Travel Tube Podcast: Building a Travel Business Through Social Media with Adrienne Brown
Host: Mark Murphy (TravelTube.com)
Guest: Adrienne Brown (BreathlessGetaways.com)
Introduction
Mark Murphy: Hi, I'm Mark Murphy and this is TravelTube.com, the destination for travel experts. I have a guest joining us today - Adrienne Brown from BreathlessGetaways.com. She's very active on social media, and I discovered her through some great videos on YouTube. I'm excited to have her join us because I love featuring agents and advisors who not only explore destinations but also create content to engage with potential customers on social media. If you're a travel agent or travel advisor, this is what you want to be doing to get visibility.
Welcome, Adrienne! Thanks for joining me today. I love that you're very active on social media and push out a lot of content. How long ago did you get started?
Adrienne Brown: I started my YouTube channel during COVID in 2020. I've been a travel advisor for 10 years, but since we couldn't really sell travel in 2020, I just started talking about travel. That's where it took off. Once the world opened back up and we could explore again, I started doing videos and reviews, and that's how my business simply took off. I went from zero clients during COVID to maybe 250 that year.
Mark: Wow, in one year. On a regular basis, how many people reach out to you through YouTube or other social media to ask about travel?
Adrienne: It varies by season. In January, February, and March, sometimes I get ten inquiries a day. About 85% of my clients come from YouTube, with a small percentage from Instagram as well. I have more followers and engagement on YouTube.
If you are not on YouTube right now, you should absolutely get on YouTube and start showing the destinations you visit, talk about destinations you sell, and give travel tips - it's a huge asset to have.
The Turning Point: Asking for the Sale
Adrienne: When I first started, for the first few months I didn't get many inquiries. I was getting thousands of views but no one was reaching out. Then someone asked me, "Are you asking for the sale during your videos?" I wasn't. Once I started asking for the sale, telling viewers how to contact me and the benefits they'd get from booking with me, it was nonstop. I had to turn down business because I couldn't handle it all as one person, so I ended up building a team.
Mark: How many agents do you work with?
Adrienne: I have 18 in total, but some sign on just for travel benefits and don't really sell travel. The active ones number about 11.
Building a Team and Teaching the Reality
Mark: Do they do more than just their family and friends? Some people think they'll get rich quickly, especially with MLM companies promising unrealistic outcomes.
Adrienne: About half of my agents were actually former clients. When I decided to add agents, they reached out saying they'd always thought about being a travel agent. I let them know it's work - it looks glamorous when you see me traveling the world and booking trips, but you actually have to provide one-on-one personalized service.
I onboarded three people initially and did extensive training. After a couple of months, they said, "Adrienne, I know you told me it was a lot of work, but I didn't realize how much." It's different when you do it for somebody else versus yourself.
I ended up teaching a four-week course called "The Travel Agent Blueprint" about starting and growing your business. One person told me, "With my full-time job and being a travel advisor, I didn't know how much work it was. I won't have the capacity to do it."
Mark: Do they come back and say they really appreciate all the work you do for them?
Adrienne: Yes, absolutely. She said she'd continue being a client but didn't have time to be an agent.
Video Content Strategy
Mark: Give me an example of what you say in your videos that generated the avalanche of inquiries.
Adrienne: In every video, I started saying, "Book your next trip with me. If you love this property, reach out. I'd love to get you booked here. We can get you perks from a $200 resort credit to in-room champagne breakfast, and you'll only get these perks from booking with us. We take care of every single element of your trip, so all you do is sit back, relax, and get ready to go away."
I also created scarcity by saying, "We only take on a select few clients a month," which was somewhat true because I couldn't handle too much volume. This had people saying, "I want to book with you, please. Do you have availability?"
Pricing and Planning Fees
Mark: Do you charge a planning fee?
