Encore: How do you grow your travel agency — and trust your new advisors?

Trade Secrets is on a holiday break but will return with new episodes in early 2026. For now, enjoy some old favorites. When it’s time to expand your business, what’s the best way to do it? Should you hire independent contractors, employees or assistants? Then, once they’re onboarded, how do you effectively train — and, subsequently, trust — your new people? All that and more is covered in this week’s Trade Secrets, when co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada talk business expansion with Julie Lanham, president of Vacations to Remember in Augusta, Ga. This episode was sponsored by the Globus family of brands.  Further resources Julie Lanham on Instagram  Mentioned in this episode: From TravelAge West: Why you should consider hiring an international virtual assistant From TravelAge West: Travel agencies are struggling to hire qualified advisors, according to a new survey Lucia Need advice?   Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098 Email us: [email protected]   Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Secrets is on a holiday break but will return with new episodes in early 2026. For now, enjoy some old favorites. This week, Trade Secrets takes on the world. Jennifer Doncsecz of VIP Vacations returns to the podcast to discuss her specialty: destination weddings and honeymoons. She talks about everything from getting started selling destination weddings and honeymoons, to turning those travelers into clients for life. Then, she answers a number of listener questions about destinations, ranging from the benefits of visiting a spot before selling it, qualifying for fam trips and where to send clients headed to Europe for the first time. This episode was sponsored by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Further resources VIP Vacations on Facebook  Jennifer Doncsecz’s email  Jennifer’s previous Trade Secrets episodes: All things branding Destination weddings and honeymoons Mentioned in this episode: Death of a Travel Advisor by Dori Saltzman The Travel Institute’s course on destination weddings and honeymoons From Travel Weekly: Getting into groups Need advice? Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098 Email us: [email protected]   Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does the new year have in store for travel advisors? On this week’s episode of Trade Secrets, the last of season six, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada give an overview of 2025 trends and break down their predictions for 2026. Will 2025’s bumpy road continue? Who will most influence travel decisions? What type of travel will continue to explode in popularity? Find out the answers to those questions — and more — on this week’s episode. Trade Secrets will take a break after this episode, sharing some old favorites until season seven begins in early 2026. Happy holidays! This episode was sponsored by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Further resources From Travel Weekly: Travel that spans the generations From Travel Weekly: A gift that keeps on giving (Signature’s family travel magazine) DMCs: DMCs help bring the ‘wow’ (story) DMCs: Your travel advisor’s (not-so-secret) travel-planning partner (podcast) Demystifying DMCs (Trade Secrets podcast) Brand USA’s America’s 250 events Phocuswright social media panel with representatives from Reddit, TikTok and YouTube Family Travel Association research on “kidfluence” Get in touch! Email us: [email protected]   Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the final episode of the Trade Secrets Tech Summit. Every Monday, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada feature a different travel technology company that works with travel advisors. A representative from the featured company will begin with a five-minute elevator pitch to tell advisors about their product, followed by a 15-minute Q-and-A with the hosts. Trade Secrets used Host Agency Reviews’ list of technology providers as a basis for this season. This week’s featured company is Travel Industry Solutions, represented by CEO and founder Sheila Folk. Trade Secrets will be back next week with a look back on 2025 and 2026 predictions before taking a holiday break. Season seven will return in early 2026 with Trade Secrets’ traditional question-and-answer format. This episode was sponsored by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Further resources Travel Industry Solutions on the web Travel Industry Solutions on Host Agency Reviews Get in touch! Email us: [email protected]   Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This season, Trade Secrets is hosting the Trade Secrets Tech Summit. Every Monday, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada will feature a different travel technology company that works with travel advisors. A representative from the featured company will begin with a five-minute elevator pitch to tell advisors about their product, followed by a 15-minute Q-and-A with the hosts. This week’s featured company is VacationCRM, represented by general manager Stephen Kelly. Trade Secrets is using Host Agency Reviews’ list of technology providers as a basis for this season. If a technology company doesn’t have a profile, advisors are encouraged to send a link to the hosts to be added to the list.  