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

Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

In the travel industry there are so many booming trends especially since TikTok has blown up world wide. I would say the social media aspect of the industry is the biggest trend. Remote work due to Covid has stayed which more and more people are taking advantage of. People are traveling at high rates and I’m here for it. As the owner of Elevation Travel, I have noticed an increase in more “instagramable” spots. Places like Bora Bora, Europe, and seeing the natural wonders of the world have gotten popular due to social media. The next biggest trend that I have noticed is the adult only travel. Adults are finding the time to take by themselves without guilt or stigma. With many destinations offering an adults only experience they are taking full advantage. Finally, there has been an increase with going off the beaten path. With that I mean, going to find/ do unique destinations or experiences. People are going to less touristy places and looking for that one of a kind trip.

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?

I started Elevation Travel almost 6 years ago. It’s hard to believe it has been that long. It was born out of an accident really. I had been traveling a lot with my husband and son during that time period. My friends and family were noticing the places we were going and were curious about how we could go to places so much. At the time I was using 3rd party discount websites and such to get good “deals”. I shared my knowledge with them and then BAM it hit me. I realized I could make a difference by helping them plan and book vacations. Elevation Travel was born. I now get to not only plan and book vacations, honeymoons, family reunions, corporate travel, and more but I also get to share my personal knowledge with them about their destinations. I can book worldwide which I love. I also book concert tickets, train tours, cruises, them parks, and sporting events! My services are completely free to my clients. I love getting to see their memories from photos or videos on social media. It of course hasn’t been easy with the pandemic the last 2 years but I don’t plan on giving up. I have worked hard to market myself since the beginning. I am a one woman show so everything is up to me to do. The budgeting, the marketing, the research, the certifications, everything. I am certified with many well known brands in travel as well as licensed and insured. The business has grown significantly but I hope it continues to grow further. I am grateful to those who have put their trust in me to help make their vacation dreams come true.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me are referrals. I use Facebook and Instagram heavily for marketing but a lot of my new business as of late has been word of mouth and reviews. I have been getting an influx of messages from referrals and it has really been amazing. It does fall hand in hand with how you market, but hearing that you impressed someone enough to tell someone else is an unbelievable feeling. I also strive to give the best client experience I can. People talk either way about you, your business, and how you made them feel so why not give the best effort you can? Word of mouth also seems to be a more loyal of a following for my business as well. They trust the person who trusted you to take care of them and so then they automatically trust you. That goes a long way and helps for repeat clients.

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

Building a business: It hasn’t been a smooth road, but I have grown every speed bump along the way. Starting a business is hard in itself but starting a travel business is tough. Many people use 3rd party websites and prefer to do it on their own. That is a challenge I will continue to try to overcome on a daily basis. Some people don’t even know we exist or there is a stigma around us that we aren’t free or just want to scam you. A challenge I wasn’t prepared for was of course the pandemic and the world literally shutting down. So many trips were cancelled and protocol continues to change. My business went into the toilet and I am still trying to build it back to this day. The challenge of getting the word out there and marketing isn’t easy either. Clients change what they want to see from an advertisement all the time. Keeping up with protocols worldwide, cancellation policies, and border closings/ openings is tough but someone has to do it. It is worth it to see everyone’s dreams come true though.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elevationtravelbyj.wixsite.com/website
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevationtravelbyjess/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevationtravelbyjess
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnUSY8gcJky7qDI2hbm9V1A

Image Credits
Mercy Scibilia