Community Highlights: Meet Jazmyn McGruder of TRVL + Toast

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazmyn McGruder.

Hi Jazmyn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I spent over 10 years in the Air Force, working administrative and executive support at the wing headquarters level. I was stationed in Hawaii before I landed in Houston, and that decade in uniform taught me how to plan, execute, and take care of people under pressure. It’s the same skill set I use today, just with a lot more champagne involved.

While I was still transitioning out of the military, I started dreaming about what came next. I launched TRVL + Toast in March 2024, right in the middle of that transition. The name says it all: Arrive. Exhale. Toast. I wanted to create a travel experience that felt like planning with your most well connected best friend, not some stiff corporate agency.

I went on to earn my MBA from Texas Southern University in December 2025, while I was already building the business. So I was learning the strategy side of things in real time, applying what I was studying directly to the brand I was growing.

TRVL + Toast is a luxury travel advisory based in Houston, and I’m the founder and sole advisor. I specialize in honeymoons, celebration trips, and wellness retreats, and I work with clients all over the world, not just locally. On top of that, I teach Lagree and Pilates, because movement and wellness are part of how I live, not just what I sell to clients.

I also hold a Doctor of Ministry, focused on whole person wellness and spiritual development. It all ties together for me. Whether I’m booking a honeymoon, teaching a class, or leading a retreat, it’s really about helping people arrive somewhere better than where they started.

Right now I’m also getting ready to launch an embroidered merch line for TRVL + Toast, so the brand will live beyond the trips themselves and become something clients can wear and carry with them too.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a straight line, no. Transitioning out of the military after a decade was its own adjustment. You go from having structure and a built-in support system to figuring out who you are and what you’re building completely on your own. Starting a business at the same time made it even more layered. I was learning how to be a civilian and an entrepreneur at once.

Building TRVL + Toast meant wearing every hat. I’m the founder, the advisor, the marketer, and the one answering emails at midnight. I’m affiliated with Fora Travel, which gives me the backend support and industry connections, but the brand, the client relationships, and the vision are all mine. There were plenty of moments where I doubted whether a solo advisor could really compete with bigger agencies, or whether people would trust me with something as personal as their honeymoon or their milestone trip.

What kept me going was remembering why I started. I wanted to build something that felt personal, not transactional. Every time a client came back and said the trip felt like it was made just for them, that was proof the harder road was worth it.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What sets me apart is that everything is personal. There’s no call center, no rotating rep. It’s just me, learning your style, your budget, and your vision, then building a trip around that. I want every client to feel like they’re planning with a best friend who happens to have serious travel connections, not a stiff corporate agency.

I work with Fora Travel and Virtuoso, which means my clients get access to perks and upgrades that most people can’t book on their own. That’s the behind the scenes piece that makes the personal touch even more valuable.

I’m most proud of the wellness retreat side of the business. I’m building retreats that go beyond a nice hotel and a good itinerary, ones that actually give people space to slow down, reconnect, and come home different than when they left. I’m also getting ready to launch an embroidered merch line, so the TRVL + Toast brand can live beyond the trip itself.

What I want readers to know is simple: travel should feel like an exhale, not another thing to manage. That’s the whole idea behind the name. Arrive. Exhale. Toast.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I’d love for readers to know I’m currently working on expanding into international retreats, so stay tuned, there’s more coming on that front soon.

I’d also just encourage anyone reading this who has a dream sitting on the back burner to go after it. I didn’t wait until everything felt perfect or fully figured out. I started TRVL + Toast in the middle of one of the biggest transitions of my life, and it’s still one of the best decisions I’ve made. If there’s something you have been wanting to build, this is your sign to start.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://trvlandtoast.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trvlandtoast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trvlandtoast