Emily Merrell  00:00

Hey, my name is Emily Merrell. I’m a taco loving people connector. And I’m obsessed with playing the name game, and all things networking. I’m the founder of secondary society, a female focused networking community, as well as a business coach for female business owners passionate about bringing their business to the next level with the help of events, community and connections. I crave deep conversations, and I’m continuously curious to see what makes people tick. And I’m invested in uncovering their stories with some life lessons along the way. This podcast is aimed, inspire, and educate as you tackle your busy day to join the conversation and tune in to the second degree podcast. Welcome back. I’m your host, Emily. And today we have the most phenomenal, fantastic, fabulous person Miss Virginia bolt. She is a luxury travel advisor and designer and I’m so excited to have you on the show. I’m like jittery, excited right now. Thank you for the warm welcome. I’m really excited to be here. Well,

 

Virginia Balch  01:06

it’s funny. It’s I, there’s certain people that you talk to and I’m like, I’ve got a million questions for you in my inner monologues, like, bring it in Emily, like,

 

Emily Merrell  01:16

play it cool. Because I know I feel like we really hit it off from the first time we met. And it’s been easy. So yeah,

 

Virginia Balch  01:26

it really has been, which is cool. So let’s start. Actually, let’s talk about our meet cute. Do you remember a meet cute Miss Virginia?

 

