Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Laura Ryan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Laura, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

The biggest trend (boost) I’ve seen recently in travel is cruising. Cruising has returned with great demand with many of the cruise lines adding new ships and the rise is social media showing how incredible cruising is has brought about a great demand. I wholeheartedly believe this is the ultimate vacation cruising offers exceptional experiences with the ability to visit multiple destinations, enjoy on board entertainment and relaxation. I’ve recently cruised solo, with friends and a multi generational cruise with ages ranging from 2-52 and everyone was happy and eager to sail again.
My concern is years ago you’d find “great deals” planning last minute cruises and this is pretty much a thing of the past, I find now the sooner you plan the better the rates, the chance of your ideal room category, location on the ship highly increases & of course working with me I watch for any & all promotions or price drops leaving my clients the ability to know they’re booked and I’ll do all the work to ensure they have price reductions applied if applicable. I’ve also found numerous group spaces on cruises that we can take advantage of.
One particular sailing comes to mind that proves working with a Travel Planner is a huge benefit, I had a group of 12 ladies wanting to sail this coming January had they booked on their own they’d not have know for this cruise line 6 rooms means you’re eligible for a group rate & benefits. Once we started their group I then began sharing the sailing and to date have an additional number of rooms booked now increasing the “group benefit’s” adding to on board credits and with current pricing for this sailing each room is saving over $1100. Yes, I still have a few rooms still available.
Sadly so many people just jump on the internet now to book their vacation and as a result are usually paying more but most importantly the internet isn’t going to advocate for you, the internet isn’t going to continuously check rates to ensure your getting the best rates, the internet isn’t going to talk you through any questions or let’s face it things happen issues that may arise. I will do ALL of this.

Laura, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Laura, I was always the family & friends go to for help planning vacations. I own a pet care business in 3 states and a dream chaser. During 2020 when life had us all inside I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a professional Travel Planner. I began with a focus on all things Disney seemed fitting as we’d moved from Massachusetts due to my love of Disney and very quickly realized how much more I had to offer. I began focusing on All-Inclusive destinations, cruises and European Tours.
I work with all cruise lines, and though I can assist in booking any resort I take pride in finding my clients top tier services within their budget. Over the past 2 years I’ve had the opportunity to cruise multiple of the cruise lines I share with clients, I’ve visited many destinations and participated in numerous trips with our vendors touring resorts, areas of interest, cruising this I firmly believe is a huge benefit for my clients. The ability to share personal experiences and my thoughts on properties, ships, itineraries, excursions and FOOD (huge IMO) I’ve stayed at a few resorts where the food was terrible and that can really make or break your vacation. I know that this sets me apart from many other travel planners and definitely sets me apart from a google search.
I get the most joy in helping vacation dreams become a reality regardless of destination big trip, small trip I take your wishes and turn them into reality and live for watching my clients making stress free memories (well you still have to pack so a little stress)

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media scared me in the beginning, I eventually realized how fun it can be and walked through fear and began going live (I was so afraid I’d stumble) I have since found walking through this fear has grown my audience tremendously. My clients/potential clients can see ME at home, in destination, at Disney they can see I’m a real person who shows my vulnerability, my passion for fun & relaxation and get to know the person behind the screen name.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Funny story how I became part of Mouse Made Simple! During the pandemic I had pet care clients decide to move back to Italy. They hired me to sell everything in their home in Florida. I had a women and her husband come to purchase an item while at the house we began chatting about Disney, sure enough she was a travel planner with Mouse Made Simple. We exchanged contact information and of course no one was hiring at the peak of the world being shut down. Fast forward a few months my daughter in law asked me to post an item for sale & low and behold Holly the same woman from months prior showed up to purchase and just like that Mouse Made Simple was ready to bring on more planners.
I immediately applied and thanks to Holly and Facebook marketplace my journey into my now incredible position began.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mousemadesimple.com
• Instagram: https://www.threads.net/@lauraryantravelplanner
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauramousemadesimple?mibextid=LQQJ4d