Jessica Upton

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome back, everyone, to the Tron Podcast. This is your host, Rashad Woods. Coming from the great state of Texas, I have a very successful entrepreneur, businesswoman, mother, wife, Ms. Jessica Upton. Thank you so much for joining me on the Tron Podcast, ma'am. [00:00:17] Speaker B: Thank you for having me. [00:00:18] Speaker A: Now, you have such a wonderful background that you segue into your own travel service. And I. Look, obviously I had a chance to research what you do, as well as some very funny videos of people who don't, quote, unquote, do it the right way. How did you get into the travel business? [00:00:32] Speaker B: Yeah, so I actually started initially in the events world. So I had an event planning company based here in Austin and did a lot of high end events weddings. And it was something that I was good at but not necessarily passionate about. [00:00:48] Speaker A: Right. [00:00:48] Speaker B: And so I knew that I didn't want that to be my end game. And my husband and I had a destination wedding in Mexico. He actually worked for a luxury hotel brand for many years, and through that brand we were able to travel a good amount, including our honeymoon to Thailand. [00:01:06] Speaker A: I saw that. [00:01:07] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So that kind of initially sparked my interest in the travel world. We didn't really travel a lot growing up, especially not internationally. It was only domestic. And so. So having that initial experience with using a travel advisor for my own destination wedding and also seeing that what I was doing in event planning kind of translated those skills translated over to travel planning. I was like, I, I think this is, this is kind of the direction that I want to go, you know? And so I was able to work under a travel agency owner, just kind of learning the ropes for a year and a half and then decided to go out on my own. So that's kind of how I landed in it. [00:01:53] Speaker A: So what are the misconceptions about people who would utilize travel agencies? Only because you heard. I heard a lot of it growing up as a kid, but then it kind of everybody's like, oh, I can expedia it, I can do. And I'm not, this isn't me. I'm just generally curious. Obviously, it's a process that's a lot harder than people think that it is, or they're not getting the benefit out of their free time that they thought they were. So what are the benefits that somebody, by utilizing your services that people get that they wouldn't get by using just the click of a button? [00:02:21] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, Great question. I mean, I feel like that's the very first question that I get most times whenever people hear that I own a travel agency. And sure, yes, absolutely. You can go online and book your own travel and for some, some people that's perfectly fine and that's okay. [00:02:36] Speaker A: Correct. [00:02:37] Speaker B: But if you want customized recommendations based upon you as a human being and your preferences and your wishes, you can do hours and hours of research online and still not really know if it's going to be good for you. You know, I mean, just taking something as simple as, you know, an all inclusive resort in Mexico, just in the Cancun region alone, I mean there's hundreds of resorts all fitting kind of that all inclusive box. But what is it that you're looking for? What's important to you? You know, are you taking kids? Are you not? How far away airport do you want to be? Is food important to you? Like all of those sorts of things really kind of honing in on what is important to you on your trip. You're not going to get that by googling it or even through AI, you know. [00:03:27] Speaker A: Right. It's a personalized experience, right? [00:03:30] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, it's a very personalized experience. And part of my job too. And one of the things that I love so much about what I do is getting to know my clients more and more every trip. That way each trip can be that much more personalized. So that's, that's one aspect of it. And then there's also because of my relationships with suppliers all throughout the world, whether it be hotel hoteliers, tour operators, private guides, that sort of thing, because of those relationships I'm able to advocate on my clients behalf with them. So whether it be complimentary amenities that they're getting like a free room upgrade, free breakfast, or if it's just letting them know, hey, they're celebrating their honeymoon on this trip. If there's anything that you can do special, can you please do it for. On whether it be a bottle of champagne or something more personalized like I love for honeymoon couples, if I can get in touch with a wedding planner and get a picture from their wedding and have that printed and put in their room. So whenever they get there for their honeymoon, there's a picture of their wedding. Yeah, yeah. Just letting them know that, that I, I'm trying to really get to know them and the things that they care about and then having those little surprises along the way make the trip just that much more special. [00:04:42] Speaker A: So yeah, and I think too that you hit it on, you know, really important point because