Emily Merrell  01:33

Yes, I think it was 2021. It was definitely like pandemic like only your house not vaccinated times. And we were doing that virtual networking. And we shared a mutual love of supporting women. And I was the president of a local nonprofit in Austin called the Young Women’s Alliance. And so we kind of bonded over our passion for supporting women. And it was through a program called Lunch Club. So shout out to lunch club for that. I don’t even know if I think they’re still around. I still get emails. But it essentially like blind data that’s together with Virginia Beach and Austin and think I lived in San Francisco at that time. But who knows where we were in the world, but Virginia. So tell me what the hell is a luxury travel designer? Because my brain I just want to say goes to my parents, like it goes to the old fashion. You know, we have a travel agent, and it felt very, like you’ve made it when you have a travel agent. Yeah, no, it’s a great question. And you know, historically, if we go back free.com Everyone, most people had to use a travel agent advisor to do all their hotel, like, you know, excursion bookings. And then obviously, with the.com, boom, it totally changed and democratize the way people book their travel. And now we’re living in this era of so many different decisions, you’re inundated with hotel options, reviews, sites, you know, all the different experiences, drivers, guides, everything. It’s just most of my clients are really busy professionals that just want that all taken care of for them. And of course, every trip that I do is customized to the client’s preferences. Some people have dietary preferences that we work around, some people have children with vast age gaps. You know, I’m working with a family that has a six and eight and an 18 year old. So how do you go about finding the right activities that are going to accommodate a family and their specific needs. So it really just takes the guessing game out of planning vacations, and everything has been personally vetted by myself and my team and all of our guides speak English. And you know, all the drivers speak English. So it just really helps. Of course, we do domestic but primarily people hire me for international travel. And it just really makes the process so much less stressful. And we’re living in a world that’s crazy and stressful. So why not lean into an expert that for a small fee, can you no guarantee that that’s one thing off your plate. And I think the point where you say it’s a small fee, that’s a big common misunderstanding about it. I think people hear the word luxury and talk themselves out of the need of it. And I like to think about what you said about these busy professionals. We are busy professionals that are outsourcing other things in our life. You bet your bottom dollar, I’ve got a cleaning person who cleans my house, and they do it a lot more efficiently and a lot better than I do. We’ve got Instacart that is someone grocery shopping for you for a small fee to make your life that much easier. So you don’t have to go wander the aisles of Whole Foods. So there’s all these things that we’re already doing in our lives that we’re delegating. mean, and we’re accepting the small fee. Get it is funny how sometimes a word like luxury, we can talk ourselves out of doing it. Yeah, and luxury means something different to everyone. And I’ve talked a lot about this, you know, online, but all my clients that come to me luxury means something different. I had clients in their 70s, who do not consider themselves luxury travelers, they stay in Courtyard Marriott, like they’re not fancy people, they told me they’re not fancy. And I arranged for, we have a service, where when as soon as you lie in touchdown, there’s something waiting for you at the Jet bridge. So like, as soon as you D plane, the second year off that plane, they’re waiting for you, and they whisked you through the airport. And for a few $100 You don’t have to think I mean, you’ve just gotten off of a long international flight and someone is there to help you with your luggage carry, you know, whiskey through the airport, and to them that was worth every penny because, you know, they’re older, they don’t want to have to carry their stuff and figure out you know, how to get around a massive airport. And so it really can mean something different to everyone. And that’s why everything I do is customized because, you know, some people want the five star hotels, they want that amazing Amalfi Coast view. And other people are, you know, traveling on points, like I have clients that I booked just their drivers and experiences, and then they do the hotels on point. So I work with a variety of clients, all different definitions of luxury. And I think that’s a beautiful way of explaining it, that luxury is different for each person. Um, so with those clients, that idea of not carrying my bags and not having to wait in a line, I will pay so much more money for that privilege of walking past it the fast track, I think also people see the dollar signs and maybe don’t understand what they’re getting. So there are a lot of differences between a four and five star hotel, for example. And I find that when I explain those differences and like tangible examples, people understand it better. So for example, if you go to Mexico, and you book, a four star all inclusive, you might have to get up at 7am. And fight your way to get a chair by the pool or by the bed. If you if you’re willing to be a little more instead of five star there is guaranteed you come down when you at your leisure on vacation, they know your name, and you have a chair. That’s one example. Another one is I have clients going to Japan next month, they’re doing the hotel four star hotel on points, fine, but the concierge is not helpful. And really, frankly, was being unprofessional. And I’m like this is and I told my clients I’m like there’s nothing wrong with the way that you chose to approach this trip because Japan is very expensive. But that’s another example like a five star hotel concierge is going to get you the best restaurant record reservations for you. They’re going to help do the on the ground things that I’m not there for. And so yeah, I think it’s explaining those differences. And so people understand the cost difference and the value they’re getting. I like that explanation of the four star and five star. When we were last year, we had the privilege of going to the open arches new Susanto stay to sort of say quartersawn in Punta Mita and we met with the GM and I loved how he explained that experience. He’s like, we’re at ATP 80% capacity, but it doesn’t feel like 80% capacity. It all feels like your own like you’re on you have the resort to yourself and that is designed with intentionality. People totally could have been BSNs and they could have been under under utilized but I liked that explanation. And I liked that feeling to your point of like not having to hold down chairs and have towels and random things to save my spot. So that experience definitely is much nicer. So, Virginia, you I know what you didn’t wake up one day and you weren’t born a Travel Advisor. How did you become a Travel Advisor What led you into this industry? Well, I always love travel. I studied abroad in high school and lived with a family in northern Spain for a couple of weeks. I studied abroad in Florence, Italy for an entire semester. So I’ve always been adventurous. I always love learning. The rush I get when I go somewhere new for the first time. So that’s always been in my blood. And then I my first job out of college, I worked for a marketing agency in DC that solely focused on the hospitality industry. And Hyatt was my first client I was building websites SEO doing email newsletters for them. This was before social media before brands were even using social media. This was 2008. So I kind of started and I really lucked out and then moved over to Marriott headquarters where I was there for five years and helped build the Autograph Collection brand and worked on their brand portfolio in like an E commerce Digital Marketing capacity so I always loved it. And then I moved into tech and I always knew I wanted to get back into hospitality in some capacity. And then when my good friend McClain Robins founded LilyPond, luxury, she asked me if I would join the team as an independent contractor. And so, in 2021, most people would say is the worst time to get a job in hospitality, I joined the team and had my first client go to Turks and Caicos, February 2021. And just been going ever since. And I actually think it’s the most fun aspect of the the hospitality industry, because I’ve worked in house on the brand side, which I loved. I’ve worked in consulting for hotel groups. This is this is the most fun. Yeah, I love that you started working for them in 2020. And it was probably good to start in a year that wasn’t overwhelming in terms of travel, so you can get your footing and understanding of how it works. Yeah, there’s a lot of training. I mean, there’s 50 million different ways to plan a trip, even as an advisor. And so learning all the suppliers and the ways to book and the ways to understand how your commission works. And there was a lot of like, the paperwork side that I had to learn invoicing and all this stuff. So yeah, being able to, like slowly ramp up and get my footing was, was really helpful. But I’m so grateful for those first few friends of mine, that took a chance on me. And, you know, now here we are, and it’s really exciting. And now it’s 2024. We’re recording this in 2024. And I think it’s ramped up a little bit, right, since 2020. People are traveling again. Yes. So I still had my corporate marketing career, and was doing this on the side. And I would say the first two years, it was very much like a side hustle. And but I loved it. But I was working all the time. And then I got laid off, which, you know, ended up being a blessing. And I started doing this full time, gosh, about eight months ago. So it’s been really exciting to see what I’m capable of, when I am just solely focused on this as my career. So let’s talk about these trips that you’re planning because you as as a side hustle. You know, you had clients coming in, but you weren’t necessarily servicing the volume that you’re servicing at this day, while also really being able to go all in and be all encompassing with this, like luxury travel advisor world. So where are people going? What are they doing? Yeah, you know, this year is interesting. A couple of trends I’m seeing everyone’s avoiding Paris this summer because of the Olympics this summer already? Yes, it’s this summer. And Italy is by far what I’m booking the most right now. I always book a ton of Greece as well. And then in terms of seasonality. Last year, Europe had a crazy heatwave in July and August. And so now everyone wants to go in June to avoid that. But now everyone’s going the same month. So last year in July was my busiest month of the year. And now June is looking like the busiest month of the year. So it’s just interesting to see, you know, how weather and seasonality impact the trends. And then you know, the thing with Italy is it’s the most expensive country in Europe. I mean, people are just really shocked when they see you know how expensive it can be. And so another great reason of working with me, as you you know, I can put together based on your budget preferences, like maybe some other options that won’t break the bank, but will still give you a lot of what the experience is that you’re looking for in a trip like Italy. But also I’ve got my eye on a couple lesser known places that I’m really excited to talk about. Two that I had been thinking a lot about lately as Marbella, which is in southern Spain, and you fly in some alloga and there’s this hotel called the Marbella Club Hotel that is just beautiful and kid friendly, so great for families, but also great for couples. And it’s just looks absolutely stunning. And then the other option for the people interested in Italy is Slovenia, because it’s only about an hour drive from Venice. So it’s incredibly close to Italy, but for a fraction of the price and still will give you the wineries the history Lake lead which is the stunning lake in Slovenia. So we can do some really amazing custom itineraries in kind of some of these more unique spots. Oh, I love that. Have you been? Have you done anything with Macedonia by chance? I haven’t personally yet but I love a new I love a challenge. I love a new place. So Have I? Yeah, I heard I had an assistant from Macedonia. And she’s like, it’s right next to Greece. I was like, Oh, I know nothing about your country. So except that it has good weather occasionally, I guess the same weather as Greece. But fun fact, I’ve been to Marbella before. And I think I stayed at that place that you’re talking about, really? What did you think? It was amazing. I went with my mom when I studied abroad in Madrid. And if this is the right place, and I think it is based on what you described it as there were all these beautiful, fancy cars outside and we went to a nightclub, my mom was the belle of the ball at this nightclub. She was getting hit on left and right. Yeah, it was a really wonderful experience. And definitely, it felt like the Hamptons of Spain is how I describe it. 

