Aaaaand we made it to 2023! Nice work, everyone. Happy New Year to you and yours. Kiss, kiss and all that jazz. Now let’s look at how my travel planning business, Turtle Shell Travel, is progressing.
Where we started: Let’s just say Omicron. That kept me busy in January, February, so forth and so on. I diversified my PA work life, now doing a mix of ER, Urgent Care and College Health.
Then the fun began. In February, I signed on with FORA travel to be a travel advisor. I made my first booking in March and planned football weekends for my husband for September and October. Since then, more and more travel planning business has come my way.
I attended the FORA Live Forum in November in Brooklyn and met FORA’s HQ staff and many kind and inspirational advisors on the FORA team. I have to say, we are a chatty bunch. I wish the Forum were twice as long as it was, and look forward to attending the next one in October 2023. We met with suppliers, asked questions, shared ideas. I started my FORA newsletter and grew my mailing list. Stayed at the Hoxton in Brooklyn and cannot wait to return!
I learned that a travel advisor is just a modern name for a travel agent (think rebranding). My biggest booking to date has been to Jamaica. And my Guide to a Girl’s Getaway in Portland, Maine as one of FORA’s Top 22 advisor-curated Travel Guides of 2022. Living in a destination city has been such an inspiration for my travel work, and I love any opportunity to share travel ideas in and around Maine. This past week, I even planned a breakfast meeting for a local business at a local hotel restaurant. I love connecting people with great experiences.
Personally, I’ve enjoyed family time, friend time, cousin time, and more family time. All the things that make a year a great memory. It’s been a collection of great car rides with music from WCLZ. Great times up at Bowdoin, and lots of time walking with the dog. And of course, always snacks. It’s not pictured here, but Dunkin’ Donuts has been a frequent stop on my way to and fro. But Starbucks is a close second.
What’s up for 2023? I plan to make a splash on LinkedIn … connect with me here. I’ll continue my newsletter and book more great trips for clients. Pinterest is my new obsession – creating pins and using their marketing tools. Check out my Instagram stories to see my view from the front porch, pics of the dog and my morning mood on my commute.
I plan to finally take that train trip to South Carolina, Mississippi and New Orleans. And you’ll probably find me in a window seat or two writing in my journal. I’ve have United Silver and American Gold status for 2023, so I’m hoping all of my seats will have lots of leg room.
I hope you have great plans, too. Over the past 2 years, I’ve learned the that you can’t predict the future. Control is nearly impossible with most things. So you must trust the unfolding of each day. I’m happy I get to do this with you. What are you looking forward to in 2023?
