Today we’d like to introduce you to Carly Heyward.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My business ventures started where most people do… through passion! Mine was through my passion of travel. During my summers off teaching, I predominately used my time to travel and had racked up about 50 countries before someone suggested I start a travel blog. It was mostly just for fun, and while I did try and monetize it, it wasn’t that profitable, but I was proud of it.
After 2 years of having my blog, I shifted my focus to include being a travel agent as well. I was helping people plan their trips, so why not try and capitalize on that! My niche slowly shifted from All-Inclusives and cruises (which is what I thought all agents did) to areas that aligned more with my own travel style–adventure!
I now sell a lot of small group adventure tours and polar expeditions. It’s so fun chatting with customers who want to get out in this great wide world of ours and matching them with the perfect itineraries for them.
Here we are a few years later and my side hustle has blossomed from an exciting $1000 a year of extra money to fully replacing my teaching income. This is my 13th and final year teaching, and I’ll be going full-time travel agent. Now I tap into my expertise of 80 countries on 7 continents to help others realize their travel goals–and I couldn’t be happier!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Obviously, the pandemic was the biggest roadblock in my travel business when the world ground to a halt. Luckily I sold a lot of polar tours which often book 1-2 years in the future, so I still maintained a presence in the travel realm. But I did lose almost all my organic Google traffic which is still limping back, and of course I didn’t receive any money for almost two years. Agents are only paid after travel, so if no one is traveling, then there isn’t any money.
Business has picked up though and in 2022 I saw over 400% growth from 2021 sales.
We’ve been impressed with Flight of the Educator, 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?
I’m a travel agent who specializes in small-group adventure tours, safaris, and polar expeditions. My travel blog also has ridiculously type A budget breakdowns of my trips to help people plan theirs along with guides of things to see besides a major tourist destination.
What sets me apart is that I’m always there for my clients. I was recently on a trip to Antarctica figuring out a plan B for a client who was unable to go to Peru because of uprisings. I always take care of my people. I also like to send pre-departure packets that help them navigate everything getting to their tour, and I care a lot about my clients having the best trip ever!
I also just super love my logo because I always wear sunglasses and like to take pictures of things reflected in them. My brand name comes from my favorite movie as a child, “Flight of the Navigator.”
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I’m most interested in where polar sales will go because there are a lot of statutes in place to protect the wildest place on Earth. I hope they continue to limit the number of ships down there because it’s a precious place <3
Contact Info:
- Website: www.flightoftheeducator.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/flightoftheeducator
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlightoftheEducator
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@askatravelagent
Image Credits
Carly Heyward
