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

Alright, Heather thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Travel has always been my first love — it’s where I’ve felt most alive, most grounded, and most myself. Long before I became a mom, I dreamed of seeing the world, and once I had my daughter, I dreamed of showing it to her. I wanted her to grow up knowing that life is meant to be lived — full of new places, new people, and unforgettable experiences.

But a few years ago, life threw me into a storm I never saw coming. I was in the middle of a painful family court battle and a heartbreaking breakup that forced me to move back home to New Jersey with my daughter — within just two weeks. I had no job waiting for me, no real plan, and no idea how I was going to start over. It felt like the life I had built in Florida had been completely wiped clean overnight.

Still, deep down, I knew I had two choices: I could let life happen to me, or I could rebuild it for us.

Starting my own travel business in that season of chaos felt impossible. I was a single mom with no safety net, trying to piece together stability while everything around me was uncertain. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was my calling — that I was meant to turn my love for travel into something bigger, something that could give my daughter and me a new beginning.

So I took the risk. I used what little savings I had to get certified, build my brand, and start from scratch. I worked late nights after putting my daughter to bed, teaching myself marketing, creating itineraries, and learning the business side of travel. I sacrificed comfort, time, and a lot of sleep — but I refused to let my circumstances define me.

There were moments I questioned everything. Days where I wondered how I’d pay bills or whether anyone would ever trust me with their travel plans. But then came that first client, that first booking, that first message saying, “Thank you for helping us create memories we’ll never forget.” That’s when I knew — every risk, every tear, every sleepless night had been worth it.

Today, my daughter and I are living the life I once only dreamed about. I get to share the world with her while helping other families do the same. What started as a risk in my darkest season became the foundation for something beautiful — a business built from love, resilience, and pure faith.

The risk I took wasn’t just starting a travel business. It was believing that even after losing everything, I still had the power to create something extraordinary.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi, I’m Heather, the founder of Heather Travels XO, an independent travel business powered by InteleTravel. I’m a single mom, content creator, and lifelong traveler who turned one of the hardest chapters of my life into a thriving purpose-driven career.

For as long as I can remember, travel has been my passion — the one thing that’s always brought me peace, perspective, and joy. I’ve always believed that travel isn’t just about seeing new places; it’s about becoming new versions of ourselves through those experiences. When I became a mom, that love for travel deepened. I wanted my daughter to grow up seeing the world, learning from different cultures, and realizing that life is meant to be explored.

But my journey into this business didn’t come from a perfect place. A few years ago, I went through a painful breakup and a family court battle that completely changed my life. Within two weeks, I had to leave Florida — the place I’d built a life — and move back home to New Jersey with my daughter. I had no job lined up, no safety net, and no clear idea of what was next. It was one of the hardest moments of my life.

Still, I knew I had to rebuild — not just for me, but for her.

Starting a travel business during that time felt unreachable, but I took the risk anyway. I partnered with InteleTravel as an independent travel agent and started Heather Travels XO from scratch. I studied late nights after putting my daughter to bed, learned everything I could about the travel industry, and slowly started building my brand — one client, one trip, one story at a time.

Today, I specialize in planning family vacations, romantic getaways, group trips, destination weddings, and corporate retreats. I also work with hotels, resorts, and tourism brands to create authentic travel content that inspires others to explore with confidence. What sets my agency apart is the heart behind it — every itinerary I create is personal, intentional, and rooted in care. I understand how important it is to make travel feel possible again, especially for families or individuals starting over.

Through Heather Travels XO, I help my clients do more than just travel — I help them create core memories. Whether it’s a parent showing their child the ocean for the first time or a couple celebrating a milestone abroad, I get to play a part in moments that matter.

I’m proud that I built this business during one of the most challenging times in my life — and even prouder that my daughter has watched it grow. What began as a risk turned into a reminder that you can rebuild your life, chase your dreams, and turn your pain into purpose.

At its core, Heather Travels XO is about empowerment through exploration. It’s about showing people — especially single parents and dreamers starting over — that travel isn’t out of reach. It’s about saying yes to yourself, your healing, and your next adventure.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn is that starting over means you’ve failed.

For a long time, I equated change with loss. When my relationship ended, when I had to leave Florida and move back home to New Jersey within two weeks, when I had no job, no plan, and felt like my entire world had been turned upside down — I truly believed I had fallen behind in life. I felt like everything I had built had crumbled, and that starting from scratch meant I had somehow lost the race.

But life has a way of rewriting your story when you least expect it.
What I eventually learned was that starting over isn’t failure — it’s rebirth.

That painful season became the foundation for everything I have now. It’s what pushed me to take the leap into building my own travel business through InteleTravel. It’s what taught me resilience, faith, and the power of trusting yourself even when nothing around you feels secure.

If I hadn’t let go of the belief that my life had to follow a certain path or timeline, I never would’ve built Heather Travels XO — a brand that’s not just about travel, but about transformation.

Now, I see every new beginning as an opportunity — a blank page waiting to be written. And I remind myself (and my daughter) often:
Sometimes the life you’re meant to live begins the moment you think everything is falling apart.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Aside from social media, my best source of new clients has honestly been talking to people. I’ve learned that networking doesn’t always have to happen at formal events or online — it can happen anywhere. Whether it’s a conversation at a coffee shop, on a plane, at school pick-up, or at a local community event, I make it a point to talk about what I do.

One of the biggest shifts for me was learning to be proud of what I built and to speak about it confidently. In the beginning, I used to downplay it — “Oh, I just plan travel.” But now I say, “I own a travel business. I help families, couples, and groups create unforgettable experiences.” That confidence changes everything. People can feel your passion, and they remember how you made them feel when you talked about it.

Word of mouth has become one of my strongest forms of growth. Every client who has a great experience becomes a voice for my brand — they tell their friends, their coworkers, their family. And that all started because I wasn’t afraid to open my mouth and share what I do with pride.

So my advice to anyone building a business? Talk to everyone. You never know who’s listening — or who’s planning their next vacation and looking for exactly what you offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.curlsandbackpacks.blog
• Instagram: Heathertravelsxo__