We recently connected with Holli McGee and have shared our conversation below.

Holli , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?

One of my favorite aspects of my business is customer appreciation. I wholeheartedly believe in going the extra mile when building a client base. When I plan a theme park vacation, for example, I always notify the hotel that my clients are celebrating an anniversary, birthday, family reunion or honeymoon. For all of my regular clients, I always send them some kind of surprise. I send a bottle of wine and a treat if someone is celebrating an anniversary. I send shirts for a birthday trip. And I sent matching cups for my regular cruise clients. I find that clients are appreciative when you take the time to make their vacation extra special. I want them to have a great time. I care about their vacation experience. I want my clients to feel like family.

Holli , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi! My name is Holli McGee and my business page is Favorite Travel Mom. I work under the umbrella of NEBC Travel. We are a family-owned agency and we strictly work remotely. I decided that I wanted to become a travel agent after taking my girls to Walt Disney World for the first time in 2018. I had been many times as a kid but this trip was completely different. In many ways, it was pure magic. We got to enjoy experiences and eat at different restaurants that I had never been to as a kid. My now boss, Jenn Riley, booked everything for us. She went above and beyond for that trip and even sent my girls some matching pajamas. I was completely blown away by her services. My previous experiences with travel agents were nothing like this one. I continued to use her services until the end of 2019. This is when she contacted me to let me know that she would be starting her own travel agency. I was interested and eager to work with her because I love her business model. She puts the clients first and I wanted to learn more.

My brand Favorite Travel Mom is simple. The client is first and he or she is always right. I want my clients to do as little as possible. It is their vacation and I want it to be a dream come true. I want them to keep coming back. I treat them like family and I encourage them to share their successes and their sorrows with me. I mail them holiday cards each year. I do so much more than book trips. I build lasting relationships while I bring vacation magic.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I began my travel agency training at the end of 2019. I spent months watching training videos and taking tests in my free time. I became a fully certified agent on March 6, 2020. On March 13, 2020, the world shut down. I spent the first 6 months of my official certification answering questions and helping people cancel their vacations. All of this work was for free. During this time, I created social media accounts in which I promoted any and all destinations that I had learned. I wanted to be successful and failure wasn’t an option for me. But, I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t frustrating. There were many times that I cried and prayed. Still, however, I persevered.

The hardest part was that nearly all of my training that I spent months on quickly became obsolete. The world is so different than it was pre-COVID. Travel is so different than it was pre-COVID. I had to learn how to navigate Embassy websites and future cruise credit and social distancing and masks. And I had to do it quickly. I live just outside of Fort Lauderdale, which had extremely high COVID cases at the time. However, I did everything I could to stay on top of the constantly changing travel world. I read news articles and attended webinars so that I would be up to date on the latest information.

The reason my business has survived and continued to grow because this has become a blessing in disguise. I already know that my business can be successful during a global pandemic. I didn’t turn down any business during this time. I practiced quotes for free on anyone who would give me a chance. I gave my clients the best possible experience despite the restrictions. And I focused on expanding my knowledge. By the time the world slowly opened up, I had researched hundreds of destinations and had a plethora of knowledge. And know I feel resilient because I know I survived the worst. The best is yet to come.

How did you build your audience on social media?

When building a social media presence, I fully believe in being yourself. I am an extremely outgoing and ecentric person. I feel like my page shows that. My children are my entire world and many of my photos and videos feature them. I like to show the joy in traveling and I definitely feel that my social media accounts emphasize this.

Beyond that, the content needs to focus on your brand but also be engaging. When making videos or taking photos, try to film them or photograph them from all angles. I try to find moments of peace and serenity as well as moments of joy and excitement. I also focus on capturing the destination. I film and photograph the food, drinks, sights, people, activities and overall vibe.

My best advice is to start with what you know. And beyond that, try to help those who haven’t been to those destinations want to go there. The goal is to build connections and bring in some new business. I want people to look at my accounts and say “this is a travel professional.”     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nebctravel.com
• Instagram: favtravelmom
• Facebook: Favorite Travel Mom
• TikTok: Fav Travel Mom

Image Credits
The main headshot was taken by Annette Silvera, producer and content creator.