Jamie Biesiada
Karen Urosevich, the founder of Well Placed Travel in Dallas, recently returned from "the trip of a lifetime," as she described it.
Last month, Urosevich embarked on a monthlong trip from Australia to New Zealand to Bali. On top of the typical leisure vacation activities like sightseeing and activities, Urosevich also added site inspections into the mix, and she planned to keep her business running while traveling. It's a part of the world she believes has great potential for her clients to visit.
I previously wrote about her plan and other advisors' advice on working from the road.
So, how did she make out?
"To be honest, it had its moments, but it was absolutely fantastic," Urosevich said.
In fact, it was so fantastic that she's already thinking about her next long trip. But before she gets there, here are some of her takeaways from her most recent trip.
Vacation-work balance
Balancing work and experiences made for some long days. That, combined with jet lag, was a challenge, Urosevich said. She was on the trip with her partner, who was also working; the two ended up in a routine where they would work for a few hours in the early morning, spend the day doing their planned activities then spend more time working in the afternoon.
"We probably sacrificed some connection time and rest and some exploration time," she said, but they also made a point to schedule days with deliberate downtime.
She also scheduled site inspections when she first arrived at hotels to ensure she got what she needed right away.
Urosevich did have one client problem to solve while away: an airline mess that took about five days to clear up. It required a lot of extra time on the phone and WhatsApp for Urosevich, but she fixed the issue.
Putting a pause on new clients
Before leaving, she set herself up for success. She's an affiliate of Avenue Two Travel, which disseminates leads to advisors. Urosevich opted out of accepting new client leads while on her trip.
"I didn't think I would be really present in the way that I wanted to service potential new clients," she said.
She did remain open to referrals and requests from existing clients, though.
A few additional challenges presented themselves: a converter zapping her laptop, which was unable to keep a charge for most of the trip, a respiratory infection during her stay in New Zealand and weather keeping her from planned activities.
The trip also had several successes.
"Although I was mentioning the jet lag and the time difference as a challenge, I think one of the successes was using that to my advantage, getting up early and being wide awake at weird hours of the morning," she said. "You're not just going to lay in bed and do nothing. I used it to be productive."
Urosevich also set aside time each day to write about her experiences. She plans to use that to speak to clients about the destination in the future, as well as for social media posts.
Advanced preparation was another win, she said. She was as productive as possible before leaving, especially for clients traveling while she was away or immediately when she got back. She gathered all their final documents and prepped them about how she would be communicating while she was on the road.
The one-year anniversary of Well Placed Travel happened while she was on the road, and she created and scheduled all her marketing messages around the anniversary.
Another huge win: visiting so many hotels and lodges.
"I made connections with the teams there in a place in the world that I think is an opportunity," she said. "To be able to squeeze that much into the itinerary, I really do see that as a huge win."
Be proactive, be realistic
For other advisors considering similar longer trips that mix business and fun, Urosevich recommended being proactive before departing to minimize the work that needs to get done while on the road.
She also encouraged them to "be realistic," adding, "Can your business actually afford for you to be gone for this long?" For Urosevich, thinking about that led to her decision to turn down new client leads while on her trip.
Keeping some kind of wellness routine is important, she said, as is being clear on communication with clients.
Finally, she said, take enough time to plan the trip. She spent around six months planning hers.
"Part of it is like — I know I say it and I've heard other advisors say it — we plan our trips last," Urosevich said. "I went back and revised things a few times because I met a new hotel rep and I was like, 'Oh, I want to see this in your portfolio,' or rerouting the itinerary based on things we wanted to do."
While she's only just returned from this latest adventure, Urosevich is already thinking about her next longer-term stays. She's eyeing France, the U.K. and Africa as possibilities.