Interview Summary: Mark Murphy with Cessey of Anytime Travel Solutions
About Cessey
Cessey is the owner of Anytime Travel Solutions who has spent 41 years in the travel industry. Originally from Peru, she started in the industry while waiting for her green card, taking a temporary job at a travel agency (her sister worked for an airline). After spending over 20 years in corporate travel, she shifted to focus on leisure and luxury travel in 2011.
Luxury Travel Approach
Cessey defines luxury travel differently than most:
* To her, luxury is about "certainty" - knowing your travel will be flawless.
* She believes many clients are actually doing luxury travel without realizing it.
* She charges substantial planning fees ($500 for general planning, $250 per person minimum for detailed itineraries).
* She distinguishes her planning role from concierge services, setting clear expectations.
Travel Programs
Sassy offers several specialized travel programs:
1. Girls Only Trips: Running for 17 years, these women-only trips are what she calls her "most fulfilling task".
2. Travel Seven Continents (T7): A program for clients willing to travel for at least 2.5 weeks, combining land tours with cruises.
3. Celebrity Cruises Partnership: She works with Celebrity Cruises (Royal Caribbean brand) to integrate cruise segments into her programs.
Recent Travel Experiences
The interview detailed Cessey's extensive recent travels:
Antarctica
* Recommends planning at least two weeks to combine Antarctica with Argentina/Patagonia.
* Noted that travelers must cross the Drake Passage (with about 50% experiencing seasickness).
* Uses Celebrity's smaller explorer ships for these expeditions.
Africa (18-day recent trip)
1. Cape Town: Attended the ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) trade show.
2. Kenya: Visited Soroy Lion's Bluff in southern Kenya, featuring a unique "hide" experience where guests can view wildlife up-close at a watering hole.
3. Chale Island: Explored a unique island resort with overwater bungalows and a special "suite in the rock" for honeymooners.
4. Warning: She strongly advised against trying to combine South Africa and Kenya in one trip due to excessive travel time.
Business Approach and Advice
Cessey shared valuable insights for travel advisors:
* Niche specialization: "Stop learning everything around. Just learn what you wanna make money and have value of it."
* Proactive review collection: She builds feedback expectations into her planning process and sends prepared links to make reviewing easy.
* Technology use: She's a strong advocate for Travefy, an itinerary planning platform with chat features for real-time client communication.
* Value communication: She explicitly explains her professional value and fee structure during initial consultations.
Travel Industry Observations
* Luxury travel remained strong after the pandemic, with clients allocating larger budgets and taking longer trips.
* She values first-hand destination knowledge, traveling approximately every other month.
* She discussed how work continues even while traveling (handling a client airline issue while kayaking in Kenya).
* She explained how online reviews can be misleading, with hotels incentivizing positive reviews regardless of quality.
Personal Experiences
Throughout the interview, Cessey shared several personal stories:
* She once worked as a security guard at the Port of Miami making $4.80/hour.
* She's a certified PADI diver and participated in diving in Kenya.
* She's based in Melbourne, Florida (the "Space Coast").
* She had to take SBA loans during the pandemic while continuing to work without income.
The interview concluded with Mark and Cessey briefly touching on broader issues like taxation and pandemic responses, with Cessey reiterating her recommendation that travelers should use a human "app" (travel advisor) rather than relying on potentially misleading online reviews.
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