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

Taylor, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I backpacked across Europe (cliché I know) for the first time at age 19. It was a partner-trip-turned-solo when my friend bailed, so I was on my own. You wouldn’t believe the amount of mishaps – leaving my passport in Ireland and only realizing after being blocked from entering England and spending 24 hours in Russian airport with no money due to a missed flight – just to name a couple.

Even after a series of unfortunate events, I wanted to go back as soon as I touched home. It’s a thrill for me to problem solve in the moment. I feel strong. This scary trip turned into the root of my life’s passion – travel.

Discovery. Exploration. Learning languages and Culture. I didn’t come from a family with money, but I made it work. I want to make it work for others.

A year or so ago I realized that I could live out my dream planning travel experiences as a travel advisor, and make a career out of it! I’m a local DMV native who plans staycations and trips abroad. I want to create curated trips and be a comfort for those who are too busy to plan travel, new travelers, or solo travelers.

My niche is food and wine because it’s the best way to learn about and support locals, and get unique experiences that expose the history of the destination. I use my skills in finding unique experiences as an addition to creating a VIP experience for those who don’t believe they can afford luxury travel.

I try to make luxury travel affordable for people like me who deserve upscale experiences, but need assistance saving for and prioritizing them. As a travel advisor, I am the planner, concierge, and access to free perks and upgrades consumers don’t get on their own. I make sure from departure to arrival back home I provide individualized attention to my client to make them feel luxurious even when on a budget. This is my mission. To create luxury travel experiences and educate travelers on worth-the-price-tag experiences and foster a tone of luxury even when they are unable to spend big.

Taylor, 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 passion for travel started on a Euro trip at age 19, and from there I was hooked. I had already been attaining my Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and French language when a French professor suggested I study abroad. It was one of the most amazing, eye-opening experiences of my life. It was my first time getting used to a different way of living. Realizing that there are so many ways to live your life, and it’s where my love of wine first sprouted.

From there, I started traveling annually. Saving up for trips and treating myself every year. It was always so worth it, from the moment I camp out in the airport lounge to when I arrive in a new place. I was so addicted, I then decided to pull the trigger and live in Argentina at age 25. To this day, if I don’t have a trip on the books, I start to get antsy.

I looked up travel careers last year and came across Fora Travel, my host company who I love! They provided trainings for me, certifications, a profile page, and a wealth of community and knowledge to help me start my own travel planning business. I decided to call my business Vous Allez because it’s French for “You Go,” and it only seemed right seeing as how my my French semester abroad is really what jumpstarted my passion.

My goal is to VIP clients who feel like they are not ‘big enough spenders’ for luxury travel. I inform people of travel trends, advisories, and how to get the most out of what they’re looking for, so they can just show up and enjoy. There’s a certain elegance and comfort to feeling like a VIP. There are so many benefits, and so many people don’t know about it. You may only be spending $5,000 on a trip to the Amalfi Coast, but if you become my client, I plan everything top to bottom and send you a pre-departure packet to send you off. I am the concierge when you touch down, and I follow up with you when you get back home. Additionally, my clients get perks through our partner relationships like $100 hotel credit, early check in, late check out, room upgrades, complimentary breakfast, welcome treats, and more at no extra cost to the them.

I’m proud of my upbringing because I know what it’s like to feel like you can’t have fancy things. I come from a poor, immigrant family who has always been in the red, and I was still able to make my passion work. Many people like me see travel as a ‘rich kid’ experience. Making luxury travel accessible for more people is why I started my business in the first place. I want my client to know that whatever their budget – small or large – I can make a trip work for you. We may have to change destinations, prioritize what you care about most, move dates around, but we’ll do it. EVeryone deserves to see the world, and that’s what Vous Allez is doing.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

In all honesty, I funded this business how I fund my own travel – savings. I divert a portion of my paychecks every two weeks to a travel savings account. This way I never see it and it builds very quickly!

Once I had the money to join Fora and take advantage of their trainings, partnerships, and credentials, I opened an instagram and website.

I then started getting some clients and I was able to start paying myself back.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My personality plays a huge role, as I’ve gotten referrals from friends of friends who want to work with someone professional, but not so formal they feel like they can’t talk to them. As my clients, we communicate regularly about trip updates, so if I don’t have a comforting presence, our relationship won’t last long.

Having a niche also puts your name out there are a different experience because I can connect people with local experiences that focus on something so many people love – food and drink. So many foodies out there and wine enthusiasts like myself! We want to taste the world, and we bond over that. I do hours of research to make sure I’m finding the most interest cooking classes, authentic wine tastings, visiting quality tequila factories, bakery-crawls, anything to fill stomachs and have them wanting more next year.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vousallez.travel
• Instagram: vousalleztravel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552667296321

Image Credits

Nope! all mine :)