Travel Advisor Success Story: Lindsey Epperly, Jetset World Travel

Claudette Covey

Success Stories focus on veteran travel advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Lindsey Epperly, owner and CEO of Jetset World Travel.

How did you get your start as a travel advisor?

At 19, I walked into a travel agency for a brochure and walked out with a job! I was in college and got my start by attending bridal shows and planning honeymoons, which eventually evolved into building a book of business that supported my full-time income by the time I graduated.

How did you build your business over the years?

As the honeymoon business expanded largely thanks to referrals, I also became interested in mentoring other travel advisors. I developed a teams’ model with the host agency I was part of, which eventually led me to realize the need for a host that provided clarity and consulting to entrepreneurial advisors.

That’s what laid the foundation for what was then known as Epperly Travel in 2014. We’ve since grown into the organization we are today, an “Inc. 5000” company rebranded as Jetset World Travel, which was a fabulous boutique agency that we acquired in 2021. About five years ago, I moved into a CEO role in

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Blue Monday debunked: Why a travel agency invented the most depressing day of the year

Each time Blue Monday comes around, travel agencies seize the opportunity to market escapist holiday deals to beach destinations or cruises to sunnier climates.

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The third Monday of January has become known as ‘Blue Monday’, the day of the year people are supposed to feel most depressed.

But it was not a medical expert or mental health charity that termed it as such.

Blue Monday was dreamt up by now-defunct holiday agency Sky Travel in 2005 as a way to sell more holidays.

Each year, travel companies continue to piggyback on the PR stunt with offers for serotonin-boosting winter sun breaks and wellness trips.

What is Blue Monday?

Nearly 15 years ago, UK-based Sky Travel commissioned a former university lecturer to work out what is the most depressing day of the year as a way to market winter holidays.

Cliff Arnall came up with a ‘mathematical equation’ to find the bleakest day by combining weather data, amounts of debt, time passed since Christmas, motivation levels and the time since New Year’s resolutions were made.

His calculations led him to the third Monday of January, a day when the Christmas spirit has faded, New Year’s resolutions like Dry January

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Five Reasons Why It’s Good to Book Flight Tickets Through a Travel Agent

IDXChannel – Currently, the variety of business travel options means that each company’s preferences are also different. However, when someone has to make plans for a business trip in a short time, their time is often taken up to deal with sudden things.

This will affect your company’s business journey which is not running optimally. This is where the role of a travel agent is a solution for planning your company’s business trips, one of which is when ordering plane tickets.

There are 5 reasons why it is advantageous to book plane tickets through a travel agent that you can use for a more practical business trip.

Provide Route Recommendations

Travel agents can provide recommendations for travel routes according to your needs so that your company’s business travel plans remain well organized.

Get the Cheapest Ticket Prices

Travel agents can find the best prices from various airlines that are suitable for your company’s various needs. This is because many travel agents have special relationships with airlines regarding attractive promotional offers, both for domestic and international flights.

Company Group Travel Becomes More Practical

You can plan business trips for company groups with a travel agent. Usually, reservations for plane tickets for

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Delhi News: This ‘tour and travel agency’ took US citizens for a ride, 4 arrested | Delhi News

NEW DELHI: Nestled on the posh 10th floor of Millennium Towers in northwest Delhi’s Pitampurathe ‘tour and travel’ agency’s popular office used to capture the attention of all who passed by.
However, behind the swanky exterior, there was a call center functioning in the garage of a legitimate agency, which had strategically crafted a ticketing website. A bunch of American travelers seeking tickets unwittingly found themselves on their meticulously designed website.
call centre

The facade continued for months until Delhi Police’s Crime Branch smelled a rat and busted them. Special commissioner (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said that while four key suspects, mainly owners, have been arrested till now, 18 computers and a laptop containing voluminous amounts of data have been seized.
“Twenty supporting staff, including telecallers, IT experts, team leaders and call quality experts, have been bound down. Their roles are being investigated in detail,” Yadav added.
The arrested men were identified as Shantanu (39), Swapan (36), Virender (38) and Pankaj (37) who lived in different localities of North Delhi.
The operation was conducted by a team led by DCP (Crime) Sanjay Bhatia who acted on inputs received from informers indicating some nefarious activities allegedly going on at the tour agency.

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Travel Agents’ Association urges ECI to hold LS Polls in Himachal in first phase, ET HospitalityWorld

The Himachal Pradesh Travel Agents’ Association in Manali on Sunday urged the Election Commission to hold the Lok Sabha polls in the state in the first phase on April 19, citing potential loss of business due to political activities. In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, the association said prolonged campaigning discouraged tourists from visiting the state, resulting in substantial losses to hotels, transporters, eateries, travel agencies, and thousands of other businesses.

Polls for the four Lok sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh, and bypolls in its six assembly constituencies, will be held in the 7th phase, the last one, on June 1.

In the 2019 general election also, polling in the state was held in the last phase on May 19 as high altitude tribal areas were snowbound during the winter.

The association, in its letter, said that even then, businesses had to suffer losses.

UP Tourism announces 6th edition of Uttar Pradesh Travel Mart in April

UP Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh expressed the state’s ambition to become the top destination for foreign tourist arrivals, leveraging its leading position in domestic tourism. He highlighted Uttar Pradesh’s safety, robust infrastructure, and rich cultural heritage, emphasizing the state’s readiness to showcase its tourism potential to the global audience through UPTM.

