“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Some highlights of my own childhood aspirations include cowboy, stuntman, full-time camp counselor, Indiana Jones. The answers you give to this question when you’re a kid rarely come to be. But maybe, we should look back to our earlier career choices when it comes time to start charting a course through the adult world. We might not end up a cowboy or secret agent or ballerina princess, but might have an easier time finding a career that is actually fulfilling if we take some cues from our younger selves.
As I got older, I went through a long list of potential job paths.
Teacher (so I could have summers off to do some amateur archaeology in exotic locales), journalism school, communications major, photography, back to teaching again – history the second time around. Did I really want to be a teacher, or a newspaper writer, a photojournalist, or a historian? Not really. But I was a voracious reader, a lifelong learner, a talented writer. I’ve always enjoyed digging into research and thoroughly absorbing everything there is to know on a subject – any subject. I love to know things, and to share the interesting things I learn with others. Those options seemed to fit with those skill sets.
Something was missing
The problem is, the careers I tried on all missed out on the common thread between all my childhood dream jobs – adventure. Exploring. I grew up on a steady diet of adventure stories, books, movies. My dreams and my play often centered around being an explorer – I was lucky to grow up with a large forest behind my house, where we would spend hours having the small adventures that seemed so big to our young imaginations.
I had lots of opportunities to have bigger adventurers, too.
We didn’t take a lot of trips to beaches or theme parks when I was a kid. But we went to so many places, and got to experience so much. My family hiked, and camped.We explored just about every park in the state of Ohio. Road trips were more our thing. Growing up in Scouting provided even more amazing adventures – backpacking in the mountains of New Mexico, a weekend at Space Camp, sleeping in the true darkness of a cave, white water rafting and spending the night on a World War 2 aircraft carrier were just a handful of the highlights. Three weeks in Central Europe with the People to People program opened up my 8th grade brain to a whole new world of places to explore.
Finding my Key to the World
One career option that never occurred to me, as a kid or young adult, was travel agent. We never used travel agents growing up. As far as I was aware, travel agents were middle-aged men with thinning hair and loud checked suits working at ancient computers in little shopping plaza store fronts. Lucky for me, I learned that working at a travel agency checks off every box on my list.
When my oldest son was 6 months old, we took him to Walt Disney World. It was our first big family vacation. We went with my wife’s sister, who at the time was getting ready to open her own travel agency with a friend who we also met on that trip. At the time I didn’t even know that Key to the World Travel was going to exist, let alone be such a major part of my life.
Planning and research
In the lead up to our big trip, I spent most of my free time learning everything I could about Walt Disney World Resort. I had visited once with my family way back in 1994. Obviously, a lot had changed in twenty years. I wanted to be ready, to know the best way to get around the parks, to know all the best snacks and shows and hidden gems. More than that, I wanted to know as much history of the Disney theme parks as I could. I was especially interested in the work of the Imagineers, the classic dark rides they created with little more than their imagination and some stage magic tricks.
Research and planning
I went deep into research mode preparing for our first family trip in 2012, and I stayed there for a long time. Just keeping up with theme park news in general, learning more about the history of the theme parks and the Disney company as a whole. After a couple of years, my wife became the office manager for Key to the World Travel. Between my interests and her career, travel was always a common topic of conversation at home. Before long my sister-in-law approached me with an idea. I knew just about everything there was to know about Disney theme parks. I enjoyed research, exploring new places, and had planned a few epic road trip vacations for my young family. Maybe I’d do well as a travel advisor.
It turns out, this was the opportunity I didn’t know I was looking for.
Working for Key to the World Travel allows me to use all the skills and interests that I’d been trying to synthesize into a career for so long. This is a career that requires daily research into new destinations and developments in the industry. Every guest presents a new puzzle to solve, a place to learn about. I read constantly, I write daily. I take photographs and make videos of amazing places. I get to share those photos, and videos, and all the knowledge I gain with other people.
Most important, I get to explore and have adventures. Sometimes virtually through my computer screen, sometimes in person, I’m constantly exploring and trying new things. I’ve conquered rollercoasters, walked miles across strange cities to find hidden gems, tried incredible new foods, and even jumped off waterfalls. When you’re a travel advisor, you have to try it all for yourself, so you can give your clients the best advice for their adventures.
Working for Key to the World Travel has offered me something else I’d been craving – freedom, and flexibility.
Key to the World Travel advisors work as much, or as little, as they want. The work is highly mobile, and often can be done with a smartphone or laptop. I’m able to spend more time with my family, and take time away from work when I need to. The job also affords me the flexibility to travel more often, to do the exploring that I love so much.
The job also comes with the satisfaction of sharing the experiences and places that I’m so enthusiastic about with others, and knowing that I’ve helped them to create memories that last a lifetime.
Travel Advisors make dreams come true
Are you considering becoming a travel advisor? Have you never considered being a travel advisor, but find yourself thinking “I love to travel, I have excellent organizational and research skills, and I’m passionate about helping other people and sharing incredible experiences”? Are you already the default planner in your family or friend group, because you always know the best places to visit and find the best deals?
The good news is, Key to the World Travel is always looking for highly motivated people with a passion for travel to join our award-winning team of travel planners. No previous experience is necessary – we provide comprehensive training, along with one-on-one mentoring for your first year. We also provide ongoing support, continuing education opportunities, and industry leading benefits for our actively selling team members.
Key to the World Travel is recognized in the travel industry as a leading agency. We consistently rank among the highest sellers with the most popular travel destinations. Our training and education program received the Gold Magellan award from Travel Weekly in 2023. Our Keys to Inclusion program to support special needs travelers has also received the Golden Magellan award, and our Group Travel department is recognized as the top Educational Travel Services Provider by Educational Technology Insights Magazine.
Our desired qualifications for travel advisors are:
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Excellent customer service skills
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Expert level knowledge of Disney Destinations and/or other worldwide destinations
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Highly motivated, with excellent organizational skills
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Comfortable with technology and online research
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Self-directed
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Active user of social media, comfortable with multiple platforms and aware of the most up-to-date trends for effective social media interactions
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Comfortable with sales and marketing
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Strong communication skills
If these requirements sound like you, and you’re ready to start helping others make travel memories that will last a lifetime, we’d love to hear from you.
Click HERE to complete our online application.
It’s never too late to find a new answer to “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Join our travel family, and become the key to a magical vacation.
