Off the Script is an unscripted look at what it actually takes to be a travel advisor. This is the craft, the doubts, and the wins that never make it to a caption. By Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, a cruise and travel advisor specializing in Alaska group travel and multi-generational cruise planning for cruise lines like Holland America, Princess Cruises and Virgin Voyages. Each episode is a raw documentary-style conversation about what it takes to be an advisor behind the scenes. It goes into detail about the imposter syndrome that no one names out loud, the moments that clients have that shape how she works, and what it is actually like to sell places that you love for a living.
Most people assume a travel advisor on a cruise is just enjoying the trip. In this episode, Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, goes behind the scenes of creating cruise content as a travel advisor. She explains why people want to see a real person in the destination instead of stock photos, how she researches cabins and builds a shot list for every deck before a trip, and what influencers figured out about capturing attention that advisors are learning now. She also gets hon...
9 Oct 2026
Do Travel Advisors Cost More? (How We Actually Get Paid)
“Does using a travel advisor cost more?” It’s the question Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, hears most. In this episode, she explains how a travel advisor actually gets paid, why commission comes from the supplier and often doesn’t arrive until after the trip, and why a planning or research fee is a normal part of the work on complex trips. Off the Script is hosted by Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, a cruise and travel advisory specializing in Alaska, group ...
2 Oct 2026
Door Kickers
"You called me because you realized I actually knew what I was talking about — and then you didn't want to book with me." In this episode, Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, talks about "door kickers" — her term for the people who seek out an advisor's expertise, take all the research and planning, and then book it themselves or were never serious about booking at all. A candid, sometimes funny look at a frustration most travel advisors deal with but rarely say out loud.&nbs...
18 Sept 2026
The Dream vs The Deposit
Some clients don't know what they want — but the ones who know exactly what they want aren't always easier. In this episode, Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, unpacks why budget is often the thing that breaks a dream itinerary: passenger fees after the first two travelers, package restrictions that clash with expectations, and promotions that set a fixed idea of cost before reality sets in. She also talks about the hardest part of the job that has nothing to do with logisti...
10 Sept 2026
Somewhere Warm (And What That Actually Means)
“I want to go somewhere warm” and every travel advisor knows that tells you almost nothing. In this episode, Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, talks about the hardest part of the job: figuring out what a client actually wants when they don't know themselves. She breaks down why budget is rarely the real starting point, why people get overwhelmed instead of being specific, and the elimination method she actually uses to turn “somewhere warm” into a real trip. Off the Script is hos...
3 Sept 2026
Why This, Why Now
Why I'm starting a podcast instead of another social post, and what it's really like to be a travel advisor when the caption's in this first episode of Off the Script, Melissa Odom, owner of Trouvaille Discoveries, introduces the show: unscripted conversations about the real work behind travel advising. Not tips, not a highlight reel, just the honest version. She talks about building an Alaska-focused cruise and group travel business and names something advisors rarely say out loud: the tens...
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