We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Fushsia Caldwell-Howard. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Fushsia below.

Hi Fushsia, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission fell into my lap the same way I fell into running my own company. Founded during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, EliteLuxTravels, LLC is more than a travel agency; it is a beacon of hope and healing. As an independently black-owned venture, our mission is to curate transformative travel experiences that go beyond the conventional journey. We exist to inspire, rejuvenate, and uplift, using the power of exploration to rebirth women and foster a sense of healing.

I personally experienced healing on my very 1st group trip. It was the best trip I’ve ever been on. Not because of what we did or what we ate but because I was able to heal a childhood trauma of my own. I was able to facilitate healing with other members on the same trip and over time I started to realize that important conversations were happening during my group experiences. These conversations were forcing women to begin the process of healing. Or I was forcing them to see themselves and start the journey towards healing. People have started the work to heal from alcohol abuse and drug abuse; women have taken accountability for where they are in life and stopped playing the victim. Women have also realized how unhappy they were and began the journey to finding happiness during my trips.

The mission places a strong emphasis on healing and rebirth, recognizing that travel has the potential to be a therapeutic and rejuvenating experience. This is particularly relevant in a world where individuals may be dealing with stress, isolation, and the need for renewal.

I look at travel as a way to get people to a place where they can receive a certain level of healing.

It is very difficult to come on an intimate group experience with EliteLuxTravels and leave the same way you came.

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.

My name is Fushsia Caldwell-Howard, I’m a married mother of four. I’ve always known that I wanted to start my own business but didn’t know what I wanted to do exactly. Storytime lol during the pandemic, I was appointed to host a family group vacation. My sister’s boyfriend at the time called me in September and wanted me to plan a massive surprise 30th birthday vacation for her that was supposed to take time in March. That was only 6 months to locate a place, invite people, create an itinerary etc. I usually plan my trips 9 months to a year in advance if not longer so this was crunch time for me. I was up around the clock trying to get this trip planned because I wanted it to be special for my little sister. You see my little sister has never had a surprise birthday party, let alone a surprise birthday vacation with a proposal.

I was able to get a countless number of people to go I went over the cost with her boyfriend at the time he invited his family and I made the proper accommodations for everyone involved. Here comes February and he calls me wanting to cancel everything. For those of you who know about 45 to 60 days before a trip, you are completely locked into a contract you can not cancel a trip and expect a refund. You can expect a credit but not a refund. It was a complete mess because the trip was connected to my debit card and he was supposed to pay for his and her portion of the trip. However, up until this point he had only made deposits. Only one of his family members had paid in full. That left him, my sister, and 2 other family members with no payment. Payments that came out of my bank account. He opted not to go and convinced my sister not to go. So we had a huge 30th birthday vacation with no birthday girl. I was so angry with him for putting me in a position like this and her for not choosing to still come out on vacation, especially since my mother and I purchased her wardrobe and passport.

However, looking back at it today I realized that moment had to happen to push me into my destiny. The show had to go on fourteen people took time off and booked flights already. Everything that I paid for at this point was nonrefundable. So we all went on and had an amazing healing awakening experience. The smiles on their faces every day and the many 1st we experienced together made me so happy. I realized that making people happy in that way, the wow factor when I introduce a new experience to them, and the healing that took place every night was what fueled me.

To this day the family references that trip as the best trip they have ever been on. That trip has become “The Blueprint”. That trip has birthed EliteLuxTravels, LLC.

Now I curate luxury getaways for women who have busy lives. I plan, design, and manage their luxury travel so that they can unplug from the world and fully enjoy their vacation worry and stress-free. I can do the regular economical vacation however, I want to provide luxury for black women. I want to show my black queens that it’s okay to have luxury in their lives. It is okay to have a moment to be taken care of, it’s okay to walk in your soft girl era. As a black woman, we are always the strong backbone of the community; of the family. We often don’t get an opportunity to take care of ourselves because we are always taking care of someone else. We are often forgotten and I believe that we are entering into a new era where black women are putting themselves 1st and I want to be a part of that movement. I have watched my grandmother take care of her grandkids and everyone around her now she’s older and she has many regrets and one of them is never traveling. My grandmother has never gone on a real vacation. She doesn’t own a passport, she’s never been on a plane, a resort, or even a cruise. She’s never had people wait on her hand and foot, she’s never been taken care of in that way and I think that is extremely unfortunate.

