Travel isn’t always just about going on vacation and relaxing (though we don’t mind when it is): it can also be about immersing yourself in new places and experiences, trying new things, and, in that way, learning a lot about the world.
Kerry Boyd is a Fora Advisor who balances her Fora duties with her day job as an elementary school teacher. To her, travel is the ultimate learning opportunity, and she loves to incorporate some of her favorite lessons from the classroom into her travel planning.
Kerry believes the key to planning a great travel experience is really getting to know your client (or if you’re planning your own trip, knowing yourself). Here are some of her favorite travel tips for travelers and travel advisors alike:
Be smart about organizing your trip activities based on the area
“I hate a super rigid schedule," Kerry explained. "But you have to be smart about stuff. If you’re in London for seven days, and you have tickets to go into Buckingham Palace on Wednesday and want to know what you’re going to do before that, you’re not going to do Piccadilly and Buckingham Palace and Notting Hill all in one day. You need to have some semblance of organization.”
Build in downtime
“(Especially when traveling with family), you have to have time to sit and relax," Kerry said. She explained that sometimes when she travels, that means going back to the hotel to jump in the pool, or even letting the kids sit on their iPads for an hour while Kerry and her husband Brad and go get a glass of wine.
"It’s important that everybody has their quiet time, because if you try and jam it all in, you're not going to make anyone happy,” she said.
Always have a dinner plan
“A huge thing for me is having dinner reservations," Kerry said. "I don't want to have to be worried about where we're going for dinner, and I want to know what time I'm having dinner, and when I need to be there."
She explained that if she can plan two things on one day – one activity and a dinner, then it's easy for her to piece the rest of her trip around that.
"If everyone’s tired one day, we can have a chill out-day," she said. "You can’t overplan, but you have to have enough planned that you’re not spending time wondering what to do.”
If you don’t know your budget, think about past trips
“It’s always super important to ask (about budget), but to me it's always such a loaded question, because I don't think anybody really knows what the appropriate budget is for certain things," Kerry said. "I think more important ways for me to kind of gauge what their budget might be are to ask what types of past properties they have enjoyed and what are some of the things they’ve loved to do.”
Kerry has loved every moment of being a travel advisor. But she has one important warning: “The hazard of the job is now all I want to do is go to every single one of these amazing destinations.”
Love Kerry's style? You can book your next trip with her through Fora:
You can also get more tips and insight from Kerry in our article, 7 Things We Can Learn from Travel Advisor Parents.
Looking for flexible work and meaningful income? Love to plan trips? Being a Fora Advisor could be right for you.
Parents like Kerry have found a home with Fora, and if being a travel advisor sounds like an intriguing and exciting idea, we hope you join us, too! Join us and become a Fora Advisor today.