 

Virginia Balch  15:52

Yeah, I think it’s like a it’s fancy. And there’s beautiful shopping like there’s it’s very developed. So like to Americans, they don’t know about it as much but in Europe, they know about it. But it’s a nice alternative to like South of France and, you know, parts of Italy like Amalfi Coast is just gotten astronomically expensive and incredibly crowded. And so, you know, if you’re looking for something similar and vibes, but maybe a little bit better of an experience, that’s always an option. Yeah, completely agree. Having just gone to them off the coast, I could second that. So I love that so so you’ve got Sylvania on there. You’ve got these trips. I love that the insider tip about the the weather and the trends with the weather in the shopping, or not the shopping the travel, I’m sure also you’re probably seeing a lot of trends with spring break. You see people booking in certain chunks of time with our kids schools been off for is that. Yes, March is definitely like my second busiest month this year so far. But I love the families that are doing more unique spring break trips, I have a blended family of six going to Rome and Florence, which is honestly a great time to go because it’s going to be less crowded. I booked them apartments so I not only do I book hotels, I also can book villas, homes, apartments. And that worked best for their family because there’s for kids or teenagers. And, and then also I have families spring break to Japan, which I think I mentioned earlier. And you know, that’s kind those are kind of locations that you wouldn’t necessarily think of as like a traditional spring break. But of course, I also do, you know, lots of Mexico and Caribbean and all of that. So, but I kind of think that if you want some more more unique March, you can get some great deals. Oh, I’m also doing an Ireland Family Spring Break in March. So yeah, there’s you can get some great deals, if you don’t mind, maybe colder temperatures. 