I think what sets me apart from other companies is that I never want to send my clients places that I’ve never experienced. I will if it’s requested of me but when it comes to my group travel packages I prefer to go to these locations 1st so that I can create an amazing experience and be as accurate as possible so that I can provide fun as well as safety. I do extensive research to make sure these places are the best fit for my clients.

I think I am most proud of starting, of putting pen to paper, and actually creating a business. I’ve been curating trips for years but I was too scared to start a business. I didn’t have a blueprint in my family therefore I had to become the blueprint. I am one of the 1st women in my family to start a business. and although being a trailblazer is extremely difficult it is a very rewarding process to see myself go from where I was to where I am today. I still have so much further to go, but to simply take the 1st step in getting started was the hardest step I’ve ever taken and it’s my proudest moment.

The main thing I would like my potential clients to know about me and my brand is that I believe in integrity. I take what I do extremely seriously and I am extremely hands-on. Understand that when you book with me I am up day and night speaking to vendors in other countries, doing extensive research to make sure the destination and experience is unique to each client. I want to curate the best experience possible for my clients. I believe in quality over quantity. I am just like my clients I’m a wife I’m a mother I work a 9 to 5 and run a business. I know that when I spend my money and when I take time away to go on vacation it has to be worth it because I work hard for my money and when I go on vaction I want a return. Therefore I believe in giving my clients a return because my time and money are precious to me therefore I know it is precious to my clients.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I believe in four phases of faith #1 the dream, #2 the decision, #3 the roadblocks, #4 the breakthrough. When I curated my sister’s birthday trip that’s where my dream was developed to run my own travel business. The decision to actually push through and make it a reality was a tough decision to make because I didn’t know where to start. There were many roadblocks but in order to be successful and to see things through I had to build resilience because resilience is what took me through the tough times. On this journey, I had many moments of doubt for example when I booked my first clients. I was a nervous wreck I didn’t think I could pull it off. I had no host agency at the time and no business bank account I had never traveled to the destination they chose before and really had no system in place. However, they went on their girls’ trip to Greece and besides the weather and the airport losing one of their luggage, the ladies had a great time. Yet I doubted myself the whole way through this process, I had what they call the imposter syndrome, I continuously thought to myself “Why are they paying me to do this?” “I’m not good enough to do this”. I had to fight through all those issues within myself to execute and curate a great adventure in Greece.

I had to realize that doubt will always be there but I have to make a decision to live above it. To live above all of the things that may oppress me.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn this idea of Perfection. I often felt that if it’s not perfect it’s not worth it. The ugly process was too ugly for me. I had to unlearn that and had to understand that I do not have to be perfect to get started. I have to get started to become “perfect”. It took me forever to launch because I kept comparing myself to other women and agencies that had been in the game for years. Like thats how I want it and until I can get my business like that then I am not even gonna post I’m not even gonna create my website. What am I starting a website for? I have nothing to put up there, but I had to understand that I had to start before I could ever get the content. I had to understand that this is a marathon, not a race and I’m comparing myself to people who started the marathon way before me. I’m at the start line and they are damn near at the finish line but I wanted my business to look like theirs or mimic theirs. I had to take a moment to sit down and think about what I wanted my business to be and what I wanted my business to look like and then what steps I had to take to get my business there. I had to stop looking at everyone else’s journey because everyone else’s why? Wasn’t my why? so everyone else’s journey couldn’t be my journey. So I had to unlearn my idea of “Perfection”.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://EliteLuxTravels.com
• Instagram: @ELITELUXTRAVELS_LLC

Image Credits
FLOGANZA DUBAI FIRUSHAN