This content was created by Girlboss in collaboration with Fora.
Since she was in college, Hannah Taylor has advertised herself as a travel agent. Her friends would text her that they’re going on a trip and she’d send them a list of places to check out. She describes herself as a “Type-A Libra.”
Hannah was a student athlete at San Diego State University, running track, and planting the seeds of her future travel-advisor business, Hannah Taylor Travels, by giving travel advice and recommendations to her athlete friends, who are now professional athletes.
“I tried to do it very naturally and organically and create my niche very quickly,” says Hannah. I knew that if I said ‘yes’ to everything now, I’m going to have to say ‘yes’ to everything down the road. So, I was very picky and choosy with my clients, especially while maintaining a full-time job.”
Oh, I forgot to mention: being a travel advisor and entrepreneur is only one of her jobs. Hannah is also a housing coordinator at Road Rebel, where she helps collegiate sports teams find homes while on the road.
Hannah credits her ability to do two jobs she loves because she joined Fora, the flexible, modern travel agency that equips their advisors with everything they need to kick-start their own business: from partnerships with over 35,000+ hotels all over the world, to an all-in-one booking platform, training, marketing support and payment collection.
Below, we chatted about her journey from student athlete to travel advisor, how she fell in love with travel in the first place (Italy will always have her heart), and her secret to balancing two full-time jobs (spoiler: stick to your boundaries!).
When did you first fall in love with travel?
“My grandparents gave me the gift of travel at a very young age. When I was 14, we spent a summer in Italy—a month in Florence and then a couple of weeks in Rome and Venice. It was absolutely amazing. Every morning, we had class, taught by my grandfather. He was a professor, so he took it very seriously. We learned about where we were going and what was in the area. We even had homework, but it didn’t feel like it. I was just about to enter high school, so it was a very pivotal moment. I was like, ‘Wow, I want to continue doing this for the rest of my life.’”
Take me through your career journey!
“I always loved hotels. So, when I started thinking about my career path, I found out you could study hospitality. That's when I decided to attend San Diego State and study hospitality with a degree in hotels while also being a student athlete. I did high jump, long jump and triple jump. But I knew during sophomore year that I wasn't going to run professionally. I wasn't going to go after the Olympics.
So, during my senior year, I decided to study abroad for a month and a half. I went to Rome in January 2020, where I forgave my 2020 season of track to study abroad (which ended up working out because we didn’t have a 2020 season due to the pandemic). This only further fuelled my love for travel and hotels more. Without track, I had the chance to work more in hotels. I had jobs lined up at hotels and even a travel agency here in La Jolla, California.
But then, of course, the pandemic happened. So, I worked in sales for two-and-a-half years, traveling around California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, taking my work clients to dinner and staying in hotels—a different side to hospitality.
And then I got engaged. I instantly knew I was going to dedicate my life to planning this wedding. I'm such a control freak. I love the wedding industry, so I was going to do it all by myself. I took a backseat in my career, which I hadn’t done in a long time. And one Monday, I put in my two weeks and quit my job in July 2021. I was making really, really good money at that point too. I cried some mornings thinking, ‘Why did I do that?’ It was definitely a midlife crisis sort of vibe. But I found my two current jobs a couple of months after, so everything happens for a reason.”
How did you discover Fora?
“I found Fora through a destination training, just by logging on to their webinars and learning about cities and hotels all over the world. Oh, and an Instagram ad! I thought, ‘Is this too good to be true? Why not bet on myself?’ I always knew I was going to be a travel agent, and Fora helped me get my feet wet. That’s how I started—just even telling people that I can book travel and then it really went from there.”
What are your travel specialities?
“Italy is definitely the #1 place I book—I can sell it in my sleep. I'm definitely in the luxury space too. I mostly book luxury leisure trips with professional athletes. That's typically in the summer, maybe 2-3 weeks at a time. I book a lot of their family friends, and some of their fans have even found me on Instagram. My husband also played basketball (he was one of the top recruits out of Canada for his year), so he has a lot of friends and teammates that have ended up in the NBA. My teammates too, as some of them went off to marry MLB players. Word of mouth has definitely been the best tool for my business.”
What makes Fora different from traditional travel agencies?
“Two words come to mind: flexibility and community. I knew I was starting my new job at Road Rebel, so I wasn’t going to be able to put all of my time and energy into it, but I did know that I had the passion and the drive.”
How does Fora’s community help you level-up your business?
“Here’s a quick example! Last week, Nadia, one of the Fora SoCal representatives, got connected with a representation company who was going to be in San Diego. So, she reached out to me and asked, ‘Hey, Hannah, do you and any advisors want to go meet with him? He covers Bhutan and Southeast Asia.’ I had never really learned about Southeast Asia nor had I booked it. So, we had a happy hour with him last week. Everyone is so connected!”
How do you balance your two jobs? Any tips?
“I would definitely set boundaries with yourself and hold yourself to those boundaries. Tell yourself what you will and will not do for your job. Because, at least for myself, I would work 12 hours a day. I even canceled Valentine’s Day to work with a high-profile client, which I’m still feeling the repercussions of. Also, stay true to your niche. If you love to sell Italy, but your clients are coming to you to go to London, you don’t have to completely change your demographic.”
What are your favorite parts of being a travel advisor?
“Two things. There’s nothing like seeing a client in person after a trip and they just gush about it. It means so much. I love to hear it all, even if it’s not the best feedback, I appreciate it. And then, meeting other travel hotels and partners. Going to events and meeting the sales managers that are actually making it happen for my clients. It definitely feeds my passion for travel. I love learning about new places. It’s very full circle.”
What’s next for your business?
“I have big dreams for my business and for myself. I want to be a full-time travel advisor, hopefully by the end of next year. That's what I'm working towards. I want to build a portfolio of clients and sustain it. My goal is to do life events, so I don’t want to send you to Italy and then never talk to you again. I want to send you to Italy to get proposed to. Then, the next summer, you get married. Then, your honeymoon. Then, your babymoon. I want to work with people throughout their lives. I want to get to know them. I want to know exactly what seat they want on the airplane.”
What’s your next trip?
“My real answer: I leave for Vegas tomorrow. It's my sister's birthday. We’re going to Dead & Company at the Sphere. My mom is a huge deadhead. Then, I'm going to Mexico City in 10 days, and that's what I'm most excited for because I've never been and it's been on my list for so, so, so long. I have a meal planned for every single day.”
What’s one underrated travel destination more people should be going to?
“Panama. It’s easy to get to. It’s on so many people’s time zones in the northern United States. It’s a great place to work. It’s also a great honeymoon destination because they have just as many overwater bungalows as the Maldives, Seychelles and Bora Bora, but it's half the price.”
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