 

Emily Merrell  17:58

And oh, you’re just you’re making me want to travel even more. Just talk to me talking to you. So do you have any advice i for i think travel is such a part of our culture. And maybe this is a very big blanket statement. But at least the culture that we’re in, we see our peers traveling and on the weekends, going to exotic places. A lot of entrepreneurial people may be nomadic in and traveling in a more unconventional way. But do you have any advice for people who are budgeting to save up for travel, and actually have that beautiful Japan trip of their dreams? 

 

Virginia Balch  18:38

Yeah, this is something I’m really passionate about talking about. And I was at a dinner with travel professionals last night and someone said, who’d been in the industry 17 years, she was like Instagram is our worst nightmare. Because the problem is that like everyone sees the pictures that wander less, which is great, but you know, then sometimes the grounding people in reality of what that costs can be a challenging conversation sometimes. So I’m a big fan of having a dedicated travel savings account and I just have money every month that automatically gets deposited into that account. And then you’ve got a little nest egg and what why I psychologically love that as a practice is you get to then go on vacation and know that that money is set aside. You don’t have to worry about can I afford this fresh fish dish that’s $35 Or can I afford $100 bar tab, you know, you can just the whole point of vacation is for you to relax and be inspired and take a break from your normal life and knowing that you financially can afford the trip is such a huge element of that when you get back from the trip and you get your credit card bill and you know that money is there to pay it off. That is the best feeling so I’m a really big fan of having that dedicated savings account.

 

Emily Merrell  19:58

 I think that’s a beautiful tip and And I would also say what about in terms of like paying things off in chunks for your trip? 

 

Virginia Balch  20:06

So most of my suppliers I work with yeah we’ll do like 20% down and then usually the entire trip is prepaid like 30 to 60 days out and so I also sell travel insurance which I bought myself when I went to Europe last year I highly recommended because if a family member gets sick, you know, circumstances especially my clients with young children, maybe their child care falls through all these things can happen having that travel insurance is critical to protect you so but yes, you you do pay things in chunks so it wouldn’t be the full amount upfront.

 

Emily Merrell  20:44

 I love that I love going on vacation and being like oh this hotels already paid for or like the flights done and so you’re only paying for the food I hate when the hotels like Alright, we’re gonna charge the credit card on file, like a dam had already paid for this. Past Emily’s thing not not present, Emily? Um, well, I am laughing that you went to this travel event last night when people were saying like, I hate Instagram for the way people perceive travel. But my question is, where do you actually find your travel inspiration from if not Instagram?

 

Virginia Balch  21:19

 Yeah, no, certainly, I mean, travel and leisure and Conde Nast Traveler kind of my go to that I always look at first. And I get like the Travel and Leisure magazine. I love a good old fashioned magazine sometimes. And we watch it I watch a lot of webinars. So in our industry, you know, we have all these different suppliers from around the world. And they will come and do webinars for our team. So we have a ton of resources. And so I, I might set a goal to do at least one webinar a week so that I can get constant education and inspiration. So a lot of it is staying on top of mind. This is such a fast paced industry. I watched a webinar yesterday with all the latest cool boutique hotels in Paris and ones that are opening later this year. So it’s it’s a constant juggle to like, keep up with this industry. So those webinars and the articles and everything are really helpful. What’s one place that you want to go to next? Oh my gosh, well, Ireland is high on my list. Because I do book a lot of Ireland and I have great partners there that I would love to meet. And Croatia, I’m doing a fabulous 40th birthday for clients in Croatia in September and just all the private boat I mean, if you love boats go into various islands like and it’s, it can be a little less expensive than Greece. It just looks amazing. So yeah, that really kind of mind but I love a beach vacation to like, anytime I can just go to a no bears and sit on the beach. I am very happy. Same, I’m not a very active vacation or when it comes to the beach. I’m like, I just want to read this book. And then turn over and have a swim to the little bar and get more drinks and rinse and repeat. Go in the ocean one’s very Low key.  Um, well, that’s why they say like, that’s a vacation. And Europe is a trip, right? Because a very different experience. But I always try to bake in days of leisure in my itineraries for clients depending on how busy they want to be. Because there’s also an element like as planned out as my itineraries are for clients. And it’s great, but having some downtime to kind of wander around your hotel, neighborhood and explore and check out a new coffee shop like those moments in travel are so special. And so I intentionally like to create those moments