that's your free time, right? You. It's already difficult enough when it comes to anybody who's ever traveled through an airport with children. It's an absolute, there's very few more soul sucking experiences than that. It'll, it'll take a piece of you that you didn't know existed, right? [00:05:01] Speaker B: That it will, yes. [00:05:02] Speaker A: And if I think that's important, like when you land, like literally especially somewhere where you haven't been, you know, you all of a sudden you have that kind of what, what am I supposed to do? Like did this, was the place good or not? Am I trusting the Google reviews? So yeah, the onboarding process to somebody or couple, you know, and you don't just work just with couples and we'll talk about that in a minute. But what's the onboarding process like for somebody who's utilizing, utilizing your services? [00:05:26] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So whenever someone reaches out, I try to get the kind of basic information about what they're looking for on their trip. And then it's really hopping on a phone call. You know, we can go back and forth through email, tons of emails, but hopping on a phone call is really where I can kind of get into the meat of it. All of what, what is it that is most important to them on this, on this particular trip? Because it can change. You know, again, as you had mentioned, I don't do just do couples but families as well groups. But say it's a couple that's going on their honeymoon and then a couple of years later they're taking their baby and then a couple of years later it's a whole family trip. And so each trip is going to be different. Right. So really understanding what's important to them on this particular trip and then from there starting to make recommendations. And it's a very collaborative process. Like as I send over an initial itinerary proposal, I want my clients feedback. You telling me like, yes, this looks great, that, that's exciting for me, but I'd almost rather hear I love X, Y and Z. But let's tweak this because then I really know that what I am sending you on your trip to do is really, really customized and personalized to you. So it's getting on that phone call and then for me using my relationships to start building out an itinerary proposal. [00:06:41] Speaker A: And it's funny you say that because the only thing that's, you know, more depressing than in the airport is if you go onto a bad vacation. Right. [00:06:47] Speaker B: Because then it's terrible. It's, it's terrible. You're, you're like I'm wasting my hard earned vacation days, my money. [00:06:55] Speaker A: Yes. [00:06:55] Speaker B: And I'M doing. I mean, God forbid, if you're with the kids, too. [00:06:59] Speaker A: And then, I mean, you know, like, it's a comedy and there's. There's been movies made about what happens when those things go sideways, Right? [00:07:05] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So I do everything in my power to make sure that that does not happen. [00:07:12] Speaker A: Right, right. [00:07:12] Speaker B: I just, I mean, inevitably there will be hiccups along the way. Right. Like, we don't have control over airlines. Like, if your flight gets delayed and you miss your connection, you know, but knowing that you have a resource to be able to reach out to, to be like, oh, my gosh, Jessica, what do I do? I'm here to help and support, you know. So while you're at the airport dealing with talking to the ticketing desk, I'm on the phone as well, with the airline kind of simultaneously tackling us together. Yeah. Just knowing that you have that support while traveling, should anything happen, is also comforting. [00:07:48] Speaker A: How did you get, you know, as. As much as you can divulge, how do you. How do you get these connections to these locations worldwide? Did you utilize it while you did your own personal travel and just. Or did you all of a sudden, hey, this is my business. I'm bringing people on board, and this is how I need to establish a relationship with you, whether you're an adventure hotel, travel and lodge, etc. [00:08:10] Speaker B: Yeah. So there's a few different ways. Yes, of course. Like, whenever I'm personally traveling, always. I love hotels. So going and touring a hotel to understand, like, the personality and vibe particular hotel. I love it. My husband sometimes gets irritated on our personal travels because he's like, do we have to stop at another hotel? Yes. I love it. [00:08:30] Speaker A: Kidding me. [00:08:31] Speaker B: It's so fun for me. So that, that, of course. And then obviously making the relationships with the. The gm, the sales managers there on property. So that's one avenue. Another is hoteliers, tour guides, DMs, destination management companies. They'll actually come to travel advisors and show us about and tell us about their company. So I live in Austin, Texas, and so there will be like a group of hotels that will come into Austin and say, host a dinner. And so we go to that dinner as travel advisors and learn all about these hotels and kind of make that initial connection. And then it's up to us as. As a travel advisor to kind of continue those relationships and learning about that particular property or destination. So that's another avenue. And then the third way is through