We were lucky to catch up with Lindsay Nation recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lindsay, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

This may seem like a silly question for a travel advisor to answer because the obvious answer seems to be yes (our job IS vacation, right?); however, I see this as the perfect opportunity to give some specific insight into my profession and what travel can actually look like for luxury travel advisors. Majority of the time, traveling for us is an opportunity to experience a new place to better provide our clients with in-depth destination knowledge and expertise from personal experience! Taking moments to form relationships with our global partners, tour hotels and resorts in the area, and try different tours and activities equips me with the knowledge to take the client experience to the next level.

On top of being a traveler, my clients’ travel needs remain a top priority during my personal travels. Because I am out of the office all day, the reality is I am up late keeping up with emails, putting together itineraries and proposals, and remaining accessible for clients in-travel. Although my travels entail a good bit of work, I will never forget my “aha moment” when it hit me that this is my job. I was at a winery, sitting on a mountain with a glass of red wine in-hand, looking out into the Napa Valley. In that moment, I remember being so grateful and thinking how incredible it is that I am able to help provide memorable experiences, like that one for me, to so many people – how cool!

Of course everyone needs a little work life balance, so I do take trips every now and then that are 100% vacation. – no meetings or tours involved :)

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a Luxury Travel Advisor based in Chattanooga, TN, and I am an advisor at Major Traveler, an affiliate of Jetset World Travel. Through my background and experience in event planning, I learned that organization, logistics, and building relationships are my strengths. Throw my passion for traveling into the mix, and here I am!

As a luxury travel advisor, I work with clients to create personal, customized trip itineraries with details tailored specifically for each client to make their travel hopes and dreams a reality. My goal for each client is to provide them with security in knowing their trip has every detail in place and all of their desires in reach.

One of the largest benefits of working with an advisor is that we are problem-solvers. As our clients are in-travel, we are constantly monitoring their trip, allowing us to anticipate and fix any problems that arise before our clients are even aware of them. Having the added layer of communication between advisors and on-the-ground contacts all over the world provides a seamless experience for my clients so that they can genuinely explore, enjoy and relax!

Ultimately, my dream is to combine my affinity for health and wellness with my passion for travel. At the age of 27, my own health journey has been intertwined with my travel experiences as I have found that traveling creates my truest sense of self, improving my overall wellbeing as I take on new experiences and create new memories. I have a B.S. in Health Promotion, and in the future, I plan to get certifications in integrative nutrition, gut health and hormone health. With this, my goals are to empower my clients to pursue their own experiences that directly impact their overall wellbeing, to embrace their personal health journey, and to instill a longing to encounter the beauty of our world as travelers.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I just finished Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz, and it is a game-changer! For someone like myself who never thought they would be running their own business/be an entrepreneur, this is a must-read.

Michalowicz has created an easy-to-follow system on how to manage your finances as a business owner, where you literally take your profit first as you evaluate your business operating expenses. For me, one of the most valuable takeaways from the book is “businesses that attain early and sustained profitability have a better shot at achieving long-term growth.” After reading this book, I feel confident that I will make smart financial decisions and will be able to handle any set backs that may arise as my business continues to grow.

Mike Michalowicz also provides many different resources to help follow the profit first system, and I love that it feels like a little bit of a community. Check it out!

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

There are so many different routes that new clients can come from, but the best source for me is a referral! When I receive a referral from a client, it tells me two things:

1) My client trusts me and my work ethic enough to send someone they know my way.
2) There is already some form of trust established with the new client/referral.

My business is built on trust and honesty, which is why a referral client is so important to me. After receiving a referral, my next step is to form a genuine relationship with them as I learn more about their travel style. I don’t want to be just a person behind a screen planning travels, but a partner that works alongside my clients to make their hopes and dreams come to life! My ultimate goal is to retain the new client while continuing to build our relationship and trust.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://majortraveler.com/lindsay-nation
• Instagram: a_traveling_nation
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/majortraveler
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-nation/

Image Credits
Headshot: Haley Jane Photography