We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Barkley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I have been in the trenches many times over the course of decades as a brick and mortar business owner and the same lessons are utilized now that I am in the travel design industry. Namely, jumping from task to task successfully, keeping organized, allowing yourself the grace and space to operate both effectively and creatively. It’s important to create and uphold your own set of standards, especially in flooded industries. It’s hard to know what to prioritize, so keeping those standards tight to your heart will lead you to a consistent flow and hopefully successful outcomes! Having a strong identity truly sets you apart. The right clients will gravitate towards you in an authentic way, then behind the scenes you work your butt off. Maintaining your sense of self and drive is pivotal, even when your outcomes involve scrapping a project, idea, or work relationship, which can feel painful. It’s crucial to return to your own ethos to remain grounded.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always been a lover of all things beautiful and curated. Whether it’s the merchandising of my shop to the plating at a restaurant to a well executed event, it’s the minutia that keeps my wheels spinning. When planning- whether it’s a travel itinerary, private event or large dinner party or experience, one thing leads to another – and FAST! If you cannot categorize, delegate and communicate your vision, plus be willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work, then all is lost. This excites me. I was brought up with an extreme amount independence, which caused me to create my own world and I’m still creating today.
I have a drive to create experiential travel for the discerning wanderer. Driven by a curiosity of the array of people and places that create our world, it has to be grounded and rooted in the feelings evoked through this Wanderlust. This can be visual, audial, tactile, tapped into all the senses. I am convicted to sending clients out into the world with an excitement and curiosity, knowing the details and logistics will be smoothly handled behind the scenes. I enjoy deep dives into the nuances of what builds and sustains the precious cultures in the world. An added bonus comes when I can surprise a client with an unexpected path, treat, or idea that touches them. These nuances are the things that set apart self booked travel versus bespoke designed travel. Our time is precious and I want my clients to be confident in the knowledge that I respect and honor their wishes, and will go above and beyond in order to take care of them.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I have found through experience that transparency and fairness rule above all when it comes to communication. People want to know where they stand- clients, colleagues, remote support staff, suppliers. In a leadership or coordinator position it’s key to present as much pertinent information as possible to avoid confusion and build trust. I am not a secret keeper and do not believe in using others as a cautionary tale to promote productivity. Gossip is petty, shut that down immediately. Your integrity is paramount, at the end of the day it’s the only leg you have to stand on. Practice what you preach because people are watching.
Keep your promises to be honest (even when it’s disappointing) and forthright and people will want to work with you. It simply feels good to be aligned.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

We enjoy privileged positions in our field. We are designing high end travel itineraries- how lucky are we…and our clients! Honestly.
At BTA we have a strong alignment with several non profit organizations, with every booking made through our new booking engine- which we designed from the ground up- benefitting an organization of choice. We also keep suppliers, properties and tourism boards top of mind when we design itineraries, strategizing how to please and excite our clients in a way that’s beneficial to those whom we work with. This wholistic approach gives me hope that there’s a better way to travel both literally and figuratively.
On a local level, we each have an organization we are encouraged to support financially and with a partnership with suppliers who support our donations for fundraising. It’s quite a groundbreaking method and it makes my heart warm.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://travelbta.com
• Instagram: @travelbta
• Facebook: Boutique Travel Advisors
• Other: Pinterest:
  Boutique Travel Advisors

Image Credits

All my own