Cruising to a New Career

Tracy Whipple was working as a paralegal when she found out her job would significantly change right before she was to leave on a three-week cruise vacation.

However, it wasn't all bad.

“While I was on the trip, I met someone in the travel industry who suggested that I would be good working with an agency arranging group trips,’ said Whipple. “It sounded like fun so I looked into it more.”

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Not long after the cruise, she was hired by that agency to handle group cruises.

“As part of the job, I learned everything I could about booking travel,” Whipple said. “I picked it up very quickly and started handling reservations in addition to the group activities. As my client numbers grew, I realized I enjoyed handling both groups and individual reservations. “

Today, she’s been in the industry for 11 years but admits the idea of booking travel did not initially appeal to her.

“Since the agency was mostly Disney focused and I wanted to offer more, I left that agency after four years and started Travel On A Dream,” said Whipple, who is based in Deforest, Wisconsin.

She has a hands-on approach to business and said many of her clients come through referrals, so she doesn’t do much marketing: “It did take time to grow, but I find the potential clients that do come to me are more likely to book than those who found me through our website."

Whipple decided to specialize in groups and cruises as that was her passion and the reason she started in the industry: “I’ve learned as much as I can about the cruise lines I sell as well as the ships in their fleet, always looking for new information to better serve my clients."

READ MORE: Group Travel is Where It's At

The most important aspect of being a travel agent is being there when your clients need help.

“No matter when it is, always being available in a time of need is priceless," said Whipple. "Weather and injuries can cause a lot of problems getting to and from vacation for clients and knowing they have someone there to help is very reassuring.”

Like the time during Hurricane Irma when a couple was on an Alaska cruise when the state started evacuations.

“For four days, I worked with them to reschedule flights, add hotels, car rentals and track down luggage on a cross-country trek,” said Whipple. “Being there to get a last-minute hotel when the usual five-hour drive ended up taking more than ten hours due to traffic trying to return home. You feel so badly for them, but you know that you are in the best place to help them get to where they need to be.”

Whipple said that many people do not think of travel agents as professionals.

“This is due to the high number of hobbyists who just want to make a buck helping their friends and family,” she said. “Our industry has said too many times that we work for free so that potential client believes our services are free and therefore, worth less than other professionals. Many potential clients are expecting us to rebate as well, which further downgrades our worth.”

Whipple wants customers to understand that booking travel is easy but being a travel consultant is not.

“Your clients’ needs must come first,” she said. “You won’t get rich overnight and very few will get rich at all. Organization and file management is key. Learn as much as you can about your specialty, not just what interests you most.”

Looking back on her career, Whipple remembers one client who contacted her to arrange a surprise wedding proposal onboard the Disney Wonder: “The bride-to-be didn’t even know about the cruise. We helped to set up everything, including the proposal location, post-proposal party and even a special gift.”

The proposal took place on the bridge of the ship and the bride-to-be pressed the horn to say yes.

“We captured audio of the horn, along with a picture of the couple and an autograph from her favorite characters in a recordable card to present to them at dinner that evening,” Whipple said.

READ MORE: Fit Makes the Difference

When she’s not working hard, Whipple loves to cruise, though it pretty much doesn’t matter where: “Just being on a ship and enjoying the ocean is my way to relax."

Her favorite cruise destinations have been Alaska and Iceland, though the Panama Canal is a must-do as well.