Rising Stars: Meet Callie Cole of Athens, Georgia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Callie Cole.

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?
I moved to Georgia in 2015 after my masters program ended. I was excited to see a new place after only living in my home state since elementary school. After moving here, I began traveling more and more because of the proximity to so many places. I learned quickly that I loved to travel and see new places regularly.

I continued to love to travel and started creating travel plans for friends and family. In 2021, I decided to look into travel agencies to grow this passion into a business. The agency I chose plans all kinds of travel, hosts monthly trainings, yearly in person conferences and has a supportive administrative team that made this job fun and exciting. I began by planning Disney Destinations trips and have grown into planning European vacations, all inclusive honeymoons, destination weddings and more. I love that this turned into my own small business where I can grow, travel and assist other families with their bucket list trips.

Since becoming a travel agent, I have learned about many new destinations, types of travel and locations. I have experienced places I never knew of, continued to visit places I love and learned so much about the travel industry for my clients, but also for myself!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
All business adventures take work, trust, passion and trial and error. This venture has always been a positive experience even when it has not been easy. Flight delays, last minute cancellations, and hours of detailed planning happen all the time in this business. The planning is all worth it though when you see how happy a client’s child is when they meet with best friend at Disney World or when the honeymoon couple arrives to an upgraded suite at their destination.

This business is not easy in the beginning. You must plan to learn vendors, attend trainings on destinations, understand how owning a business affects your daily life, and make sure you are confident in your skills before you can adequately assist clients. It is a slow start, but I am thankful our agency has training and support in place for those first months so I felt confident to assist my clients quickly.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a travel agent with the travel agency Travelmation. I specialize in Disney Destinations, Cruising, European Vacations and All Inclusive Experiences. I am in the top 5% yearly with our agency and I am proud of how I support my clients and their experiences. Each trip needs individualized attention and assistance and I commit to providing each client with the time they need. I love travel planning, learning new places, and seeing pictures and excitement when clients are in their destination.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.travelmation.net/calliecole
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/My_NextBigAdventure
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/My_NextBigAdventure
• Other: https://traveljoy.com/webforms/x4HXz52xtpm67NJyVhcSbWgV/forms/vbBQ97M6gFgvKQ96ppP3uyog/link

Image Credits
Leah Banko