Last week, I had the opportunity to attend Canva Create in Los Angeles for the first time. I've watched the keynote virtually every year, but there's a depth to this event you can only experience in person, and spending the full day immersed in it did not disappoint.

There is a point in almost every travel advisor’s career where the question shifts.

Early on, we're consumed with the basics. How do I find clients? How do I grow my business? Those are the right questions for that season, but as you grow your business past the break-even phase and continue to build, a deeper question starts to surface:

What am I actually building, and does it fit the life I want?

Charlotte, NC — April 13, 2026 — Gifted Travel Network (GTN), a luxury host agency and professional development platform for travel entrepreneurs, is proud to announce the official launch of Ascend, a new growth-focused program designed specifically for experienced travel advisors ready to elevate their businesses into the luxury market.

There's a question I find myself asking travel advisors more often than almost any other: Are you booking trips, or are you running a business?

It sounds like a subtle distinction, but it truly isn't.

What's the only thing better than a fun fact? A fun fact about marketing. Hear me out…

We're all familiar with Febreze — the magical spray that eliminates odors and instantly freshens your home. It's been around since the late nineties, expanded into dozens of products, and earned enough credibility that cat litters and fabric softeners proudly feature its logo as a signal of trust.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I learned that the initial launch was a total flop.

Gifted Travel Network (GTN), a luxury host agency and professional development platform for travel entrepreneurs, announced that 17 advisors from its network have been named as 2026 Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists. This list is one of the travel industry’s most respected recognitions, highlighting advisors who demonstrate exceptional expertise in luxury travel planning and the ability to design highly personalized travel experiences for their clients.

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.

When Host Agency Reviews (HAR) launched more than a decade ago, it filled a gap that was causing real damage in our industry. Advisors were making major business decisions based on Facebook chatter, recruiter pitches, or whoever had the shiniest commission split—with almost no way to compare hosts on factors that actually determine long-term success. There was no centralized, unbiased source of information. No transparency around fees, support structures, technology, culture, or what happens after year one.

If you have an insatiable appetite for traveling the world; if friends constantly ask you for travel advice; if you lose hours researching destinations for fun, and creating meticulously planned itineraries lights you up, you’ve probably wondered if this natural gift could become something more.

When I invited Dianna Hetzel of Mer Bleue to join me on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, I knew we would have a great conversation about her branding. What I didn’t expect was such a powerful reminder of why so many of us end up in this industry in the first place, and why that origin story matters more than we realize.

January is Mentor Appreciation Month, and at Gifted Travel Network, it’s a time to pause and reflect on something we hold deeply true: meaningful growth doesn’t happen in isolation.

One of the best things about the travel industry is how many advisors come from completely different careers. I'm constantly meeting former teachers, nurses, corporate executives, marketing professionals - people who spent decades doing something entirely unrelated to travel before making the leap. This isn't a disadvantage, but actually one of our industry's greatest strengths.

If you’ve read any of my other articles, you know I’m a mindset convert. I even dabble in the woo-woo here and there (apparently, people can change). But I’ve never been a big New Year’s resolution person, mainly because they rarely feel like real, tangible goals. They tend to sound more like, “This is who I’d like to be, and I hope my wish comes true.” They’re often aspirational, overly ambitious, and forgotten by February.

After nearly 30 years in education, most people would double down on what they know. But every now and then, someone chooses reinvention over routine. That's exactly what Tracy Husted did.