consortias. So I'm a virtuoso certified travel Advisor. So I'm a part of the Virtuoso organization which basically they connect luxury hotel, excuse me, luxury travel advisors and luxury travel suppliers. So again, the hotels, the cruise lines, the airlines. And so through that, it helps us to connect with them and be able to kind of plant the seed for those relationships. It's, it's then on us to manage growing those relationships. And when we can visit their, their properties, we have this big kind of a trade show networking of, of a sort. It's called Virtuoso Travel Week and it's held every year in August in Vegas. And there's thousands and thousands of travel advisors and travel industry suppliers where we go and basically do speed dating for. [00:10:09] Speaker A: A week, meeting table after table after table and stuff like that. Dope. [00:10:14] Speaker B: Yep, yep, yep. Because I mean, we're dealing with the whole world here, right. So we've, we've got to move quickly to make those initial connections. But then we do our research once we get back to our office and again, kind of continue building those relationships. So. Bit of a long winded answer, but. [00:10:29] Speaker A: No, it makes sense because, you know, I ask these questions because vacation is so personal, right? Because as soon as, whether it's, you know, people plan these things a year ahead of time, particularly even, you know, especially when it comes to weddings, honeymoons, those are very, very intimate and personal things that people plan. And they're still trying to manage their everyday regular lives while doing that. And having somebody who can actually do that for them is a great thing because, and particularly as a guy, you're like, listen, you know, your head spinning a thousand miles an hour, right? You know, you're listening to the to be Bride and you just like talk to Jessica. Jessica, thank you very much. Because this is what I like. This is, you know, and I'll just kind of go along with, for lack of a better term, what she likes. Let's meet somewhere in the middle. But, but that makes a lot of sense when you explain that because there's so much unknown that you truly don't know when you're traveling. [00:11:18] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And, and sometimes given the example of, of honeymoons or anniversary trips, really kind of any vacation, two people may not necessarily want to do the exact same things on the trip. Right. And so part of my job is to kind of marry that together so that. Sorry about that. Everybody's happy, right? So that you are if, if you have someone who likes to do a lot of just kind of lounging and beach time, but then someone else who wants to be out and adventure and get in the culture, you know, it's, it's blending that together to where everybody's happy. And that's, that's what I, I do and I absolutely love it. [00:11:59] Speaker A: That's fantastic. You know, and the crazy part is, is you get to see people at their, you know, when they can come back and say thank you, you made my experience that much better in life. Right. Because you really have such a limited amount of free time in life. And you know, when you get an experience, you know, to get out of the country or go somewhere where you haven't been or even if you repeat too, it's nice to know that you can, you've enhanced that experience and made it so personal for somebody. How do your corporate clients, how does, is it corporate trips, retreats, conventions, things like that, how does that expand to your corporate. Corporate clients? Excuse me. [00:12:31] Speaker B: Yeah, so mostly with corporate clients I'm doing sales incentive trips. So typically it's corporations that are, they have their sales teams and they want to reward their top producers. Right. And so they are hosting a trip for them to go. And I mean it's, it's fun and work. Right? So yeah, yeah, absolutely. And, and there, there's going to be some sort of education component usually. So that may be, may look like needing to reserve a meeting, having meals set up for those sorts of things. But then there's also the fun component as well. So wanting them to feel rewarded for their, their hard work and meeting their sales thresholds. And so I am working with those corporations to secure room blocks to ensure that they've got enough rooms for all of their, their top producers as well as event space. And so once I get that all secured and contracted for them, then we hand it over to a third party event planning team or some of them have in house event planning teams. But I think the big of that is helping them to find the right resort and sometimes even the right destination. Sometimes they'll come to me not really sure where they'd like to go, but kind of have their top five list of items that we kind of must meet within that resort and so kind of guiding them and finding the right option for them. [00:13:53] Speaker A: So fantastic. [00:13:54] Speaker B: And then again, kind of during travel again there's always going to be hiccups. So if we've got someone who miss their flight and we need to rebook a flight, then it's rebooking airport transportation, you know, so having that support to where they're not having to worry about that they can enjoy their time at the Resort. [00:14:12] Speaker A: How big is