The Travel Business Unpacked

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Angie Corry, founder of Adventurously Yours Travel Design. After moving to the Netherlands for her husband's job, Angie found herself navigating an unexpected season of life. What started as planning weekend adventures for her own family soon turned into organizing trips for fellow expats, eventually reveali...

Making the leap into entrepreneurship is never easy, especially when you're leaving behind a career you've known for years. In this episode, Meredith welcomes Travel MBA graduate Ashley Carlson, founder of Carlson Travel Co., to share how she transitioned from elementary school teacher and stay-at-home mom to luxury travel entrepreneur. Ashley reflects on the mindset shifts, branding decis...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by returning guest John Rees, founder of J5 Luxury Travel Tailors. After leaving a successful career in day trading, John built a thriving luxury travel business centered around his passion for travel and a commitment to exceptional client experiences. In this conversation, he reflects on how his role has changed a...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway welcomes back Nicole Shipper, founder of TBN Travel Curators, for her second appearance on the podcast. Since her last conversation with Meredith, Nicole has navigated a major rebrand, continued growing her team, and faced the new challenges that come with scaling a business beyond herself. Together, they discuss what it rea...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, guest host Sandy Saburn sits down with David Shull, co-founder and CEO of Tern. When David first discovered the travel advisor industry, he saw a profession filled with talented entrepreneurs who were navigating their businesses with disconnected systems and outdated technology. Rather than assuming he knew the solution, he spent years listening t...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Laura Young, founder of Laura Young Travel and a 2026 Gifted Travel Network Momentum Award winner. After more than 20 years in financial services, Laura made the decision to leave behind a stable corporate career and build a travel business that aligned more closely with the life she wanted. In this conversation...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Jessica Klement, Vice President of Advocacy for American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA).Jessica shares how she built a career in advocacy, starting on Capitol Hill before eventually finding her place in the travel industry. Together, Meredith and Jessica unpack the work happening behind the scenes to protect...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Kim Weas, founder of MoonTide Travel. Kim shares her journey from accidental travel advisor to established business owner, and the pivotal moment she realized her business needed something different to keep growing. From navigating a host agency transition to redefining her vision for the future, Kim offers an h...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Nancy Gany, founder of Inspired Steps Luxury Travel and a Travel MBA alum who has quickly built a thriving, referral-driven luxury travel business based in relationships, trust, and elevated service. With a background in consulting and project management, Nancy shares how she transitioned into the travel industr...

In this special bonus episode of The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Shannon Cunningham, Director of Engagement at Gifted Travel Network, to celebrate Global Travel Advisor Day and GTN’s Travel Advisor Appreciation Week. Together, Meredith and Shannon shine a light on the heart, resilience, and behind-the-scenes work that make travel advisors so valuable. They...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Carol McKee of McKee Travel, a Travel MBA alum, GTN mentor, and seven-figure travel entrepreneur. Carol shares how her background as a CFO and business owner shaped the way she approached building a travel business, and why so many advisors miss the mark when they focus only on trip planning instead of the busin...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked , Meredith Calloway is joined by Sarah Key, founder of The Keys to Travel. Sarah shares her journey from corporate life to building a travel business that supports both her professional growth and personal life. From taking the leap into entrepreneurship to switching host agencies and navigating motherhood with two young kids, she offers an honest look at...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Roseann Coyle of Sun Drenched Travel. A travel advisor, mentor inside Gifted Travel Network, and former insurance industry leader, Roseann brings a perspective most advisors never get access to, but absolutely need. In this conversation, she breaks down why travel insurance should never be an afterthought. From...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Robin Cline, founder of Cline & Co Travel Consulting. A former entrepreneur turned luxury travel advisor, Robin has built a highly successful, referral-driven business rooted in clarity, service, and strong client relationships. Robin shares what it really looked like to launch her travel business just befor...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Jennifer Jacob, Co-Founder of Tique HQ and host of the Tique Talks podcast. After scaling a multi-million dollar travel agency, Jennifer shifted her focus to helping advisors build more structured, sustainable businesses. In this conversation, Jennifer shares how her journey in travel evolved and why so many adv...

This week we had a special live recording of The Travel Business Unpacked podcast where we got to dive into one of the most powerful growth strategies in luxury travel: river cruise groups. In this dynamic, candid panel conversation, host Meredith Calloway was joined by Gifted Travel Network advisors Carol Mckee (Mckee Travel), Patti Mills-Roy (Mills-Roy Luxury Travel), Emer Coughlin (Celtic Heart...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, Sandy Saburn, Chief Communications Officer at Gifted Travel Network, steps in as host and is joined by Kristin Matthews, Vice President of Professional Development. Together, they unpack one of the most overlooked but essential parts of running a travel business: crisis management. From flight disruptions to global uncertainty, Kristin shares how...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Gifted Travel Network’s Chief Communications Officer, Sandy Saburn, to unpack how travel advisors can make the most of industry events. From deciding which events are worth the investment to building meaningful relationships on-site and following up in a way that drives revenue, Sandy shares her practical 3R fra...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Lange Taylor, founder of Taylor Luxury Travel. A former advertising executive turned luxury travel advisor, Lange shares how he built a seven-figure business by combining business acumen, a love of food and wine, and a willingness to start before he had everything figured out. In this conversation, Lange reflect...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is flying solo for a new style of episode centered around your most frequently asked questions. The theme is simple: starting from scratch. If you’re still in the discovery phase, researching host agencies, wondering whether this is a legitimate career path, or quietly asking yourself if you could actually make real money do...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Margaret Critz, founder of For the Good Times Travel and a current Travel MBA student. After working 25 years in corporate IT for the insurance industry, Margaret made the bold decision to leave stability behind and reinvent her career through travel.  In this episode, she shares what that leap really looked lik...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Julien Nolan, founder of Husseau, a travel advisory business dedicated to ultra-high-net-worth clients. A recent graduate of the Travel MBA program, Julien is already delivering extraordinary experiences rooted in elegance, discretion, and deep personal connection. With a background in luxury hospitality, Julien...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Lee Lennon, founder of Travel by Design and longtime Gifted Travel Network member. After years creating high-touch programs for luxury cruise lines, Lee stepped into entrepreneurship and built a thriving, referral-only business. She shares how her industry background shaped her client care philosophy, how she ap...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Rachael O’Brien, founder of How Far Adventures, for a deeply honest conversation about what happens when life shifts unexpectedly and travel becomes more than just a career choice.    Rachael shares how a major personal transition reshaped her priorities and led her to build a travel business that could flex wit...

This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, host Meredith Calloway is joined by Melissa Nagelberg, founder of MN Signature Escapes and a standout student in GTN’s Travel MBA program. Melissa shares how she went from stay-at-home mom to thriving travel entrepreneur in under a year, building a business rooted in client care, intentional branding, and strategic support. With a natural ability...