Himachal witnesses the

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Younger travelers are planning more, even turning to travel agents

It’s become evident that younger travelers — Gen Z and Millennials — are putting more thought into their travel planning as they look for deals and are traveling farther for experiences and events.

American Express Travel President Audrey Hendley joins Yahoo Finance Live to share her observations on travel bookings as younger generations even seek out more traditional means for their adventuring, such as turning to travel agencies.

“Like everything else, the role of the travel agent has been modernized. These customers are going to travel agents because… it kind of ties with their desire to go further and to have more… bigger expedition types of trips,” Hendley explains. “They’re typically more expensive and they’re further away. So they’re turning to travel agents to get more insight, plan a little better, and really think about the experience they want to have when they get to the destination.”

For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live.

Editor’s note: This article was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.

Video Transcript

JULIE HYMAN: Gen Z and millennials are becoming airport dads. That’s what a new survey from Amex Travel is looking

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Travel agents recommend people start looking into booking summer vacations

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – It’s not summer yet, but travel agents are already recommending that people start making summer travel plans.

There are several popular destinations coming up for this summer, according to Travis Paquin, co-owner of 417 Travel.

“Some of the hot spots have been longer Caribbean cruises, Hawaii, and Europe have been really popular in comparison to last year. We’ve got a lot of new all inclusive resorts and some and some new destinations that have become really popular. We’re seeing a lot of Curacao, Aruba, and, of course, a lot of Hawaii bookings as well,” said Paquin.

There are some things travelers need to keep in mind if they’re looking to head out on summer vacations later this year. Firstly, consider what excursions you want to do.

“Do you want it more guided or do you want an adventure out on your own? We can take care of literally any request you might have and even curate more intimate experiences that maybe you haven’t thought of. We’ll ask you the question is what’s the memory you want to create on this vacation or experience?” said Paquin.

Paquin says flights are still available, although you want to book

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ASTA launches ad campaign against American Airlines: Travel Weekly

ASTA has fired another shot in its war against American Airlines, launching an ad campaign in Politico and a consumer-facing website where travel advisors’ clients can send messages to legislators asking for a congressional investigation into American.

In an email to members, ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby cited American’s recent announcement that many agency-booked tickets will no longer earn AAdvantage points.

“This latest development doubles down on American Airlines’ clear agenda since last year to force the travel agency industry to adopt immature technology, monopolize distribution channels, and squeeze channel partners and customers for cost-cutting and profit,” Kerby wrote. “We are fighting back.”

ASTA has been at loggerheads with American since initiating a new distribution strategy last April. American removed a number of fares from the legacy GDSs in an effort to shift travel agency bookings to NDC connections. ASTA has taken its case to the Department of Transportation, asking the department to force Americans to reinstate fares in the GDSs, citing servicing problems with NDC bookings.

In its latest salvo, ASTA has launched a campaign with Politico in hopes of catching the eyes of lawmakers and their staff.

“Congress, don’t let American Airlines eliminate consumer choice,” the ad

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High Streets Task Force visits Prudhoe as Seaside Travel opens

Experts from the national High Streets Task Force visited Prudhoe last week to look into how the town center could be improved and boosted in the future. The support is backed by Northumberland County Council, which identified Prudhoe as a town that could benefit from support.

Appointed by the Government in 2019, the Government provides towns with “expert consultancy and training” and works with local governments alongside communities and civic societies.

Hexham Courant: Members of the national High Street Task Force with local councilors and partner organisationsMembers of the national High Street Task Force with local councilors and partner organisations (Image: Northumberland County Council)

Support begins with a visit from the task force with the aim of “unlocking the potential” of each place.

READ MORE: Opening date announced for new travel agent

Last week’s visit was the third and final one by the task force and involved a workshop in the Spetchell’s Center with a host of local partners from the business, community and public sectors including Prudhoe Town Council and Prudhoe Community Partnership.

Partners discussed and identified short-term practical ways the town center could be boosted and also longer-term projects.

Hexham Courant: Seaside Travel's openingSeaside Travel’s opening (Image: Seaside Travel)

Cllr Gordon Stewart, County Councilor for Prudhoe South, said: “It’s fantastic to see the High Streets Task Force

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TUI could open new travel agent in Castlepoint, Bournemouth

The airline operator, formerly called Thomson Airways, has started recruiting for new job roles at the Bournemouth shopping center – a place it currently doesn’t have a branch.

Managers, assistant managers and travel advisors are all being sought with salaries up to £26,500 being offered.

Nothing has been fully confirmed yet and it’s not clear where the new branch could go. TUI was approaching over the weekend for more details.

A spokesperson for Castlepoint said: “We have no new signed tenancies to confirm at present but are in discussions with a number of exciting brands interested in joining the Castlepoint line-up and we look forward to sharing more information in due course.”

Bournemouth Echo: Tui says it expects underlying earnings to jump by at least a quarter over 2023-24 (PA)

In the application, TUI says it is looking to turn each successful applicant into a “destination expert so that you can recommend and sell holidays, cruises, UK breaks and additional products”.

TUI also has a travel agent branch in Wimborne Road, Winton, and another in Poole town centre. It had a shop in Saxon Square, Christchurch, until it was closed in May 2021.

It also offers flights from Bournemouth Airport to Cyprus, Corfu, Crete, Kefalonia, Rhodes, Zante, Ibiza, Lanzarote and Menorca, as well as Antalya and Dalaman, both

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