your team? I saw you have someone on your team as well too. And it's. Is there somebody outside of that or how big is your team network to handle this amount of volume with people? [00:14:22] Speaker B: Yeah, so it's just myself and my assistant. So yeah, we, we field a lot of emails and a lot of phone calls. But you know, I think that I am, I'm, as you mentioned, I'm a mother as well. So something that's super important to me is trying to keep that balance of work and being able to be very involved in my kids lives. And so I don't necessarily take on every single client that reaches out because it's not, I may not always be a good fit. You know, if it's a destination that I don't really know particularly well, I will let you know that and potentially refer you to, to a travel advisor that I know that does know that. [00:15:09] Speaker A: They can accommodate you. Right. [00:15:10] Speaker B: Yeah. Because I think it's, it's super important for clients to feel supported and that their travel advisor is obviously knowledgeable in the destination that they're interested in. So yeah, it's, it's a fun balance of work and being a mom and doing all the life things as well. [00:15:29] Speaker A: Well, because you know, at the same time too is that there's also different time zones that people are traveling to and so then it could be compensating. Well, you're contacting me at, in the morning and your time and it's nighttime in my time, you know, and there's a, there's a balance that you have to strike when it comes because you're, you're doing globally, you know. [00:15:44] Speaker B: Yeah. So I'm so glad that you brought that up because I think that that is also something that people are not aware of. An advantage in using a travel advisor is that if I have, that are traveling internationally, particularly if they are going to a time zone that is drastically different than where I'm at, I'm always providing them with an in country point of contact. So it's not necessarily an employee of my team, but it is someone who has been involved in their trip planning process that is in that destination. So typically it's through what's called a dmc, a destination management company that I partner with to plan trips that are throughout the world. Right. So if they're, if it's a Europe trip, if it's Africa, Australia, typically I'm using a DMC partner and it's, it allows that client to have a point of contact in destination that they can reach out to should they need anything. And of course they can always like text me or WhatsApp me, but if it's 2 o'clock in the morning here, I'm not going to answer. Yeah, so you do have an in country point of contact that will. Because that's, that is a big reason of why exactly why I use a DMC is to provide that on the ground support. [00:17:00] Speaker A: And I think about that, you know. [00:17:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I can give you tons of examples of, of situations where it comes super, super advantageous for the clients. And most people aren't aware that that, that is someone that is also involved in their trip. That wouldn't be if you're, you're going online and booking directly through like an orbit or a Expedia or something like that. [00:17:23] Speaker A: So if I can just briefly summarize this a little bit, it's almost like when they book, here's their itinerary, their points of contact when they land. I'm probably saying this in a very general term but this is who your resource support would be based on your location and destination. And here's your customized experience when you land and the things that you can do personalized specifically for you and whoever else you've gone with. [00:17:44] Speaker B: Is that correct? Yeah. So whenever I'm building out that itinerary proposal it just to propose to them, here's what I think could be a good fit for you. I'm already in that point in the process already working with that DMC to where they're, they're involved from the very get go. That way they, they all of the information that I have about my clients I have then shared with them down to if the client has like a gluten allergy, you know. [00:18:10] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [00:18:12] Speaker B: If we're putting like an amenity in their room, like don't put the breakfast spreads if someone has a gluten allergy or what I question if they don't drink alcohol. Okay, well we definitely don't want the bottle of champagne amenity, you know, those sorts of things. So that's one. Yeah. Sharing all of that with all parties involved, even the hotels, you know, making sure that they're aware of those things. It's, it's so many things on the back end that the client doesn't even realize is happening. But that helps to ensure that things run smoothly for them during their trip. [00:18:43] Speaker A: Well, I think too is that they would get it and they didn't even realize how much they would have missed it because like, you know, like you, you Know how you quote unquote, you know, you don't miss what you never lost. Right. So to speak. So it's like you already had everything already in place and you're like, wow, the, the flowers are there. They already know my food, you know, my kids have allergies. They didn't bring that to it. And you're not, God forbid, there's a language barrier, you know, of where you went to and you're trying to explain to whoever you're trying to explain to that there's an allergy or, or those are all the things that, you know, you don't even think of, you know? [00:19:13] Speaker B: Right. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I had some clients traveling with their kids in Italy far again, like as far as amenities. I made sure that all of the hotels knew, hey, not only are they bringing their kids, but this couple doesn't drink alcohol. So please have all alcohol removed and let's actually put like an apple juice or a milk or something in the room that the kids will appreciate. And if the kids appreciate it, I guarantee you the parents are going to appreciate it too, you know? Yeah, anything that can make parents lives easier. Right. [00:19:43] Speaker A: And you know, the thing is about it too, I'm just picturing in my head, you know, you're jet lagged, you're tired, you get to the hotel, then you see a glass of champagne and then you let out that sigh. Oh yeah. And then all of a sudden like you, it just takes your mood from your euphoria to like rock bottom when all you saw was a glass of wine and you don't drink. [00:20:00] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, it's like, man, like, yeah, couldn't some other words my sparkling water instead, you know, so yeah, I mean, one of the questions that I ask, like profile form for my clients is like, what are your favorite drinks? What are your favorite snacks? Do you have any food allergies? And it's all of those little things that, that add up, you know, and as you mentioned, you don't realize how important those things are until you've had them. And then it's like, I don't want to travel without that ever again. [00:20:35] Speaker A: Right. You know, because, you know, I travel with my kids. Luckily they don't have, you know, some can't. Some of them are allergic to peanuts, some of them are allergic to eggs. And then you're like, man, you have to start asking, did you cook in, you know, peanut oil back? Seriously? And you're stuck in there and then you may have to get up and leave, you know, when you Find out they cook in peanut oil. So it makes it. You're, you're just. It's amazing how personal it is because you're, you're dealing really quick with a potential life and death situation. [00:20:59] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Anything that I can do to ensure that things run smoothly on their trip is, is what I'm here for, you know, because as we've already talked about, like, travel expensive and we don't have. Have all the time in the world to be able to travel. At least most people don't. And so that time is really, really precious. And making sure that it goes as well as it possibly can is, is super important. And, and I don't take that job lightly. [00:21:30] Speaker A: How many do you get? A lot of customer. And this is going to be my ignorance, because you're online, there's a lot. Do you get people from everywhere that you service, from across the country that can utilize your service? You know, it's not. Obviously you're based in Austin, but anybody can utilize you when it comes to your travel agency. Correct? [00:21:45] Speaker B: Correct. Yes. I mean, I do. All of my clients do live in the US Because I mean, part of, of what I advise my clients on is, okay, obviously if you're traveling internationally, you've got to have your passport. Any particular visas we're looking at from a standpoint of being a US citizen, those sorts of things. But yeah, I mean, I, I can technically work with any clients anywhere in the country. I would say. Most of my clients are focused like Dallas, Houston. I have several in LA and New York, some Chicago, so. But yeah, honestly, really? Anywhere in the country? [00:22:28] Speaker A: Yeah. That's wonderful. You know, I just, I was just curious, you know, because I know word of mouth travels fast and experiences particular, you know, people in real time if they will be eating their food at somewhere they don't like and we'll be bombing it or, you know, let's talk positive too. We'll be giving you a lot of credit in real time while things are happening, you know. [00:22:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:47] Speaker A: The process of hiding behind good or bad services, for lack of a better term, gone. [00:22:52] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, absolutely. And I mean, I, I always welcome feedback, whether it's on my service, on how the trip went, the hotel, the tour guides, you know, all of that feedback is. It's truly only nothing but helpful for me because it allows me to better customize each trip for each client. [00:23:12] Speaker A: Oh, I meant more for where people go just on their own as opposed to your service. I don't want to in any way say that I was talking about You. I'm talking about if you went to a bad place to eat, you know, like the days of, like, you know, the owner scrubbing. The review is. That's not going to happen. [00:23:27] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, no. Google doesn't let you do that. [00:23:30] Speaker A: No, it's not going to happen. No, not at all. So, you know, obviously, when it comes to your preparation for your clients and you plan things out and you're doing weddings and you're