We were lucky to catch up with Alena Warfield recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alena , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

Travel has changed drastically in a post COVID-shut-down world. Mostly for the better, prospective client’s budgets are larger and their travel wish lists are more unique and adventurous.

People want to see and do those bucket list items and they refuse to wait until it’s convenient or when they’re less busy. As a travel industry we are still experiencing the phenomena that is, pent up travel demand, people are ready to go, do and see, and even better, they’re ready to pay for it!

While COVID19 entry protocols still apply to many aspects of the travel industry, the need to plan accordingly has changed the way travel advisors, such as myself, do business. We are quicker to qualify clients for destinations and understand what they’re willing to do in the name of a vacation.

Alena , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My husband and I had a wonderful destination wedding in 2016. Our lovely travel agent who planned and coordinated it all for us, Lia, remained friends with us after. A short while after having my first child, Lia had an opportunity with her agency to come on as a Disney Destinations agent. I jumped at the chance, having loved Disney World since the moment I first entered the gates as a small girl. For about 1.5 years I worked with Vincent Magical Vacations , specializing in Disney Destinations and Universal Parks/ Resorts. It was a labor of love for sure! In 2019 an opportunity to grow in my position came up, I trained to sell all international destinations. What happened next we all know too well, COVID, this definitely put a cramp in my new career, but ultimately taught me so many things and truly made me work harder for this career.

Travel started picking back up for myself and my clients toward the end of 2020. I was growing more confident and learning how to market myself to potential clients. I was also discovering how to handle cancellations, postponed trips and how to plan vacations amidst ever-changing- travel restrictions.

As difficult as the travel industry was to navigate during COVID, I am so thankful for all of the things that time taught me as a travel advisor.

Now confident in selling my clients destinations all over the world, I find most of my business centric in the romance travel sector. Honeymoons, anniversary celebrations, destination weddings and even babymoons! I still do a lot of Disney business, and it is still my favorite destination to sell, I also like the challenge of the details required to plan destination weddings, which have become my newest passion.

The best part of this job is how rewarding it is to hear back from clients after their adventures, so thankful for the thought and detail I put into planning for them.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is an ever changing beast that is for sure, I have always loved the potential there is on social media to market ones self to others. I have a degree in marketing so finding a use for my interests play perfectly when developing my social media presence for my business.

Selling travel may sound easy, but often people don’t understand what it is a travel advisor offers or even does on a daily basis. Most are still convinced it’s a dead industry.

Using my social media platforms to constantly illustrate what I am doing for my clients, the trainings I am attending and the destinations I’m visiting . All in the name of becoming a better agent for my prospective clients. I try to find creative ways to share what it is I do, services I offer and trips I am planning. This creates an audience of people that want to see more, want to go on those trips too or even just sit back, watch and wait for the right trip for them to come into view.

Social media has changed the way Travel Advisors do business, making word of mouth so much easier to utilize and rely on!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Continuous follow up after trips, keeping them updated thru social media or newsletters. I like to follow my clients on social media so they keep up with places I’m visiting and locations I’m sending clients to.

Social media has also helped me utilize word of mouth, past clients recommend me to their friends and family, ultimately growing my online presence, and my audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.vincentvacations.com/agents/AlenaWarfield
• Instagram: instagram.com/travelingwithalena
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelingwithAlena/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alena-warfield-3009668b/