LCSW to SAHM to TA - Becoming a Travel Advisor

My journey from social worker to stay-at-home mom to travel advisor may seem unconventional, but each role brought unique experiences that got me where I am today. Join me as I share my story.

After several years as a stay-at-home mom, my kids were entering full-time school, and I knew it was time to start working again. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I'd always worked as a Medical Social Worker. While fulfilling, that role wouldn't work for my family's needs anymore, but I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do next.

So, how did I decide to become a travel advisor? If you check out my previous blog post, The Tale Begins: From Mommyland to the World of Treasures Untold, you'll see why I started down this path. Essentially, anxiety had paralyzed me. My love of travel was overshadowed by fear until my youngest wished so hard to visit Disney World that I had to push through my fears to make her dream come true. Our trip to Walt Disney World in March 2023 was incredible! I was so proud of myself for doing all the necessary research to make that trip a success. And I enjoyed it!

That trip ignited a small thought: perhaps I could help people plan their vacations, especially Disney vacations. After all the research I did for our own trip, I knew Disney World inside and out. Plus, I love Disney! So, in May, I joined various social media platforms and applied to several Disney-specific travel agencies. Unfortunately, I got declined... by all of them. The general feedback was that while I knew my stuff, I didn’t have enough travel experience. I wasn't terribly surprised. Before 2023, my last trip to Disney was in 2017!

I had another trip planned for December but didn't want to wait that long to reapply to agencies. So, I did what I knew how to do. I booked another trip for September. My sisters joined me this time, and we visited Universal Orlando as well. This was perfect! I would now have recent experience with both Disney and Universal. In the meantime, I looked into what else I could do to pursue my goal of becoming a travel advisor. I found a course that provided training on not only becoming a travel advisor but owning my own travel agency too. Owning my own agency wasn’t on my radar, but I didn’t want to keep waiting to gain enough experience for someone else to hire me. I came back from my September trip even more convinced that this is what I wanted to do, and I signed up for the 12-week intensive course. I fully engulfed myself in the course and learned so much about starting a business, marketing, social media, and becoming an effective travel advisor. None of which I knew much about. By the end of the year, my LLC was approved, and in February 2024, I officially launched my agency: Treasures Untold Travels.

Looking back, it seems serendipitous that I had the somewhat crazy idea to become a travel planner in May 2023, which is Travel Advisor Month. A year later, I am proud to be a Certified Travel Professional, three months into running my own agency.

From social worker to stay-at-home mom to travel advisor, my journey has been anything but typical. Each role taught me invaluable lessons, shaping who I am today. As a social worker, I learned empathy and resilience. As a stay-at-home mom, I mastered multitasking and patience. Now, as a travel advisor, I combine these skills to craft unforgettable vacations for my clients. Today, I not only plan Disney and Universal vacations but have also taken courses from each major cruise line to help plan cruises. I love that this new role is full of education and constant learning about a field I enjoy. Next up, learning about European destinations.

Looking to plan your vacation? Send me a vacation request so we can explore the possibilities of travel. Vacation Request