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

Leah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

My husband and I were taking an Uber from the airport to Disney World and were talking about how much we enjoyed traveling and how it would be so fun to plan trips for others, and the driver asked if I had heard of Cruise Planners. I told him that I had no clue what that was but that I was interested in travel beyond just cruising. He told me that his wife left her career teaching to purchase a franchise and become a travel advisor for Cruise Planners and that it wasn’t limited to cruises only. In fact, Cruise Planners is a preferred vendor for most land and sea companies that are reputable. He gave me her business card, and I said I would look into it.

Little did I know, I would spend the next few weeks researching the franchise and the possibilities that it could create for me. After many videos and calls, I finally made the decision to purchase the franchise in the middle of the pandemic and never looked back. It has been so wonderful helping others plan trips and getting the opportunity to travel to places that I probably would’ve never considered if I wasn’t a travel advisor.

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?

My passion for travel first started after I got to take a trip to Alaska with my grandparents when I was a child. They used a travel agent to help plan a 2 week land and sea trip throughout Alaska and Canada. After going on that trip, it made me realize that there are places I would never think to travel and would have never known about everything Alaska has to offer without our travel advisor. Once the opportunity to purchase the franchise arose, it reminded me that our trip to Alaska was so incredible because of the help of our advisor. I have always loved helping others (especially with understanding the ins and outs of all things Disney World), so I figured this would be an amazing opportunity to help others plan their dream vacations while also getting the opportunity to travel in order to tell my clients firsthand about different destinations around the world.

After purchasing the franchise, I spent a week with advisors and vendors around the world in order to understand the travel industry better. Each year, I get opportunities to go to events and attend trainings in order to stay up to date with the most recent travel trends and protocols. This training helps me solve my clients’ problem of knowing where to travel, when to travel and how to do it within the budget they have. I enjoy specializing in all-inclusive land and sea travel, honeymoons and all things Disney.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been to make sure I exceed expectations with my existing clients. When your clients are satisfied, they are more likely to refer you to their friends and family which in return helps grow your business. Providing exceptional service also means that your customers are likely to return to you which is my hope anytime I book a client’s first vacation through my travel agency.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me has come from referrals and from the reputation that Cruise Planners has in the industry. For small local businesses, it is pertinent to have your clients leave reviews and send referrals your way. Each time I get a referral, I always follow up with a thank you note as well to make sure they know how much I appreciate the recommendation. There’s a quote that says “we rise by lifting others,” and I think this applies in the local business industry as well. When we help others through referrals and recommendations, we are lifting others up with the goal of growing more businesses than just our own.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.royalltravel.com
• Instagram: @royalltravel
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/RoyallTravelCP