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

Beth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

I think the most important thing for any business owner is to set boundaries. As a travel planner, absolutely I take vacations! And, oftentimes I’m working when I’m on vacation – taking site tours of hotels, writing frantic notes about the experiences I have on my travels so that I can better serve my clients by sharing my personal experiences with them when they are considering a trip to the same destination or on the same cruise line, etc.

I say all of that to follow-up and say it is vitally important to find time to relax and unplug on vacation. Business owners can follow these steps to assist them in putting up some barriers and protecting that important time with their family, friends or even hold space for being alone on their vacation:

1. Utilize the out of office on your emails.
2. If you’re in an industry that is client facing and you’re the one holding the meetings, being responsible for delivering by deadlines, etc. Touch base with each client before you leave for vacation and let them know what hours (if any) you’ll be available.
– for me this often is an explanation that I’ll be out of the office during these specific dates. I commit to checking email
twice a day (in the morning and in the evening) and I explain to them any timezone difference that I may experience from
where they are at. This way if I’m out of the country, they understand that I could very well be sleeping in the early
afternoon or up and already well into activities for the day at 3 a.m. in Georgia!
3. Make sure they know who to contact and how should an emergency arise while you’re gone. Is there an answering service you’ll utilize, will you have specific hours they can reach out to you, or text you, etc.

Today’s consumer understands boundaries, they do not want to be blindsided when you suddenly go MIA without warning. In my industry, I’m planning their vacations so they can avoid burnout, they respect that I need some time to disconnect as well… and probably more importantly they want to use a travel agent who travels.

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 founded Expeditions by Design in 2021 when my family began the process of relocating from Denver, Colorado to Savannah, Georgia. I had a successful real estate career in the Denver Metro area and successful agents in both industries mirror each other in their traits, systems and processes for success. As real estate is a truly hyper-local endeavor, moving to a new area where the only person I knew was also a REALTOR® didn’t feel like a great business model at the time. I looked at my business database and said, “I can still serve these folks. I’m passionate about travel. I can marry one of my passions to my skillset and still be of service to the people who know, like and trust me.” I had a few conversations with friends who were (and still are) Travel Advisors and began the training programs.

Expeditions by Design is a full service agency and I can coordinate a small weekend getaway to a large group trip. My speciality is the European travel market. My husband is from Croatia and we have spent our family vacations touring various countries throughout Europe in connection to visiting family still residing there.

Each trip is special and unique in its own way – I do not do “Cookie Cutter” itineraries. To date I have coordinated a multi-generational family reunion at an all inclusive resort in Mexico, honeymoons and babymoons in Hawaii, bucket list Alaskan adventures (cruise and land tour) as well vacations/honeymoons throughout Europe.

My business exists to focus on the details so that my clients can focus on the memories. It’s vital that my client understands we have a thorough conversation in the beginning and through the questions I ask in our consultation they are painting a picture of their wants and needs for their upcoming adventures. I then partner with the best suppliers possible to give them an unforgettable experience.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I work in a relationship business. My clients become part of my family and dear friends. While vacations are a part of creating memories and maintaining balance in our lives, they are a want and not an absolute need to survival. I take it very seriously that people have options on who to select to guide them in this process. I’m honored to be part of the process and trusted enough to be brought into creating these milestone memories for my clients.

While I advertise and do traditional marketing methods, the largest portion of my business comes from repeat and word-of-mouth clientele. I know that every interaction with my clients needs to honor the relationship first, and by transparent communication and educating them on their options I’m able to maintain that business relationship to grow it into a deeper understanding as we progress into a personal relationship moving forward.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Two automatically come to mind:

1. “The Emigrant Edge: How to Make it Big in America” by Brian Buffini (and his podcast “It’s a Good Life”). Brian immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1986. His book “The Emigrant Edge” tells his rags to riches story and how he persevered to build a successful career as a REALTOR® and then go on to found The Buffini Network – one of the world’s largest professional coaching, training and mentoring organizations. His podcasts are wonderful for anyone in business to think of the whole picture: client services, growth, business development, financials, etc.

2. “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High” by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan and Switzler. Many folks are scared of adversity. This book helps create space in your mindset to be able to “run to trouble.” I was fortunate to have a boss one time that put her entire staff through training based around this book and its contents. We left the room a stronger team, and understanding how to respectfully tackle hard topics and keep each other accountable. Over the years I’ve referred to it often and gifted it to others I’ve worked with or alongside so that they could benefit from its theories.

Today both of these works still influence me. In my industry things change on a constant basis, even pricing can be different in the afternoon from what it was in the morning if (for instance) the airlines change availability, etc. Being able to be adaptable and respectfully communicate with clients is absolutely an integral part of what I do. It’s also useful when setting boundaries and protecting my personal time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ExpeditionsbyDesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/expeditionsbydesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExpeditionsbyDesign
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-copic/

Image Credits
All photos taken by Beth Copic, Expeditions by Design.