This episode was sponsored by Windstar Cruises.  Further resources Email VacationCRM VacationCRM on Host Agency Reviews Get in touch! Email us: [email protected]   Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This season, Trade Secrets is hosting the Trade Secrets Tech Summit. Every Monday, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada will feature a different travel technology company that works with travel advisors. A representative from the featured company will begin with a five-minute elevator pitch to tell advisors about their product, followed by a 15-minute Q-and-A with the hosts. This week’s featured company is VacationPort (formerly Passport Online), represented by Sarah Bauman, vice president of product management for the company. Trade Secrets is using Host Agency Reviews’ list of technology providers as a basis for this season. If a technology company doesn’t have a profile, advisors are encouraged to send a link to the hosts to be added to the list.  This episode was sponsored by Windstar Cruises.  Further resources VacationPort on the web From Travel Weekly, VacationPort acquires Voyager Websites VacationPort on Host Agency Reviews Get in touch! Email us: [email protected]   Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This season, the aptly named Trade Secrets Tech Summit is all about technology. But this week, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada delve into how Brownel in Birmingham, Ala., completely modernized its tech stack with Chief Operating Officer Rene Alldredge. Learn about identifying the gaps that technology can fill, the “pit of despair” many agencies face and coming out on the other side of a major tech overhaul. This episode was sponsored by Windstar Cruises.  Further resources Visit Brownell on the web Email Rene Alldredge Trade Secrets Tech Summit episodes with Sabre, TripSuite and TravelWits Get in touch! Email us: [email protected]   Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Trade Secrets After Dark, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada dig into all things luxury travel with David Kolner, Virtuoso’s executive vice president of strategic communications. From wellness and ultraluxe travel to reality television-inspired trips, they cover a lot of ground — including where to find the best chocolate martinis, tiki drinks and ciders. While the Trade Secrets Tech Summit is still ongoing, enjoy the occasional “After Dark” episode, featuring casual chats — and drinks — with guests from around the travel industry. This episode was sponsored by Windstar Cruises.  Further resources Virtuoso on the web David Kolner on Instagram David’s previous appearance on Trade Secrets Turning bad TikToks into songs  Get in touch! Email us: [email protected]   Theme song: "Sweeter Vermouth" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This season, Trade Secrets is hosting the Trade Secrets Tech Summit. Every Monday, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada will feature a different travel technology company that works with travel advisors. A representative from the featured company will begin with a five-minute elevator pitch to tell advisors about their product, followed by a 15-minute Q-and-A with the hosts. This week’s featured company is Travelport, represented by Andrew Jordan, chief product and technology officer for Travelport. Trade Secrets is using Host Agency Reviews’ list of technology providers as a basis for this season. If a technology company doesn’t have a profile, advisors are encouraged to send a link to the hosts to be added to the list.  This episode is sponsored by Europe Express.  Further resources Travelport on the web Get in touch! Email us: [email protected]   Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With AI, automation and new platforms emerging every day, how can travel advisors ensure their businesses remain personal, authentic and human? Explore that question and more during this episode of the Trade Secrets Tech Summit, which is a recording of a panel moderated by Trade Secrets co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada. During the panel, which features Jenn Lee of Travel Planners International and Vacation Planners, Tern’s David Shull, and Travefy’s David Chait, panelists tackle practical ways to blend high tech with high touch. Note: This panel was originally livestreamed during Host Agency Reviews’ HAR*Wired event on Thursday, Oct. 16. This episode is sponsored by Europe Express.  Further resources HAR*Wired A video of this panel (starts at the 3:16:17 mark) Host Agency Reviews profiles Tern Travefy Travel Planners International and Vacation Planners Get in touch! Email us: [email protected]   Theme song: "Sweeter Vermouth" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.