We were lucky to catch up with Yenesis Alfonso recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Yenesis, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

My life changed when I decided to plan a 3 week adventure to Italy. This would become our first experience to Europe! After a year of planning, I found the perfect suppliers to match our needs and dreams as we visited that beautiful country, taking into account the experiences we wanted to enjoy as a family. The goal was to create memories to last a lifetime. Mission accomplished! We travelled the main regions from the Amalfi Coastline to Venice/Milan. Each region had a spark of true magic that to date, we can reminisce on with all of our sense. Having been in the banking and legal industries for years, I decided to begin the travel business part-time and reduce my work hours in the legal field. I studied and took courses that helped me become a certified travel advisor; researched the legalities of opening the business, including the State of Florida Seller of Travel laws; researched host agencies; empowered myself with knowledge about the industry and destinations to better serve my clients; and asked lots of questions from as many professionals in the industry as I could. Education and connections became my best friends. I continue to learn, stay abreast of travel requirements, developments, upcoming destinations, and of course staying connected with suppliers that serve me with the same commitment as that in which I serve my clients. To succeed, I have to stay well informed (Covid was a true test to see who survived in this industry).
It took a great deal of courage to leap into the unknown; however, my passion for travel truly pushed me through all obstacles and fears. Slowly the business grew as I shared my venture and what truly opened the doors was having 3 destination weddings in 1 year (talk about jumping into unknown territory)! I remember the first wedding when they asked “Do you handle destination weddings” and my answer was “Of course!”…. after hanging up I asked myself “What did I just commit to?” But because I am a problem solver by nature, I picked up the phone and reached one particular business development manager for a hotel chain and he spent over an hour giving me a rundown of how destination weddings worked and the steps to follow. That 1 very special individual helped me conquer my fears and I jumped right in.
The business has grown through a referral system. Each client I work with appreciates my concierge travel service approach and recommends me to friends and family. My husband is my main supporter because he shares all of our travel pictures at work and the world has just opened up for me. The commitment I have for what I do, the service that I aim to offer that is second to none, my availability when clients call or travel, and my attention to every possible detail makes me a true professional in the industry. I believe in evolving through education, networking with the right suppliers, and exploring the world myself to best guide my clients. I invest in my business (no, I don’t travel for free). Each client is treated with the same passion and respect, regardless of their budget or how long or short their trip is.
Passion is the heart of my business and I don’t work a day in my life because I love what I do and serving others in helping them create memories with loved ones through travel. I’ve realized at this point in my life that material things are not important; instead, what’s important is how we spend our time on earth and the moments we create with loved ones and with ourselves. Travel gives us the opportunity to see just how big this world is and sharing with loved ones makes it that much more special.

Yenesis, 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?

Passion is at the heart of my business and how I choose to live my life. I invest 150% of myself into everything I do. I am a problem solver by nature and find solutions to all sorts of issues for anyone that seeks my guidance. I find that people trust me because of the work ethics and my genuineness to serve others.

When everyone told me to find a “niche” and that I HAD to have a “niche” I struggled because I love diversification and experiencing new adventures and I could not see myself just serving clients interested in cruising only, as an example. My decision to be diversified in knowledge and business paid up when Covid hit and the world shut down, especially the cruising industry. While those focusing on just selling cruises shut down, I still had some work in the all-inclusive markets for example of people traveling to countries that did not shut down or took longer to shut down to travel.

My client base is multi-generational families, romance and destination weddings, and group travel. I handle ocean and river cruises, all-inclusive destinations, domestic and international travel and tours, rail travel, and so much more. If you can dream it, I can design it. That’s why my slogan is “Whether you want to Hide away in exclusivity or Seek new explorations, Hide & Seek Travels will design your journey!” We bring to life your travel dreams.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

According to Oxford Languages “Resilience” is defined as “..the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness…” and “the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape…” Does Covid ring a bell? How did Covid affect the travel industry? I’ll give you a brief rundown. When travelers used online travel agencies and handled their own travel itineraries and suddenly faced Covid and the shutdown, most took a huge loss of all or a large chunk of their travel expenses/investment. That meant hours of hold time with suppliers, if you were lucky enough to get them to answer your calls and assist. How did I handle this grim obstacle? I took charge, as I usually do and thanks to the amazing relationship I have built with suppliers that I trust, I was able to maneuver and either refund my clients their monies in full or they often times just rather have a credit with the supplier for when travel opened up PLUS I did get them incentives for future travel. None of my clients were left hanging. I took care of every possible detail and that meant up to 8 hours of hold time for weeks and months while we were deciphering what was happening in the world. All of this was happening while managing my own family and home and making sure that my family was also well taken care of and prepared for months of hibernation. I faced the fears and uncertainties with strength and resilience and I surpassed all sales when we finally reopened the world of travel. I did not drown in dilemmas and fears; I took charge and my recommendation to anyone is that you have 2 options when you face obstacles and fear: 1) you can drown in the desperation of the situation; or 2) you allow yourself a brief moment to assess your position and think outside of the box and get up and move.

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

A Home-Based travel business does not require the purchase of assets, such as a brick and mortar travel agency or a store that sells merchandise. However, it still requires startup fees such as licensing, state fees, website design costs, business cards and stationary, some marketing expenses, utilities, educational expenses etc. I opted to go from full-time to part-time for a few years while I kickstarted this idea of being a travel advisor. This allowed me to have some income stream to help support my family while giving me the time to invest in my business and take courses to enhance my knowledge and skills. I budgeted myself because I had to prepare for going full throttle with this business at some point so expenses had to be managed. I did not always excel in this arena because I was used to the constant paycheck but, it worked out and lessons were learned.

Organizing the business structure to protect my personal assets was also of great importance so that my family would be protected as well. From the banking to the operational aspects, I had to make certain that I had someone I trusted to handle the business should something happen to me from accessing my bank account to putting my clients in touch with someone at my host agency that could take over their trip if need be. Finally, creating an ambience that inspired my creative juices when designing trips has been at the top of the list. I surround my home-office with memorabilia of those special trips I’ve taken with my family; pictures and phrases that motivate and inspire; and I’m still learning how to handle magazines and paper clutter (I love to read and learn about travel and it is hard to throw articles away).

Planning is how one can face the startup of any new business. One must be cautious but not fearful; certain of the commitment a new business entail and that’s where planning comes in. If you study what is required of a successful entrepreneur in your industry and you copy it (but give it your own flair), there is no reason why one can’t succeed, regardless of obstacles and challenges.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.HNSTravels.com
• Instagram: @hnstravels
• Facebook: hideandseektravels
• Linkedin: yenesis-alonso