Adrienne: I do charge a planning fee, but I don't mention it in videos. When people reach out, I schedule a consultation right away. On the call, we discuss their must-haves and wish list, then I explain how the process works. We charge a $150 planning fee that covers taking care of every element of their trip - flights, hotels, excursions, travel insurance.
For the most part, people say, "Okay, send me the invoice." Some ask why they have to pay when another travel agent didn't charge them. I explain that every travel agent does business differently, and just like you'd pay a specialist, you're paying for customized service and local connections.
Mark: Does the planning fee get credited toward the trip?
Adrienne: It's a straight-up planning fee that covers the time I take to build itineraries and create quotes. When it's slow, I might credit it toward the booking, but normally it covers all the back-and-forth, options, and phone calls.
With Sandals, I book a lot and their commission is good, so I don't charge a planning fee. But with RIU properties where we don't get much commission, I absolutely charge the fee.
Handling Price Objections
Mark: What do people say when they discover they can book elsewhere for less?
Adrienne: I've had people say they could check Costco Vacations and book on their own. I tell them, "Yes, you can book on your own, but let me give you an example. If you want a nice suit, you might go to Bloomingdale's for quality that lasts. If you're on a budget and want something you'll wear a few times, you might go to a discount store. Costco is a discount place - you're not going to get me, my service, my expertise, or those local experiences that were important to you."
Once I explain that, they usually say, "Send me the invoice."
Professional Branding and Website
Mark: I notice you've done the business aspects correctly - you have an email tied to your URL and a professional website. What's your advice to travel agents about branding?
Adrienne: Even when I started in 2020, I initially didn't want a website, thinking business cards would be enough. But people kept asking, "What's your website? Where can I find you?" I realized I needed web presence to be professional.
You should not email clients from Gmail, AOL, or Yahoo. You can mask it through Gmail but use your business domain. With the website, people want to see that you have a presence. It doesn't have to be six pages - three pages work: about you, your destinations, and how to work with you.
I wanted people to feel like they're on vacation when they visit my website. Even a one-page landing page is better than nothing - you need somewhere to send people.
Customer Relationship Management
Mark: What do you use for your CRM?
Adrienne: I use TravelJoy as my CRM. Some of my agents prefer Tess, but I personally love TravelJoy. You can create beautiful itineraries, collect payments, and do group proposals. It saves so much time.
I'm currently doing a group trip to Thailand that we started planning last September. Everyone's set up on automatic payments through TravelJoy - payments come out automatically, they get updated invoices, and I get alerts when money is available. Before TravelJoy, I felt like a bill collector having to email about overdue payments.
Recent Travel Experience: Antigua
Mark: Tell me about your latest trips and what stood out.
Adrienne: My last trip was to Antigua two months ago. I'd sold it under 10 times but never been there. Usually when I travel, I hop around to multiple resorts, but this trip I decided to stay at one property and just relax.
We stayed at Sandals Antigua - beautiful property on a gorgeous beach. It's dated, but the service was excellent and food was great. We also visited Tamarind Hills, which is exceptional. It's not all-inclusive but family-friendly, located on one of Antigua's best beaches. They offer villas, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms, and studios, many with private pools.
We went to Shirley Heights - everyone said we had to go there. It's breathtaking. They start a barbecue around 3 o'clock, it gets very crowded, so arrive by 4 o'clock if possible. The sunset views from the mountains are amazing, and there's entertainment from when you arrive.
We also did a local restaurant called Dennis with exceptional food, great service, and beautiful beach views. We did island hopping by boat to four different beaches - Antigua has 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. The boat ride included food, drinks, and snorkeling for only $110.
Antigua is very safe for solo travelers and families. Many people have been to Jamaica, Mexico, and DR multiple times and want something different. Antigua provides that.
Social Media Success and YouTube Strategy
Mark: Let's look at your YouTube channel. I see this video has 305,000 views about Temptation Resort. Why such high numbers?