 

Emily Merrell  23:55

for my clients as well. I like that rather than go go go and you need a vacation after your trip. Yeah. Or vacation from your vacation. Yeah, exactly. So Virginia. Thank you. This was so informative. And I’m definitely now thinking like what should our fall trip be? Where should we go? What should we do? But how can people find out more about you and working with you?

 

Virginia Balch  24:18

Yeah, you can follow me on Instagram at travel with Virginia. I’m also pretty active on LinkedIn. I’m Virginia Balch. And those are probably the two best ways to get in touch with me. 

 

Emily Merrell  24:34

Oh guys, follow her. She also has amazing newsletters if you want to just be salivating while you’re working and dreaming about your next trip. And I want to plug your LinkedIn too. I think you give such incredible informative advice and thoughts and provoking thoughts about traveling and what travel looks like for people. So follow her everywhere is what I’m saying. I’m so creepy to say that still out loud, like, follow her. I think if we had said, like a time traveled back to 22,000, and I was like, I’m gonna follow you, I think we would be calling. Yeah. I’m following her everywhere, like, language would not translate that. Well, Virginia, I’ve got some fast questions for you. So we’re gonna dive right in. My first question is, Tell me Tell us an unknown fun fact about you. 

 

Virginia Balch  25:32

So I think this correlates with how I ended up in this career. So this is funny. When I was a child, my parents had convinced my brother and I that cable television only existed in hotels. And so that’s probably why I love hotels as much as I do. But yeah, they had us believe in that for a number of years. 

 

Emily Merrell  25:55

I love the parent like lies that we are told my mom’s car couldn’t turn into McDonald’s. It just didn’t work. Never unpacked, never had a Big Mac. I love that cable TVs only in hotels. Do they even have cable in hotels nowadays? It’s like just Netflix. Most of them do. But like most you can log into Netflix. And yeah, I’m always disappointed when they don’t have the Netflix. I’m like you want me to on demand? Buy a $45 video? What? Yeah, it’s weird. Who would be a dream person to be connected with? Or maybe to plan a trip

 

Virginia Balch  26:32

for? Oh, gosh, I mean, Gloria Steinem was who came to my mind first. You know, women’s issues are a top focus and priority for me, especially living in the state of Texas. And what she’s done to advance women’s rights in this country is one of the most important things of all time. But also, I’d love to be at a dinner party with Larry David. I’ve always been a huge fan of his like, He is hilarious. And definitely someone that I would love to just like, shoot the shit with. 

 

Emily Merrell  27:04

Would you middle the table is my question. 

 

Virginia Balch  27:08

Yeah. Oh, like have one on either side. 

 

Emily Merrell  27:10

Well, you know how Larry David always talks about them. I don’t know if you’ve seen this episode of curb, but he talks about how he’s a good middle. And how you shouldn’t put him on the end because he’s good in the middle of the table. Yeah. So I always I always laugh and I think you’re a good middle. You guys would be good middles together. Yeah. Yeah. So those are the two people that came to mind. I like that one. I was I we’ve been watching curb recently and asked my husband, I’m like, he’s really like this. He’s like, I think this is like 1,000% who he is. 

 

Virginia Balch  27:43

I think it’s an extreme version of him for sure. 

 

Emily Merrell  27:46

Yeah. But also probably kind of based on stupid things. He does. Yeah, for sure. 

