We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Samantha Semle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Samantha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

It took some trial and error when coming up with our name. We spent days tossing ideas around based on a few factors: what do we hope to accomplish with our content and how would it relate to the name, can we grow with the same name over time, and was there availability on Instagram? (Believe it or not, most usernames are already taken!). Book the Reservation is all about traveling, doing fun things, and planning ahead— from vacations and hotel bookings, to dining reservations and everything in between. We look at the name Book the Reservation as an action— Book the Reservation for your dream trip or simply make a plan for tonight’s dinner lineup.

Samantha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a writer by nature but have taken on the world of content creation and social media most recently. For the past several years, I have worked either editorially or digitally for lifestyle magazines—with coverage ranging from food and drink to health/wellness, travel, music, and everything in between. Alongside my career, my passion for travel and seeking out fantastic dining and interesting experiences has only grown. Book the Reservation is a product of that— my hope is to influence others to experience somewhere new, try a dish they have never had before, or just provide insight to help make planning a trip or booking reservations for restaurants, hotels, etc. that much easier.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

What’s a creative journey without a goal? Ha! Kidding! But for me, yes, there is a goal because it is what keeps me motivated—I want Book the Reservation to ultimately become an outlet for my own travels and experiences, where others can turn to and utilize as a resource for their own adventures, whether near or far. Traveling somewhere new and booking things in advance when you don’t know a whole lot about the area can be a daunting task— and so my goal is to have Book the Reservation be a go-to, easy to use resource.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

When my husband and I met, we were young, in college, and broke. We would dream about all of the places both near and far we hoped to visit someday… around this time he introduced me to Rick Steves videos. In these, Steves showcases his travels from around the world from his own perspective—they are a mix of history and modern day, with an abundance of tips and tricks on when to visit, where to stay, places to eat and drink, things to do, etc.

When I started Book the Reservation, I thought about the “pillars” I wanted to cover: food and bev, hotels, experiences, and atmosphere— and how like Steves, the best way to travel and show others how they can do it the same way, is to experience it for yourself first. This allows you to gather information and first-hand knowledge you might not have had otherwise. Book the Reservation showcases travel from my own perspective and my hope is that others will look at our posts and short-form videos and be inspired to experience the same without having to do all of the heavy lifting.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookthereservation/
• Other: [email protected]