Tara Minson refers to InteleTravel, a host agency supporting over 100,000 travel advisors, as the "Goliath" of the travel industry — and with good reason. Not only does the host agency have the largest network of advisors, but she also credits the company with bringing the most new agents into the profession.

Recently promoted to President of the host agency, Minson has deep roots in the travel industry. Her father, an entrepreneur, founded InteleTravel more than 33 years ago, and for the past 17 years, she’s led many of the company’s marketing, programs and communication initiatives. In this episode of Humans of Travel, Minson reflects on her childhood, her strong family ties and how travel has shaped her life from an early age. She also shares valuable lessons from her first boss, speaks on the qualities of leaders, and weighs in on the hot topic of new travel advisors entering the industry.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

InteleTravel

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Executive Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Humans in the Hot Seat, a spinoff series of Humans of Travel. This is Emma Weissmann, Executive Editor at TravelAge West, and your host.

Over the coming weeks, we will be interviewing the travel advisors named in the "5 Future Leaders to Watch List," the cover story within the October 2024 issue of TravelAge West. All of these travel advisors, attendees of Future Leaders in Travel, were chosen to appear in the cover story to acknowledge their work and their potential to be game-changers in the travel industry.

Today’s episode features Jessica Brown of Smith Brown Travel, who first learned about travel advising from the audio social media platform Clubhouse. She’s a graduate of Gifted Travel Network’s MBA program and is an advocate for inclusion in the travel industry; her specialty in travel is catering to the needs of Black travelers, single parents and caregivers.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Future Leaders in Travel

5 Future Leaders to Watch List, 2024

SmithBrown Signature Travel (and @SmithBrownTravel on Instagram)

Clubhouse

Gifted Travel Network

Gifted’s Travel MBA Program

Host Agency Reviews

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Executive Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Humans in the Hot Seat, a spinoff series of Humans of Travel. This is Emma Weissmann, Executive Editor at TravelAge West, and your host.

Over the coming weeks, we will be interviewing the finalists of the TravelAge West Trendsetter Awards, which were created to acknowledge the work of exceptional travel advisors. This year, TravelAge West honored travel advisors in five categories, and named a winner and a runner-up and each category.

Today, you’ll hear from the eleventh, and final, travel advisor in this series: Theresa Curbelo, Owner of BucketListTravel.Net, an affiliate of CruisePlanners. Theresa’s targeted sales effort was focused on a first responders’ trip to Dublin, Ireland. As part of her planning, she contacted a tour company in Dublin and created a private tour of the Dublin Fire Brigade Training Facility due to its rich history in Irish firefighting. Curbelo was named runner-up in the category of Best Group Booking Effort.

This episode was sponsored by AmaWaterways.

Theresa's Trendsetter award was sponsored by the Globus Family of Brands.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Theresa Curbelo, CruisePlanners

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Executive Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly.

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.