Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Hawkins.
Hi Kristin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My passion for travel planning began back in 1996 while I was planning my honeymoon to the Island of Maui. This was the first trip I had ever planned as an adult so I worked with a local travel consultant recommended by my parents. After working with this consultant, I thought to myself, this is something that I could do and I would be good at it. I love working with people, I’m extremely organized, I love researching where to go, where to stay, things to do and see. I just knew I would be good at it and would treat each client’s vacation like it was my own. After our honeymoon, I reached out to the consultant to find out how to get started in the travel industry. Her reply was I needed to go to travel school. Being a fairly recent college graduate with a business degree and already working in IT, there was no way I could financially go to travel school. So, my dream of becoming a travel consultant was quickly squashed. I continued to plan trips for my family and help family members and friends plan their trips.
Fast forward to 2017, I happened to be chatting with my son’s tennis coach about my dream of becoming a travel consultant. He said well, I know someone who owns a travel agency. So he put me in contact with that person. I just wanted to find out how to get into the travel industry. After two hours of me drilling her with questions, she offered me a position with their agency. I was still working in the IT industry full time, so I began my travel consulting business on a part-time basis, mainly on nights and weekends. Fast forward to 2020, we all know what happened in the world that year. Something happened to me that I didn’t see coming. I was laid off after working for the same IT company for 22 years. That hit me hard. I started looking for a new job and was finding that I just didn’t have the passion and desire to go back to that industry. It wasn’t what I wanted to do. My husband was so supportive and told me to go for it. Follow my dream of being a full-time travel consultant.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Being an entrepreneur is never a smooth road. It’s a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs. I’ve always worked for an employer and have never been my own boss. I always felt safe. Being an independent agent, I am responsible for generating my own leads and clients, which again is something I have never done before. Thankfully, I have met a lot of great people in the industry along the way and they have been an amazing support system.
We’ve been impressed with Travel Memories Await, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Everyone is being pulled in so many different directions these days with endless to-do lists. You can be a stay-at-home Mom, a working Mom and Dad, a business professional, it doesn’t matter…we all need a vacation from time and time and sometimes it can be difficult to find the time to do the research. The internet has too much information making it overwhelming. You don’t know which reviews to trust, if the resort pictures are real pictures, where to find the best pricing, the list goes on and on.
Life is busy and my client’s time is valuable. My goal is take travel planning off my client’s “To-Do” list so they can relax more and create lasting memories.
I treat each of my client’s vacations like it is my very own. I provide personalized service at no cost to you. Your happiness and satisfaction is my top priority. I will make sure your vacation is tailored to you.
I am always there before, during, and after your trip.
I am my client’s advocate. Should something derail their trip, I will get their trip back on track.
I help each of my clients plan the perfect vacation, whether it’s a cruise, a family trip to Disney, a couples or girl’s trip to an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean or a trip to Europe.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
So many people to thank. During the pandemic, I met an incredible group of women from the U.S. and Canada during an online mastermind course on Travel Agent Social Media techniques. We really got to know each other on a personal level, sharing our stories and everyone was so supportive of one another. Nothing was ever a competition. To this day, there’s a small group of us who gather once a month over Zoom to catch up, share stories and ideas and get advice from one another. We also stay connected in a private Facebook group. They have been invaluable to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.travelmemoriesawait.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmemoriesawait/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelmemoriesawait/
