The Millennial Travel Agent: Gotta Find Your Niche

Have you ever had a moment when you realized you were supposed to do something more with your life?

There I was, on a solo hike in the high desert of southern Utah when I was surrounded by nothing—and everything—all at the same time. It was at that moment I knew I needed to have a life full of travel, nature and a bit of adventure.

I didn’t realize it then, but a seed was planted.

A few weeks after my return home to Miami, I left a career in finance, sold all of my belongings and left my life in South Florida to pursue my dream of launching an online travel agency—IntroverTravels—where I now plan life-changing travel experiences for curious introverts.

As I build my portfolio in off-the-beaten-path places around the world, I live, work and travel as a self-proclaimed “Entreprenomad,” while I experience the destination from a local’s perspective and connect with on-site partners and expert guides.

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In fact, this is a return to the travel industry after that detour in finance lead to my entrepreneurial epiphany in Utah. Prior to launching IntroverTravels, I worked in travel marketing and representation for a division of Carlson Companies, a Minneapolis-based travel and hospitality organization. While there, I represented foreign tourism boards and private tour operators in the US and Canada.

It was a time of unique change in the industry when many travel agencies began to see the value in niche specialization. Watching so many travel advisors building successful travel brands with a unique focus inspired me to join in the fun for myself!

So here I am now, writing a weekly column for TravelPulse and excited for the opportunity to pull back the curtains on IntroverTravels. This will share how I’m developing and marketing the brand, methods I’ve used to attract my ideal clients, as well as the ups and downs of travel entrepreneurship.

Since launching IntroverTravels, I’ve experienced first-hand the importance of specializing in a niche and crafting a brand that resonates with a very specific audience. To choose your own niche specialty, I recommend answering three of the “Five W’s.”

Who

This is the market to whom you will be selling. Brainstorm the different ways in which people identify. This could be families, women, LGBT folks or even sports enthusiasts: The possibilities are endless. I decided to target a group with which I can personally identify: introverts!

What

This is where you determine in which types of travel you want to specialize. Popular choices include cruises, culinary focus, or, in my case, “bucket list”-type trips.

Where

This one is pretty obvious, but deciding where to specialize is an important question to consider.

If you choose culinary, for example, you may decide to specialize in cuisine from the tropical belt. A cruise specialist might focus on European river cruises or other small-format vessels. At IntroverTravels, I have developed a “Signature Portfolio” of destinations about which I am familiar or passionate.

As you work through these questions, find a sweet spot of specificity. If your niche is too specific, you risk turning away otherwise profitable clients.

But if it’s too broad, then it’s not really a niche, is it?

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When I first started my business, the plan was to design “life-changing, nature-inspired travel experiences for introverts.”

Can you spot the problem?

Looking back, I had inadvertently answered two different “Whats”: both life-changing and nature-inspired. So I took a step back and broadened my trips beyond just nature and instead got more specific on the “who” (more on that in a future article).

A more common problem, however, is being too broad. When I ask someone’s niche, I often get “groups” as a response, which is far too broad and generic to elicit any reaction from any traveler.

If this sounds familiar in your own business, try taking further.

In this example, I might say “warm-weather retreats for small groups of yoga enthusiasts” a niche that answers who (yogis), what (retreats), and where (warm-weather locales).

If you’ve been struggling to identify your own unique niche, I hope these ideas have helped. I look forward to sharing more marketing and branding ideas in this weekly column, and I hope you’ll join me each week and connect with me on Instagram and Facebook!

In next week’s article, I’ll introduce you to the single most important person in my business. Until then, stay inspired.