwaukee to Seattle and then to San Francisco and I had the chance to visit many destinations while working there. After over 5 years with Expedia, I decided I was ready to try something new, so I parted with my passion for travel and joined a tech startup in a new industry. I learned a lot by branching out into a new space in the fast-paced environment that a start-up offers. However, when that startup closed down unexpectedly, I was drawn back to the travel industry. A few months later, I founded AAP Travel.

I now own AAP Travel and work with travelers of all kinds. I book corporate clients on reward trips, couples celebrating their honeymoon, family getaways, and everything in between. I am able to leverage my experience working in hotels and for Expedia to help clients navigate the complex landscape of travel bookings and elevate their own travel experiences.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Going from working for large companies to starting your own business is never smooth. There are so many bumps in the road that you can’t see until you get there, like navigating taxes, figuring out a marketing strategy, and figuring out how to price your services. All of these decisions feel nerve-wracking and big when you’re a first-time business owner, as they’re not things you have to think about on your own as an employee. Luckily, I’ve found a network of other women entrepreneurs who are either at similar stages in starting their businesses or are a few years ahead of me, and sharing my challenges and learning from these women has been immensely helpful.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about AAP Travel?

AAP Travel offers elevated travel experiences. Our mission is to provide a personalized travel planning experience shaped by your vision and our expertise. We elevate travel experiences by using our connections and knowledge to create unique experiences and provide peace of mind. We support both individual and group travel experiences, specializing in destinations like Dubai, Bali, New York, and more.

I am so proud of how our brand has grown in our first year! Last year, we had the chance to support over 100 trips in sixteen countries. These trips included honeymoons, birthdays, anniversaries, and bachelorette parties. It’s an honor to be a part of such important moments in our clients’ lives.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?

If you’re looking to plan your next trip you can reach out to me at aaptravel.com. If you’d like to connect and aren’t quite ready to start travel planning you can follow me on Instagram at @alanderpieri and join my email list where I share monthly travel deals and advice.

Pricing:

• Our services are offered in two tiers:
• Tier one is the Essential Package: Our complimentary booking service. We provide 2-3 personalized recommendations for accommodations within your budget that best suit your vision and help provide guidance on the best flights to book. We handle the accommodations bookings for you and are in touch with all suppliers before your arrival.
• Tier two is the Deluxe Package: Our custom itinerary service, subject to a planning fee of $100 per travel day. In addition to our accommodations booking services, it includes curated itinerary creation and management of trip components including transportation, activities, dining recommendations, and additional experiences to complete your desired trip. This service includes an optional pre-departure call where we review all the details of your itinerary and in-travel emergency communication.
• We offer additional add on or a la carte services upon inquiry

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aaptravel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alanderpieri/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=13741959
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aap-travel/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@aaptravel?lang=en