How the 2023 TravelAge West Trendsetter Award Winners Are Leveling Up Their Businesses

If there’s any question that enthusiasm for travel is at an all-time high, here are a few things to keep in mind: This year’s WAVE Awards tallied more votes for more companies in more categories than ever before in the 18-year history of the awards. Also, the black-tie gala welcomed more attendees than ever, an indication of the level of excitement the industry feels about the state of travel these days.

And managing all this enthusiasm among travelers are innovative and creative superstar travel advisors, who we celebrate with our annual TravelAge West Trendsetter Awards.

This year, we acknowledged advisors in four categories and, as you will see, all of them took a fresh and fearless approach to building back their businesses post-pandemic.

Best Targeted Marketing Idea

Casey Kiler, Blue Springs Travel 

Don’t we all hate those annoying luggage fees that the airlines charge? Well, Casey Kiler, of Blue Springs Travel, didn’t just see them as a nuisance — she saw them as an opportunity.

Kiler decided to help her customers save money — while also promoting her business — by giving her clients the ideal carry-on suitcase. She gave the bag to anyone who booked a Funjet or Apple Vacations package to an all-inclusive destination that included a Frontier Airlines flight. She documented her search for the perfect bag and her process for testing it via TikTok, leading to incredible PR for her agency, as well as for the supplier brands. The result? Following this promotion, her business increased by 164%.

“I think my idea to create and market a unique solution for a pain point in the industry is what led to me winning this award,” Kiler said. “I believe any time we do the right thing for our clients, whether it’s by creating a solution to an issue or saving them money on a vacation, it makes us winners in this industry.”

For Kiler, this kind of service is part of what makes being a travel advisor so rewarding.

“What I love most about being an advisor is being able to assist my clients with life’s biggest moments,” she said. “My ultimate goal is to be their perfect vacation matchmaker. When our clients go on vacation with their friends and loved ones, they make memories that they will remember forever. Being part of that process is such a gift.”

Sponsored By:

Both finalists in this category received a balcony stateroom for two on a seven-day 2023 voyage with Princess Cruises to the Mexican Riviera or to the Caribbean.

Runner-Up: Claire Maguire, Cruise Planners 

Claire Maguire of Cruise Planners knew that people would be excited to finally take their dream trip once the pandemic was over, so she wrote a book of travel tips. Called “Make Your Bucket List Trip a Reality: Find new life purpose, joy and positivity through travel,” the book was ultimately rated the No. 1 New Release in Adventure Travel on Amazon. Not only does the book help travelers with their planning, but it also became a great way for Maguire to meet and retain new clients.

Best Group Booking Effort

Celeste Peters, Caribbean Travel Queen, LLC

One of the secrets of a successful group booking is finding your niche. For Celeste Peters of Caribbean Travel Queen, LLC, that market was fans and followers of house music DJs, which led to a full resort buyout in her first year of offering the trip.

“Within the first year of planning large group trips, I achieved my very first resort buyout for more than 400 travelers,” Peters said. “This took a full year of planning and thoughtful coordination, but these group experiences have not only allowed me to become the preferred travel company for future trips, but I’ve also built great relationships with some of my favorite travel partners.”

Peters’ success has led to yearly partnerships with groups of 400 to 600 in the works. 

Peters started Caribbean Travel Queen in 2018 after 20-plus years in corporate America, when her two daughters went off to college and she and her husband became empty-nesters. After posting her Caribbean vacations on social media, friends and family began asking if she could plan luxurious vacations for them, and that’s how her agency was born.

“I never dreamed that I would be able to leave my nine-to-five job and become a full-time travel agency owner,” Peters said. “To have a prestigious organization such as TravelAge West acknowledge my work — especially so early in my career — means everything to me. We have big plans for the future.”

Sponsored By:

Each finalist for this award received a five-night stay for two at any Sandals or Beaches Resorts property.

Runner-Up: Tawnee Sons and Julie Irovando, Cruise Planners 

With only an eight-month lead time, Tawnee Sons and Julie Irovando of Cruise Planners entered a partnership with Celebrity Cruises and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to plan the first-ever Bucs ultimate fan cruise experience. In the end, they sold out the event and sailed with 400 guests on the Celebrity Summit. The sailing was such a huge success, plans are in the works for continuing the partnership for another four to six years.

