Travel Business Lounge | For Travel and Tour Entrepreneurs

In today's episode I have the absolute pleasure of speaking to Canden Arciniega, my good friend and former boss, who is the co-owner and COO of Free Tours by Foot, a 'name your own price' walking tour company that operates in more than a dozen cities around the US and Europe. I actually got my start in the travel industry with Free Tours by Foot back in 2012 as a tour guide in Washington, DC, so this episode is especially dear to my heart. Canden shares how name your own price tours work, including the major benefits and challenges of running this type of business. We'll also learn about the game changing strategy Free Tours by Foot used to increase bookings from 2k per month in 2011 to over 70k per month in the lead up to COVID-19. Now unfortunately there was an issue with my mic at the very start of the recording, so I wasn't able to capture the first few minutes of me welcoming Canden onto the show and us chatting about our adventures in DC. However, the good news is that this means she'll need to come back for another future episode so we can finally share the story of the phantom snake attack from our 6 day cycle ride from DC to Pittsburgh. But the even better news is that the content of this episode is especially good and super actionable. If you're interested in starting a walking tour company or you're looking to expand your current company into different locations, or if you'd like to learn how to diversify your income (because as Canden reveals, there are many other ways to make money as a walking tour business, beyond just through tour bookings) then definitely tune in. Plus at the end she shares some incredible productivity hacks, so make sure you stick around for that. Honestly, she is the most well organized and highly productive person I know, so you definitely won't want to miss her tips. SHOW NOTES: https://karablythe.com/travel-business-lounge/ FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/323995252173500 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/travelbusinesslounge/

In today's episode I speak with Quinn Laroux of NOLA Drag Tours -- New Orleans' first drag tour company, which focuses on sharing the city's queer and feminist history. Within the first few months of launching, NOLA Drag Tours was met with resounding success and became the number 1 activity on Airbnb experiences in New Orleans. This is an impressive feat for any start-up tour company, but especially impressive to achieve in New Orleans, which is probably one of the most highly competitive tourism destinations in the country. Quinn talks us through her experience launching a walking tour company, including the major challenges she faced as a queer woman running this business on her own. She also shares an absolutely genius marketing strategy she used to organically grow NOLA Drag Tours so quickly. It's so simple but effective, and something that never would have crossed my mind, so I promise you'll want to stick around to hear it. Now, this episode was originally recorded in the fall of 2020 and unfortunately Quinn is no longer taking bookings for NOLA Drag Tours. The good news is that she's found another job doing something else that she loves after an incredibly difficult year in the tourism industry. Still, her tours will be very much missed. SHOW NOTES: https://karablythe.com/travel-business-lounge/ FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/323995252173500 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/travelbusinesslounge/

Today's guest is Charlotte McGhee, the founder of Whisked Away, which is a travel agency that exclusively plans mystery trips for clients. Her customers literally have no idea where they're going until it's time to travel, making for a super fun surprise! I had never heard of the concept of surprise travel before discovering Whisked Away, but I absolutely love the idea and think Charlotte has done an amazing job building this business from the ground up. If you've ever dreamed of one day starting your own online travel agency, or maybe you just love planning trips for people and want to know how to turn that passion into a profitable business, then definitely listen in. Charlotte is an open book and really dives into some of the challenges she's faced and what she's learned since starting her mystery travel business in 2017. SHOW NOTES: https://karablythe.com/travel-business-lounge/ FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/323995252173500 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/travelbusinesslounge/

Welcome to the Travel Business Lounge, a place that celebrates female entrepreneurs doing big things in the tourism industry and that aims to inspire other women to do the same. Ever wondered… How to launch a successful tour company? How to increase bookings and scale your business? How to get paid to travel? How to use social media to boost sales and connect with clients? How to start your own travel agency from scratch? And, most importantly, how to turn your passion for travel into a lucrative business? The Travel Business Lounge is where we answer all of these questions and more. Tune in each week as your host, Kara Myers, interviews women whose businesses are leading the way in the travel industry. Speaking from experience, each guest shares business hacks, marketing strategies, and productivity tips that that will help you take immediate action in starting and scaling the travel business of your dreams. As you listen to their successes and struggles, you'll learn what it takes to make a profit as a travel agent, tour operator, or travel blogger in today's world. Grab a coffee, hit subscribe, and get ready to learn and feel inspired.