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

Kaleigh, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I have always been a lover of travel. Since I was a little girl, I’ve craved seeing and experiencing quite literally everything, from the Disney parks to historic monuments and tiny seaside towns. I fell in love with the magic of Walt Disney World watching commercials on TV and VHS tapes in the 90’s, I knew that place was magical and I dreamed of going there. Once I had kids, I quickly realized that I wanted them to be able to experience and travel as much as possible. Travel is often viewed as a luxury, but I want to help people realize that it doesn’t have to be, there is so much out there to see and explore beyond their own little pocket of life, and enjoy it as well.

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 decided to join a travel agency and become an independent agent a year and a half ago, and honestly it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only do I get to learn so much more about travel providers, I get to share my love and vast knowledge of Disney Parks, and help my clients plan their dream vacation.
Disney World is one of the main destinations that I book for clients. If you don’t know much about planning a Disney vacation, there is a lot of moving pieces that go into it. Some people, myself included, love the thrill of planning a Disney trip. Others, it’s overwhelming and far too much work. That is where I come in.
One of the biggest stressors for people is the 60 Day Advanced Dining Reservations. On the morning 60 days before your check in day, you are allowed to start making any sit-down type dining reservations for the duration of your trip. Some of these reservations fill up very quickly and are hard to get, so there has become this unspoken rule of thumb where you must be logged into the Disney World website before 6 AM to get the best chance at making the dining reservations you want. As a travel agent, this is one of the many things I take care of for my clients! It takes away some of the stress for them, and makes planning the trip, and ultimately the trip itself, more enjoyable.
I talk a lot about Disney, because it is one of my favorite subjects, but I do remind people that we book more than just theme parks. I am constantly researching new locations, saving ideas, and making lists of travel destinations. I hope to be able to travel abroad with my family in the near future as well!

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I have an email list for my clients where I send out not only any new promotions or travel news, but I also will send any free guides I have created. I most recently sent out a series of emails recapping our latest Disney trip! I’m very active on my social media, I respond to as many comments as I can on any posts that I make, and I like to engage with my followers as well.
I also have a referral headquarters that I ask my clients to fill out after they’ve traveled. Here they can leave a testimonial or a review on their experience working with me, and send my information to anyone they know who may be interested in booking also!
I share all of my clients testimonials on my social media, I feel like this helps with the brand loyalty and shows potential leads what I am capable of and what I can accomplish for them.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Taking the plunge into becoming a travel agent took a lot of courage, and there was a lot of work involved also. Our travel agency has a lot of courses and training you go through to become certified. For a few months I felt like I was in back in school, on top of working another full time job, being a mom, and keeping up with my home and all that comes with it. I was putting in 12 hour work days 3-4 times a week to get my courses finished in a timely manner. It was a lot, but I loved every moment. It gave all the tools I needed to get my business started and become successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pages.smartmomstravel.com/trip-questionnaire-kaleigh-neujahr
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everafterexplorer/profilecard/?igsh=MTRya3h5aGczbng2dQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566964007235&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits

Shawnae Neujahr Photography