Jamie Biesiada
On Sept. 17, Karen Urosevich, the founder of Well Placed Travel in Dallas, will set off on a monthlong trip that will take her from Australia to New Zealand to Bali.
The itinerary is packed full of sightseeing and activities, as well as site inspections at several properties along the way. It's part personal and part professional: her partner will join her for a portion of the itinerary, then she'll finish out the rest with a friend. Urosevich also plans to continue working throughout.
Karen Urosevich
It's something of an experiment. Can she do it all and keep running her business seamlessly? If so, it could spark great interest from her clients.
"First and foremost, I see a real opportunity for getting people really interested and excited about New Zealand, Australia and just different parts of the world," she said.
But she also wants to put to the test the idea of having the flexibility to work from anywhere while simultaneously incorporating travel-activity aspects into those days.
"I'm very curious to see the themes that will reveal themselves," Urosevich said. "Can you really do a self-fam? You know, move around a lot and still be able to carry the business?"
Urosevich's travel journey, so far
Urosevich opened her agency, an Avenue Two Travel affiliate, last October. It's a second career; she spent more than 20 years in commercial hospitality design, development and construction.
After experiencing some career burnout, she decided to take time off and work with an executive coach to identify what she wanted to do for the next 15 years of her career.
Like many advisors, she always loved planning trips.
"I've always been the person who's like, if somebody's going somewhere, 'Oh, wait a second, let me send you my notes,'" she said.
Urosevich had worked with a travel advisor before, when her busy career prevented her from doing her own planning. And that advisor was Urosevich's first call when she realized she wanted to embark on a career as an advisor herself - the advisor encouraged her to go for it.
Urosevich has doubled her initial goals in her first three quarters in business, serving a couple dozen clients around the world. She is building up her presence on social media and started a newsletter in January. She's taken leads from other advisors, and she's starting to benefit from client referrals.
One of the things she's noticed is that many travelers choose to focus on one area, usually Western Europe. She's hoping her trip to Australia, New Zealand and Bali will inspire others to get out of their comfort zone.
"I think the best way for me to do that is to go and do these things firsthand, because it gives me confidence," she said. "I think it gives travelers trust, knowing that I've been to these places."
In short, Urosevich said: "Having a baseline of knowledge instills trust in potential clients."
She's been planning the trip since January; the New Zealand tourism board's training program was particularly helpful, she said, noting tourism boards can be rich resources for advisors. And when she's in-destination, she plans to share her adventures via her newsletter and on social media in real time.
Of balancing travel with her business, she said, "I'm a little nervous, but it'll all work out."
Readers, share your thoughts
Seasoned advisors, do you have any advice for Urosevich, or for other advisors considering doing a similar trip? If so, please share it with me for a follow-up article. I'll also connect with Urosevich after she returns; watch this space in October. If any suppliers out there have advice about experiencing a product while still working, I'd welcome that, too.
To share advice, you can email me directly at [email protected]. Alternatively, I've set up an online form if you'd prefer to provide feedback that way. Thanks in advance for contributing your experiences.