 

Virginia Balch  27:53

He’s getting inspiration from real life moment. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. 

 

Emily Merrell  27:57

Um, What show are you watching? Speaking of shows, I love a guilty pleasure show. You know, I like to turn my brain off at night. So my husband and I are totally obsessed with this season of love is blind. Also big fans of traders. I am not a big competition show person but for some reason traders traders is so brilliant to me. I think it’s really smart how they had the audience immediately in on the secret of who the traders are. So then you’re getting to follow along the finger watching the people try to figure out who they are. So I think it’s just brilliantly done. So those are two Guilty Pleasures right now. I haven’t I haven’t seen Love is blind.  I watched one episode and I think I got like a big eye roll for my husband. So we turned it off. But we were talking about it last night, we went out to dinner with my sister and her fiance. And they were talking about I guess there’s a girl are you caught up? 

 

Virginia Balch  28:50

There’s new episodes of drop. I think today, but yeah, I’m caught up from previously from I guess

 

Emily Merrell  28:56

there’s a girl who like described herself as making Fox and then he and then he chose her and he was like she’s not making Fox. Like

 

Virginia Balch  29:03

that was rough that the internet is is Yeah. Going hard for her. Yeah. Which is unfortunate. That is unfortunate.

 

Emily Merrell  29:11

I so. So basically, they were saying they’re like so basically, the show has proven that love is in fact not blind

 

Virginia Balch  29:21

is very much a constant debate. I think men and women and we don’t need to like go on a tangent about this. But men and women view looks differently. I think men are a little more driven by looks than women. 

 

Emily Merrell  29:36

Yeah, yeah, that’s a fun one. I will I will watch it just to figure out what society’s talking about what book are you reading or listening to right now?  Well, you know I’m we’re both are you haven’t started it yet. Right. I’m still on the waitlist. It’s so annoying. 

 

Virginia Balch  29:53

Okay, unreasonable hospitality by will good. Daraa I think it’s just like so applicable. Even if you’re not in the hospitality industry, it’s so relatable. It’s so motivating just his leadership style and the way he describes how he took 11 Madison Park, the famous restaurant in New York, from kind of like, an okay, like, restaurant to the best in the world, and everything, all the trials in triple eight tribulations to get there. And I think it’s just really, I love reading books that motivate me. So I’m a big fan of business books. But this one is also related to hospitality. 

 

Emily Merrell  30:32

I think the food industry is so fascinating to I don’t know, if you think about this, I think about this every time I go into a restaurant, like how do they order appropriately? For the restaurant? How do you predict the flow of how many people are going to be coming into this restaurant without reservations? And then have enough CMN available? I have enough of the salad available without having too much waste? I think there’s a lot of ways like another Lancer is wasted. 

 

Virginia Balch  31:02

Yeah, yeah. I know, there was a whole company when I lived in DC that their whole mission was to take the scraps from restaurants and and donate them to people. So there’s a lot of cool companies out there that are trying to help with that. But ya know, it’s machine to work at a restaurant and make it successful is not an easy, easy thing to do. So, highly recommend that book. 

 

Emily Merrell  31:26

A great, great suggestion. Okay, this is a serious question. But what is your favorite emoji?

 

Virginia Balch  31:31

The most serious question the most serious of them all. Gosh, I mean, the two I use the most are those skull emoji and the crying eyes emoji.

 

Emily Merrell  31:41

You’re just like, going back and forth between Gen Z and your millennial self? Yeah. Yeah. Those are the two that come to mind. Love it that. Okay. And then final question for you is, what permission Do you want to give our listeners today?

 

Virginia Balch  31:55

I want you to remember to be yourself, because scary it is it is to put yourself out there, you know, I find the more I do it, the easier it is to just when I’m authentically myself. Um, but I know it can be scary. And it’s something that you just have to keep reminding yourself. So ah, I think that is fantastic. Fantastic advice. Well, Virginia, thank you so much for sharing all of your wisdom about the travel world. I hope listeners you guys are as hungry as I am to go travel now. Now I’m just going to be Googling like, when’s the next time I can travel. And thank you for being a guest on today’s show. Thank you so much for having me. And we’ll see you the next time on the second degree with Emily Merrell. Have a great day everyone.