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

Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

While the leap from lawyer to travel advisor seems drastic at first glance, it’s really more of a story of divine timing. As a Texas native with dual citizenship in Croatia, I was exposed early on to the idea of what it means to be a world citizen. However, it wasn’t until I graduated from and high school and spent a summer in Mexico, learning Spanish and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, that I truly caught the travel bug. From there, I focused my studies and all of my resources towards international studies and foreign languages.

I had the opportunity while in college to work once a week at a travel agency for students and found my “dream job,” but unfortunately, after 9/11 and the rise of the online travel agencies, there was not a job for me upon graduation. So I decided to pursue my post graduate studies.

After graduating, I worked as the European liaison for the Center for Terrorism Law and as an Assistant Attorney General for the Global Settlement Section of the Antitrust and Civil Medicaid Fraud Division. However, it was my freelance work as a lifestyle writer and photographer—and overwhelming interest from friends and colleagues in what I was posting to social media—that inspired me to take the plunge.

You see what had changed in the 10 years from the time I graduated college and now, was that social media had blown up, and “google” was a household name. There was more information out there than we knew what to do with and people were overwhelmed by review sites and all the options available. They wanted someone they could trust to recommend and endorse where to go and what to do. I started to notice that friends would see my articles or photos online and would ask me “how did you do that?” I started sharing my itineraries with people and then realized, there may be a business model there. I was ready to leave my current employer and had been renting out my apartment on airbnb when I was traveling. I went to look at my account to see how much I had in savings and it was almost down to the penny the same amount as a year’s worth of salary at my current job. I thought “if this isn’t a sign, I don’t know what is.” I figured, I would take a crack at starting a travel company, designing trips for people. If it didn’t work in a year, I would go find a job at another law firm . . . that was just over 10 years ago.

In 2012, I left the world of law behind to start Lucid Routes, a luxury travel agency for clients who value “white glove service and personal attention.” I easily spent 200 to 300 days on the road vetting airlines, hotels, tour guides, cruise lines and more for my largely word-of-mouth clientele. Over 50 countries later, frequent flier is an understatement.

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

Part of this I answered in the previous question, so to prevent redundancies, I’ll pick up here.

Hello, my name is Katie Warner, I am the owner of Lucid Routes Luxury Travel and Lifestyle Collective, a luxury travel and lifestyle collective that specializes in designing cultural & transformative experiences for individuals and groups who really value exploring the world like a local and venturing off the beaten path in a responsible and mindful way.

What I am most proud of is our dedication to sustainability and the cultural preservation of local populations. We do this by partnering with companies that make this a priority as well as supporting local as much as possible. We provide opportunities for our clients, if they choose, to be involved in voluntourism, social impact & transformative travel initiatives.

In addition to my volunteer work, I have instituted a program where a percentage of the profits from Lucid Routes, go to the Whole Planet Foundation, dedicated to alleviating global poverty by empowering the world’s poorest people with microcredit loans.

I am also working with a nonprofit to help offset the carbon footprints associated with my personal travel as well as the trips my company designs for clients.

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

Before the global pandemic, we excelled in leisure and business travel, offering an array of services tailored to individual and corporate needs. When the pandemic hit, not only did travel come to a screeching halt, but it went backwards. We worked tireless hours to cancel every one of our clients who had travel on the books. For 18 months we “rode it out.” We stayed home until it was safe to travel again. Throughout the challenging times of the pandemic, we remained resilient and committed to serving our clients. While travel restrictions were in place, the company ensured that necessary travel arrangements were made for clients, staying up-to-date with changing regulations and providing dedicated support.

Moreover, I utilized this “down time” at home as an opportunity to collaborate with other industry experts and travel-tech startups, exploring innovative ways to disrupt and improve the travel experience for the post-pandemic era. Recognizing the changing landscape, we adapted to the growing demand for remote work options and saw an increase in clients seeking curated retreat experiences to foster team bonding and company culture.

As an organic response to market dynamics, we ventured into retreat consulting–a separate vertical that offers specialized support for individuals wishing to organize in-person retreats. Understanding the intricacies involved in selecting the perfect location and venue, Lucid Routes empowers clients to take the lead while providing expert guidance. The company helps clients navigate budgeting, marketing, and crafting compelling offerings.

Our success has not only attracted clients seeking extraordinary travel experiences but has also inspired others to start travel businesses of their own. Recognizing the growing interest from individuals looking for a career change, a side hustle, or a renewed sense of purpose, Katie Warner has emerged as a trusted mentor and consultant, offering personalized training programs to help serve and guide those interested in this line of work and lifestyle.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I was ready to leave my current employer and had been renting out my apartment on airbnb when I was traveling. I went to look at my account to see how much I had in savings and it was almost down to the penny the same amount as a year’s worth of salary at my current job. I thought “if this isn’t a sign, I don’t know what is.” I figured, I would take a crack at starting a travel company, designing trips for people. If it didn’t work in a year, I would go find a job at another law firm . . . that was just over 10 years ago.

After the first year, I had a handful of clients, but not enough yet to live off of the business completely, to help bootstrap this endeavor, I consulted with several startups including: Airbnb (NYSE:ABNB), Sidecar Technologies (acquired by GM & Lyft), Vivogig, StoryPress, MyTennisLessons.com & Tripaly. I worked these projects until I had enough clients to focus exclusively on designing travel.

Contact Info:

• Website: wwww.lucidroutes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucidroutes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucidroutes?pnref=lhc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiewarner/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/katiewarner