Starting a travel business is a brave and often scary step for so many reasons.

You have to learn the industry. You have to learn your clientele. And you have to learn everything that comes with running a business: systems, sales, marketing, finances, and problem-solving, all while showing up fully for people who are trusting you with their most meaningful moments.

In an industry that is constantly evolving, the learning curves never really end. Along the way, advisors often make sacrifices that aren’t always visible. More time working on the business. Taking a call during dinner because a client is stranded in an airport. Being mentally present for someone else’s vacation while juggling your own life in real time. It comes with the territory.

And within that territory of sacrifices, interruptions, and long hours, there is one thing that can make this journey feel sustainable instead of overwhelming: support.

I’m not talking about the support of a host agency, a colleague, or a supplier, though those relationships matter deeply. I’m talking about the support of a spouse or life partner. The person who believes in you when the business feels heavy. The person who listens, encourages, and quietly holds space when the wins feel far away.

This is something I understand on a very personal level. It took me years to find that kind of love and support, so I truly get it. I know what it feels like to build without it and what it feels like when you finally have it. The difference is profound. When you have someone who sees your vision, respects your work, and stands beside you through the highs and lows, everything feels steadier. Lighter. More possible.

And in an industry built entirely on relationships, that kind of personal support matters more than we sometimes acknowledge. Travel is not transactional at its core, it’s emotional. It’s about trust, connection, and care. The same qualities that make a great travel advisor are the same qualities that sustain meaningful relationships in life.

I’ve witnessed this over time throughout our GTN community, and I saw it in a particularly powerful way on a recent trip I hosted with IC Bellagio for our Top Accelerator advisors. Advisors were invited to bring a +1, and many chose to bring their spouses. As an observer, what stood out to me was the pride and the genuine admiration these partners had for the work their spouses had done to earn that experience.

One evening, one of the husbands stood up to toast his wife. There was humor woven in, and the sincerity was unmistakable. He spoke about her dedication, her success, and the journey it took her get there. He was visibly moved, in tears (and so was I), not only by his pride in her, but by the collective success in the room. He toasted everyone there. And in that moment, you could feel it: this wasn’t a one-time gesture. This was everyday support, lived out quietly and consistently.

I saw that same energy in the others there as well, the way spouses listened, watched, and beamed as their partners talked about their businesses. The support was not performative. It was deep. And it was real.

There are also many couples in this industry who work together and because they work together, they get to play together. I’ve seen them at GTN events, holding hands on the way back from a long day of sessions or conferencing, dancing together at a closing dinner, exchanging knowing glances across a crowded room. Those moments matter. Love, partnership, and mutual respect create a foundation that allows businesses to grow.

Which brings me to why this feels especially fitting during Valentine’s Week. This season gives us permission to pause and reflect on the relationships that ground us. If you’re an advisor who has that kind of love and support in your life, I hope you take a moment to truly appreciate it. Nurture it. Protect it. Don’t take it for granted. It is a gift.

And for those who don’t currently have that support, please know this: you are not behind. I was once there too. Love, partnership, and deep support can find you in its own time and in its own way. And until then, know that community, connection, and belief in yourself and from others, still matter deeply.

At the end of the day, this business is built on relationships. And when love and support are present, at home and in your community, everything you build is stronger.