Adrienne: People want to go to Temptation but hear mixed things, so they want to know what it's really like. When I talked about "shocking stories," the subject line matters. It was a 14-minute video because people stayed and watched it, so YouTube pushed it even more.
You have to do shorts too - they pick up views as people scroll through them, keeping your content present.
Mark: Ever use AI tools like Opus Clips?
Adrienne: That's a huge gem I'd never heard of before!
Mark: You can upload a full-length video to Opus Clips, and it'll create 10-15 mini clips that you can schedule across all your social media platforms. It adds captions automatically too.
Building Client Relationships and Referrals
Mark: What's your second biggest source of business after YouTube?
Adrienne: Referrals and repeat business. When I do videos, I want to seem relatable - clients often say, "You seem like one of my friends." I talk to them like friends, not as a salesperson. I want them to know I'm invested in their trip.
I stay connected throughout the process. Two weeks before departure, I send tips and recommendations and offer another call. During their trip, I reach out to see how check-in went and ask for photos and videos. When they return, I have raving fans posting about how amazing I was, which brings new clients.
Be personable, approachable, and likable. Don't come off too salesy. Create raving fans who provide free promotion.
Price Matching Strategy
Mark: I notice you don't post deals but focus on advisory services.
Adrienne: I've gotten a lot of business from price matching. Now during consultations, I mention that if they find lower rates because they're a Hyatt member or find member pricing, we can price match with guaranteed rates while they still get me and all the benefits.
If they're not a Hyatt member, I'll sign them up so they get member pricing and we can match it. Sometimes I can save them $800 just by signing them up as a member.
Building Trust and Credibility
Mark: You have 100 Google reviews with 4.9 stars and you respond to them. How important are reviews?
Adrienne: Reviews are so important, especially when people find you on social media. In the beginning, people would want to book but needed to verify it was really me. I've had clients ask to get on Zoom to see that it's actually me from the videos.
I had one client who paid a $100 deposit on a $7,000 trip, but when final payment was due, he said he was leery about turning over $7,000 to someone he found on YouTube. I told him to check my Google reviews, my BBB page, and offered a Zoom call. After checking everything, he felt much more comfortable and said he thought I might be a catfish.
Another family found me on YouTube and booked a $32,000 trip within two days. You need to have places where people can verify you're real when they're turning over thousands of dollars.
Payment Processing and Trust
Mark: How do you handle payment concerns?
Adrienne: I explain that we don't run credit cards through our agency - payments go directly to the travel supplier. If you're booking Sandals, it shows up as a Sandals charge. We're a pass-through entity to pay the supplier, then they pay us a percentage as compensation after the trip.
I also mention that other than my planning fee, I get paid nothing until they travel, and I usually wait 30-90 days after they travel before getting paid. The money goes directly to the supplier, not to Breathless Getaways.
Favorite Destination: Grenada
Adrienne: If you haven't been to Grenada or sent clients there, this is a hidden gem you need to start selling and visiting. Grenada is my favorite Caribbean island right now. It's so different from other Caribbean islands.
They have 42 gorgeous beaches, over 15 waterfalls, untouched beaches with white powdered sand, luxury hotels, family and adults-only options, and incredibly friendly locals. Grenada is known as the Spice Island because their spices are so pure and potent. The food there is incredible - I've been to many Caribbean islands and Grenada has the best food I've ever had.
They're known for their chocolates too. I ordered chocolate cake at a restaurant and asked what was in it because it was the best I'd ever had. They said, "Chocolate. That's it." Their chocolate is amazing.
I went on a fam trip and have been back six times since, with another trip planned in a month or two. Definitely visit the chocolate factory and do a waterfall experience.
Conclusion
Mark: Thank you so much for your time today. You've given some great insights, and I'm glad to see your success.
Adrienne: I was so happy to get your email. I had to research you first and I'm like, this man is amazing. I was really happy to be here. Thank you so much - this was a lot of fun.
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