Upward Bound, Rock Star Advisor Under 40 

Theresa Chu-Bermudez, Get Out! Custom Travels 

In a relatively short amount of time, Theresa Chu-Bermudez of Get Out! Custom Travels has established herself as a powerful voice in the travel advisor community. At the height of the pandemic, in collaboration with another travel advisor colleague, Chu-Bermudez launched a weekly podcast called “The TIN Lounge.” The goal of the podcast was to share the latest travel industry news in a way that made listeners feel supported and not alone in their struggles.

“In setting out to launch ‘The TIN Lounge’ with my cohost Korrine Johnson, my main goal was to support the travel professional community and move the industry forward,” Chu-Bermudez said. “I never thought it would lead to winning this prestigious award.”

Following the success of her podcast, Chu-Bermudez went on to launch a digital education course called “FAM With Intention,” with the goal of helping advisors maximize the marketing potential of their fam trips through social media and increasing ROI for both the advisor and the supplier.

“As the world started opening up post-pandemic, I noticed that many advisors were starting to go on fam trips again,” Chu-Bermudez said. “Because relationships between suppliers and advisors helped get us through the pandemic, I wanted to create a tool that would benefit both.”

While always looking toward the future, Chu-Bermudez is also able to look back and enjoy her growing list of accomplishments.

“It’s always a risk to break away from the norm and start your own business, and winning a Trendsetter Award validates that I made the right decision to pursue something different,” she said. “When you’re in the thick of it, it’s difficult to celebrate small wins. Winning this award has allowed me to pause and celebrate how far I’ve come.”

Sponsored By: 

The winner in this category received a five-night stay for two at Zoetry Marigot Bay St. Lucia. The runner-up received a five-night stay for two at Breathless Soul Cancun Resort & Spa.

Runner-Up: Nikki Miller, Travel With Nikki 

Nikki Miller of Travel With Nikki was able to turn her passion for education and mentorship into a venture called “Your Voyage Vocation,” or YVV. This coaching-focused business empowers part-time and hobby travel advisors to transition to full-time travel business owners by providing the knowledge, tools and support they need to build a successful business. Through YVV, Miller collaborated with other coaches in the travel industry to create easy-to-access learning bundles focused on educating advisors on financial health, how to be profitable, setting budgets and more.

Best Use of Social Media 

Allison Jones, Destinations to Explore

After years of working with social media influencers to promote her business, Allison Jones of Destinations to Explore decided it was time to become the influencer herself, so she began sharing her family’s travel experiences on a YouTube channel called “Jones Family Travels.” Today, Jones has more than 22 million views on YouTube, more than 20,000 followers on Instagram and more than 80,000 subscribers to her newsletter. 

“I get leads from around the world saying they watched our YouTube videos or found me on Instagram, and they want me to book their trip,” Jones said. “Besides bringing leads, our social marketing through Jones Family Travels brought new travel professionals to our industry. People saw our excitement and love of travel and wanted to be a part of it.”

Jones shares her passion with other advisors through several online training courses that teach others how to build their business with social marketing. Jones not only instructs her own team of 300-plus advisors on the best ways to use social media, but she also offers free online courses on topics such as how to blog and how to vlog through her training website, Travel Marketing Academy.

For Jones, being a travel advisor is a childhood dream come true.

“My favorite book when I was younger was ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go!’ by Dr. Seuss,” she said. “I had no idea this book would inspire my life today — traveling the world with my family and creating those same memories for other families. In a family’s life, travel is where you truly escape and just enjoy the moment. Looking back, almost all my favorite memories with my family are from our travels. Travel creates these moments and memories."

Sponsored By: 

The winner and runner-up in this category received their choice of any seven-night Avalon Suite Rewards cruise (Avalon Waterways’ independent fam cruises) for travel in 2023 or 2024.

Runner-Up: Angela Adto Tepper, AZA Luxury Travel 

Angela Adto Tepper of AZA Luxury Travel creates highly produced Instagram video posts that include information about a destination or property with a compilation of pictures and videos, voiceover with subtitles and background music. The response from these posts has translated into a steady stream of travel itinerary requests and bookings. Tepper estimates that her social media efforts lead to about $500,000 in sales annually.