doing honeymoons, there's got to be a certain level of just personal satisfaction you're getting out of this. [00:23:44] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, whenever a client at the end of. Of their trip, hopefully they will give me some sort of feedback. I, like, crave that feedback. That to me, understanding that and knowing that they had an incredible trip. [00:23:59] Speaker A: Yes. [00:24:00] Speaker B: And that they felt special on their vacation. They felt the care that I took in kind of crafting their trip for them means. Means everything. One kind of situation that comes to mind is I had some clients that were wanting to do Italy and Switzerland, and just for this particular trip, it was their honeymoon. They just didn't have the budget to do Italy and Switzerland. I mean, both very experience expensive countries. [00:24:27] Speaker A: Question. [00:24:28] Speaker B: But they. I was kind of trying to understand, like, Italy was a must. They definitely wanted that. But Switzerland, they were okay with potentially not doing, but they definitely wanted to do a secondary country. And so I was trying to understand what specifically about Switzerland that they were interested in. And it was mostly about the landscapes. They wanted, like, beautiful landscapes to look at. And so we were looking at other countries that we could pair with Italy that had beautiful landscapes. And so we settled in Slovenia, and they knew nothing about Slovenia. And that was actually one of the relationships that I had made through one of these things that I had went through. [00:25:04] Speaker A: That's crazy. [00:25:06] Speaker B: Yeah. I've never personally been to Slovenia myself, but I had learned about it, and. And I felt like everything that I had learned about this destination was something that was kind of checking the boxes that they wanted for. For this trip, and they went and they. I had another call for another trip for them two weeks ago, and they were just raving about Slovenia and how much they loved it and how grateful they were that I had told them about this country. And their tour guide there, they absolutely loved and follow on Facebook now, you know. [00:25:35] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:25:36] Speaker B: That to me, is super rewarding to be able to help clients pick the right destination for what it is that they're looking for. Because at. Sometimes they come to me and what they're looking. Looking for in the Places that they're saying they want to go don't align. And so being able to kind of steer them in the right direction is super rewarding as well. [00:25:55] Speaker A: And then you can look that up while they're doing the rest of their actual lives. Right. So while they're actually. Because, you know, then you start. You may not be having the time to research it because you're. They're. They're being pulled in XYZ amount of direction. They have a dedicated individual solely for their experience, and that's what matters the most for them on the back end. So when they get on that plane, they know Jessica and Jay Upton travel is already taken care of everything she you could on your end, and they don't have to think about, okay, where am I staying? Where, you know, is there food for the kids? You know, everything's taking care of a country that I've never looked up or been to in my entire life. And you're like, trust me, I did all my homework. You're gonna love. And that. That's. That's something that you can't replace, obviously. I'm so grateful for your time. Thank you. Looking at your story is very inspiring, and you get a chance to help people and visit wonderful places yourself. I'm so honored to have your time. And more importantly, you have some really cool Instagram, like, reels when it comes to, like, the comedy of when people screw things up. Right. Like the David Schwimmer where, like, the person was planning it and they're like, no, I'm not really happy. No, I'm fine. I'm fine. I thought those were hilarious. [00:26:59] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You get that. Those tidbits of from your friends, if you should stay here. It was great. And then you get there and you're like, not so much. This isn't so great for me. Yeah, yeah. [00:27:10] Speaker A: Because what was good for them may not be good for them. [00:27:13] Speaker B: Exactly, Exactly. [00:27:15] Speaker A: That is fantastic. You know, real quick, before we depart, please let everybody know where they can find you. [00:27:20] Speaker B: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. So, yes, on Instagram, you can find me at Jepton Travel. Just the letter J, J, U, P, T, O, N. And then my website is jeptintravel.com but Instagram is where I'm most active. So thank you so much for taking time to chat with me. [00:27:36] Speaker A: Absolutely. You do wonderful things. And you, you know, people's experiences in particular are things that are so personal. And, you know, people are shaped by them. And I want to say that a good vacation, you'll remember a bad vacation, you'll remember even more. [00:27:49] Speaker B: Yeah. That's so true. [00:27:53] Speaker A: Jessica Upton, thank you so much for taking time out on the Tron podcast. [00:27:56] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you for having me by.