For the last 15 years, I’ve done a ton of traveling, domestic and international. The thing is, it’s nothing compared to where I aim to go. I started out as strictly a cruiser. Then, I moved on to all-inclusive resorts. Now, I’m pretty much open to any type of travel. People are always surprised to learn that I am actually afraid of flying. Since figuring out what works for my flying anxiety, I’ve flown so much that I’ve lost count. I can remember my first flight like it was yesterday. It was to my uncle’s wedding in Buffalo, NY. This was back in 1994. But that wasn’t the first time I fell in love with traveling. I think I owe that to my friend, Tkay. My husband and I were invited on a cruise in 2004, while I was pregnant with my youngest daughter. That is when it happened. We cruised to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. As an excursion, we sailed on a catamaran and climbed Dunn River Falls. We had a fabulous time and I was hooked. Fast forward 15 years and I’ve been all over the US (37 states), the Caribbean, and Europe. Of all the places I’ve visited, Paris is my absolute favorite. My husband told me he would show me the world and he’s still doing it over 20 years later.
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I’ve always known I’d to work in the “service” industry in some way. I just didn’t realize it would be public service. I worked many customer service jobs throughout my early twenties so hospitality management seemed like the best route for a degree. I even got a minor in business administration and a concentration in convention and special events. Yes, a wedding planner! Eventually, I settled on education. Well, I shouldn’t say “settled”. Aside from the obvious pay gap, I love teaching. Recently, I became a CTE teacher responsible for the Family and Consumer Science cluster, which includes (you guessed it) a hospitality and tourism pathway. I am also on the student travel committee and we’re planning our very first student trip with ALVA.
So, why did I decide to become a travel advisor? I’ve always been a travel advisor. I’ve been doing this for 10 years already. I just left the heavy lifting to my travel agent. Now that my travel agent (of 15 years) is retiring, why not do it myself? She’s a wonderful mentor and I am connect with top notch host. I am currently completing some training and finalizing a few business plans and I’ll be up and running at the start of 2020.
What can you expect? You can expect assistance with booking for any type of travel. You can also expect group bookings for great destinations. Our trip to Hawaii in June of 2020 is sold out but our trips to New York (in December) and Paris (in February) are still available. Yep, we're headed back to France! If you want to travel to Hawaii, I’d be more than happy to customize a vacation just for you. Just contact me for more details. As excited as I am for 2020, I can’t wait to share the 2021 location (or should I say locations) for our BIG trip, which we take every year.. My husband and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary and we want to celebrate it in a unique way and in an exotic location. If you want to be notified when the information is available, please join our mailing list by clicking here.
As always, “Live life with no excuses and travel with no regrets.”
P. Elese Reedy