Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Carr.
Hi Erica, 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?
It all started when… …some of our best friends didn’t have time to plan their trip to Spain. They booked flights to Barcelona, but that was as far as they got. Enter me – a first-born, Enneagram 1 who couldn’t bear the thought of them showing up in a city for the first time with nothing planned to do. They gave me their trip dates, budget, and trip wish list and off I went….to Hobby Lobby. Yes, the craft store. I knew that I couldn’t just book them a hotel room and activities and let that be it. I wanted it to be an experience from the moment they started packing their bags. So I got a kraft brown paper box, a bunch of envelopes, some fun travel goodies and started planning.
Each day’s itinerary and reserved events were in a daily, sealed envelope. Included were recommended itineraries, priority access tickets to the must-see monuments, off-the-beaten path suggestions, dining reservations, and even a 2-day interim vacation to San Sebastian, Spain.
Every night, they opened the following day’s folder to disclose their plans. They loved it…and so did all of their friends on social media! And from there, bookitbox TRAVEL was born.
bookitbox TRAVEL is estimating to finish 2022 at $2.2M in gross sales.
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?
Considering I launched bookitbox TRAVEL in 2019, just a year before Covid-19, I can say that we’ve had some bumps in the road. In 2020, I literally was working to lose money. It was brutal! But, the silver lining was that it gave me the pause I needed to implement some new systems to ensure an outstanding client experience.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m known as “the bookitbox girl”! As a luxury travel planner, you can imagine that everyone in town wants to chat about my business. Who doesn’t love travel, after all?!
We specialize in highly customized, luxury travel itineraries and allowing our clients to simply pack their bags and travel stress-free.
I’m most proud of the industry recognition I’ve received since launching bookitbox TRAVEL in 2019, including:
Speaker at Virtuoso Travel Week, Book More Travel Workshop, Travefy Webinar Series, Gifted Travel Network Webinar Series
Being nominated as Travel+Leisure’s “Rising Stars” in 2020. T+L selects ~20 travel advisors annually who are trailblazers in the industry. This nomination included attendance to two of the most luxury travel events of the year, ILTM in North America and Cannes, France.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Google Calendar keeps me on time! I love entrepreneurial podcasts, including How I Built This & Without Fail.
Pricing:
- Travel Design Fees start at $395+
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bookitboxtravel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookitboxtravel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookitboxtravel
Image Credits
Happy Everything Co
