Wendy Payne

My love of travel began in 1984 on a cross-country road trip and deepened when my family lived in Germany for nearly a decade. Those experiences taught me that travel isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about immersion, relationships, and perspective.

Over the past 30 years, I’ve worked in hospitality and travel, spent 15 years as a blogger, vlogger, and podcaster, and the last decade as a travel advisor. Today, I specialize in small-group European tours for military spouses and solo women travelers, leading several trips each year and guiding clients planning European journeys. My focus is always helping people explore the world with confidence.

I run a values-driven agency where each advisor specializes in a region they know and love. That commitment to lived experience even inspired my husband and me to “accidentally” buy a house in Italy, which now serves as both a personal sanctuary and a base for the trips I lead—bridging my life between Italy and the U.S.

Be patient and connect with your clients in a personal way. Successful businesses are personal, it just matters on how you measure success.

Most people enter the travel industry because they love to travel—and that passion is essential. But what new agents often don’t realize is that behind every seamless itinerary is a lot of research, planning, and problem-solving. The magic isn’t accidental; it’s built carefully, detail by detail, long before a client ever boards a plane.

My advice is simple: don’t try to be a jack of all trades. Know your clients. Know yourself. Focus on what you genuinely love. Specializing makes your expertise authentic, and authenticity resonates immediately. If you love skiing, build your business around ski travel. If river cruises excite you, lean into that. When you sell what you truly know and love, you’re not selling—you’re sharing.

Clients might think booking online is easier, but convenience often comes at a cost. Travel advisors don’t just book trips—we negotiate, advocate, and solve problems. We work with people, not platforms. Those personal relationships unlock better value, unique experiences, and peace of mind when things don’t go as planned.

One of the biggest challenges in travel right now is uncertainty caused by factors like federal government shutdowns, which can slow travel—especially in the first quarter—and create financial strain for advisors. When hesitation sets in, travel is often one of the first things people pause, directly impacting small, service-based businesses like ours.

Unlike large corporations, independent travel agents don’t have layers of insulation. Delayed bookings and postponed decisions mean we continue to invest time, expertise, and labor even when revenue doesn’t arrive on schedule. Every itinerary requires careful planning, regardless of external disruptions, making resilience and adaptability essential in this field.

The values I hold most dear are empathy, connection, and respect for others. Travel teaches us to understand and appreciate different cultures, and I focus on helping clients not just see the world, but connect with it meaningfully.

At the heart of my work is the human element—when plans change or challenges arise, it’s relationships, not algorithms, that make the difference. That personal touch is what makes travel truly memorable.