My “First” Travel Client!
Hey guys! I thought I’d take some time to reflect on my experience planning for my “first” official client and share some of the fun things I found for them as an example for what I can do for you! (and if you don’t feel like reading the full post, check out this instagram reel I made highlighting the Google Map I created for them and this overview reel of the itinerary I created for them instead)
So to preface, in case you didn’t read my about page on how I started Chaelie Travels, the first trip I was “hired” to plan for was actually a cross country road trip for my sister. She was just finishing up college in Oregon when she received a job offer to move to Wisconsin. Because she was so busy and didn’t know where or how to start planning for a trip of this caliber, she wanted to hire me to work out the logistics and make this roadtrip as smooth as possible for her and her partner. I happily accepted the challenge. It was something different I had never thought to plan for and I was sure I could plan something fun and exciting to start this next chapter of their lives.
To start the process we had a FaceTime meeting to discuss some of the activities and sites they wanted to work in along the way and preferences for how long they were going to drive each day. Because it’s my sister and her boyfriend, I know them pretty well so I already had a few ideas for other things they might enjoy seeing, doing, and even eating. I like to keep these details in mind for when I begin researching since this is a totally custom service. I take great joy in the deep dive of finding things I think my clients will appreciate, enjoy, and get excited about.
My sister’s top (and really only) request was finding her a Jollibee and her boyfriend’s only request was to see Glacier National Park. Being from Hawai’i, my sister missed having Jollibee chicken so she insisted they somehow make their way to one while on this roadtrip. I found one along the way in Washington that they were able to stop at for a lunch one day! Her boyfriend is an outdoorsy kind of guy so it made sense that they would also want to make time for Glacier National Park. I was able to book their Private Vehicle Pass for them and dropped it into their Google Drive for ease of access (each client gets a google drive with their map and other collateral necessary, like booking confirmations, itineraries, etc. depending on the package they book).
Glacier National Park - Two Medicine Lake
Some of the other things I tagged on their custom Google Map included a few of the “World’s Largest” things that they would happen to be passing on their journey across the NorthWest and MidWest regions, some well rated food joints so they knew when/ where decent food would be coming up/when they should stop to grab food in case there was going to be a long stretch without food, and of course gas stations, for the same reasoning.
My favorite finds for them were a hot springs in Montana and a surprisingly good Hawaiian/ Local Food place in Minneapolis! My second favorite find for this road trip was this hot spring in Montana. For their fourth day of the roadtrip we mapped out a really long stretch/ drive of pretty much nothing but open fields; unfortunately there was nothing interesting to really see. This was also the longest drive they had to do so I felt bad for them, but was excited to find a hot spring that they could take a break at about half way through their drive. It was a nice relaxing treat and a nice break for them to be able to stretch their legs and soak in the hot spring after the long drive.
With my sister was moving even further away from the islands I knew she was going to miss home and of course the foodso I was soooo excited to find a place in Minneapolis to help give her a small taste of home. This was definitely my favorite find for this trip. My sister and her partner were surprised and I think equally as excited as I was to find this rare gem. It was something they didn’t anticipate, ask for, or even know to ask for, but knowing my clients well and the extensive research I did helped me find this special surprise for them.
This is one of the things I love most about travel planning for each of my clients. I love getting to know them, things they like, love, enjoy and sifting through all of the clutter and information online to find things I know they will enjoy. It’s exciting for me to find these fun activities, delicious places to eat, and beautiful sites to see; but it’s even more fulfilling for me knowing how excited they get for these finds. Every client and every trip is unique and everything I research is curated especially for them.
Travel planning has been something I’m passionate about for quite a few years now. So once my family and friends showed interest in the work I did planning out trips I’ve done in the past and asked that I do the same for them, I was really excited to go above and beyond to provide this service for them. And now I hope I can do it for you, too.
