We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alonzo Baker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alonzo below.

Hi Alonzo, thanks for joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

Yes, as the owner of New Life Travels, I am incredibly happy. Clients must choose to want to work with me and put trust in me that I will not cheat them out of their finances when they invest in their vacation. As the owner of New Life Travels, my clients can Begin a New Life of Travel with Luxury, Romance, & making Memories. To see the smile on their face and hear how refreshing their vacation was by them not having to do anything but enjoy themselves makes me happy.

I have a regular job as well. I work for the local government in the Human Resources Department as a Human Resources Technician II. It does not provide that rewarding feeling because I manage documents. Documents do not have emotions, people do. Although I work with many personalities, it is not as rewarding as being a business owner.

The last time I had the thought of having a regular job versus just owning a travel business was during Covid-19. The travel industry, along with the world, was coming to a stop, without any direction or a roadmap on how to navigate through the unknown. All I was hearing was how clients were cancelling their trips and travel agents were losing thousands of dollars. I was fortunate enough to have one group cancel their cruise, but when you have multiple groups cancel at the same time and the cruise industry was scurrying around trying to manage angry customers wanting their refunds instead of a cruise credit, was frightening to me. I felt that I had the upper hand because my financial resources were coming from my government job instead of commission coming from travel booking that I had made.

We worked remotely throughout the Covid period because no one knew when we would return to the office. Eventually, we returned to the office, but it was on a hybrid schedule, which is what we are using. My clients are slowly getting back to traveling, so my business is slowly returning to where it once was, but I am hoping that through this interview it will increase my visibility and increase the desire to use New Life Travels to provide that high-touch personal service.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got into the travel industry based upon a thought, and that was I needed a tax write-off because I did not have children. My cousin introduced me to Network Marketing that sells travel. It was not a good fit for me, so I curated New Life Travels, LLC, and connected with a Host Agency which supports independent travel advisors. A few years later, I connected with an agency that allowed travel agents to own their company and have that independent feeling of ownership.

New Life Travels products include luxurious all-inclusive resorts such as Sandals & Beaches Resorts, Yacht, Ocean, & River Cruises such as Emerald & Scenic Cruises. Virgin Voyages & Celebrity, USA & European Land Destination Tour packages including Alaska and Hawaii, or Barcelona, Spain or Paris France, and Domestic / International Airfare.

New Life Travels solves the problem by providing the solution to their travel needs. Such as for the bride-to-be that wants to have a bachelorette party but does not have the time to call around to various hotels and resorts to see if they accommodate them on specific dates and have a budget to work with. New Life Travels combines everything into one package that includes travel protection and ensures that it is affordable. New Life Travels also ensures the safety of the client be researching the destination and whether it is safe to travel to the destination and advises the client so that a decision can be made to move forward with the booking or change the destination. New Life Travels’ customer service and follow-up communication is what sets it apart from other agencies.

The main thing that I want potential clients to know is that New Life Travels is the ideal luxury-style traveling agency with high-touch personal service with the importance of small details. High-touch service is rare, and making memories come first. Step into the New, New Life Travels with you.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What helped me build my reputation with the travel industry was by attending Travel Agent Forums where they provide workshops and seminars with the suppliers. The Travel Agent Forum, held annually in Las Vegas and other locations, is where travel professionals gather to exchange ideals, share their struggles, and applaud their colleagues’ accomplishments.

Also, while attending Travel Agent Forums, the supplier can meet the travel agent and develop a relationship with them so that when an issue arises, it will be handled immediately. This really helped me to build a reputation within the market because when circumstances did arise, such as past due payments being made by the client, I could speak to the Representative with confidence because we established that unique relationship, and the problem would be resolved.

Attending ship tours also helped me learn more about the vessel so that I could advise my client on which ship to sail, and which cabin category would work best with their budget.

Going on site tours of the various hotels and resorts allowed me to share with the client which was the best room/suite category would meet their need.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Given that my business is a home-based travel agency, it did not seem likely that I would receive “traditional” startup capital from a bank. I inquired with other agents, and they used various means to start their business such as retirement funds or taking out a loan against their home and I was not in that position to mimic their road to starting a travel agency.

My story is unique. Miami Florida was hit by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and my home and vehicle suffered damage. When FEMA offered financial assistance to those individuals that sustained damage from the Hurricane, I applied for financial assistance and was awarded funds to repair my vehicle, my home. They even offered financial assistance to those small businesses that suffered a loss, so I applied with the Small Business Association (SBA) for a loan and was awarded financial assistance to replace my electronic equipment, and furniture so that I could restart my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.newlife-travels.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newlifetravels_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alonzo.baker.3/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alonzo-baker-24301b63/