Welcome to The Travel Business Unpacked, the podcast by Gifted Travel Network, the premier host agency for luxury travel advisors. Hosted by Meredith Calloway, this podcast is your gateway to discovering how to turn a love for travel into a thriving career. Explore inspiring stories, expert insights, and proven strategies for building a sustainable and lucrative travel business. Whether you're dreaming of making a career leap or seeking fresh ideas to grow your existing travel venture, this is the podcast for you! Learn more about Gifted Travel Network: https://www.giftedtravelnetwork.com/
Soul-Stirring Journeys and a Seven-Figure First Year with Sylvia Sulkes
Sylvia Sulkes knew for years that her work wasn't fulfilling her anymore, but it took a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro with her husband to make the decision clear. A month after coming down the mountain, she joined GTN's Travel MBA program and launched Sol Kiss Escapes, a luxury travel business built around soul-stirring journeys that give clients what they actually need, whether that's rest, a reset, or more time with family. Before even finishing her first year in the program, she crossed seven figures in sales.In this episode, Sylvia joins Meredith to talk about how she got there. She shares the story behind the name Sol Kiss Escapes, the last-minute festive request that became her first big booking, and how GTN's Circle community helped her land the perfect stay at Cap Juluca in Anguilla. She explains why a fast response and a thoughtful, visual proposal won the client over, how that one trip turned into a year-long retainer, and why she's choosing to keep her client book small. She and Meredith also get into the mindset that keeps her steady during slower stretches, her first National Geographic expedition cruise, and the role her husband plays in the business she's building.
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📖 Free Chapter: https://tinyurl.com/GTN-Chap7
🎓 Travel Business University: https://tinyurl.com/Learn-More-TBU
-🖥️ Sol Kiss Escapes: https://solkissescapes.com/
👤 Sylvia's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviasulkes
28 Sept 2026
Outgrowing Your Host Agency: Laura Gonzalez on Finding the Right Fit
This week on The Travel Business Unpacked podcast, Meredith Calloway is joined by Laura Gonzalez, founder of Vacation Artisans Travel Agency, to talk about knowing when it's time for a change and starting fresh after a decade in the industry.
Laura shares her journey from nonprofit event planning to ten years as a travel advisor, including the slump that made her decide whether to recommit to her business or step away. She talks about choosing to double down, what told her she had outgrown her previous host, and why she approached her search for a new one like an interview on both sides. Meredith and Laura also discuss the tradeoffs between large hosts and smaller boutique agencies, why being part of a Virtuoso agency mattered to her, and what it was like joining the Gifted Travel Network community.
Throughout the conversation, Laura offers an honest look at building a business while raising a family, from working during nap times when she first started to making the most of the time her son spends at extracurricular activities. She explains why she's comfortable passing on clients who aren't the right fit, and how asking clients why they're traveling shapes every trip she plans. Laura also shares why she loves the challenge of planning for multigenerational families and how she's encouraging her cruise clients to arrive a few days early and explore beyond their cruise itinerary.
📖 Free Chapter: https://tinyurl.com/GTN-Chap7
🎓 Travel Business University: https://tinyurl.com/Learn-More-TBU
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🖥️ Vacation Artisans Travel Agency: https://vacationartisans.com/
👤 Laura's LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/4fkkt2ka
21 Sept 2026
Julie and Alex Ott on Building a Mother-Son Team in Luxury Sports Travel
Julie and Alex Ott are the mother-son team behind Triple Play Vacations. In this episode, they join Meredith Calloway to talk about what it looks like to build a business together while specializing in one of travel's fastest-growing niches: sporting events.
Julie's path into travel started during the pandemic, right after wrapping up 25 years in the apparel and footwear industry, including years living abroad in Hong Kong, Switzerland, and France with her family. She went through GTN's Travel MBA program in 2020, and Alex followed a year later in 2021 before eventually leaving his corporate job as a credit analyst to join her full time.
They open up about how they divide and conquer, with Julie focused on cruise, river cruise, and adventure travel, and Alex leading the charge on sporting event trips, from fan bases and stadium culture to how the name Triple Play came to be. They also talk candidly about what it's really like working as mother and son, staying close while living in different cities, and how they've leaned on the right partners to help pull off major event trips like the US Open.
📖 Free Chapter: https://tinyurl.com/GTN-Chap7
🎓 Travel Business University: https://tinyurl.com/Learn-More-TBU
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🖥️ Triple Play Vacations Website: https://tripleplayvacations.com/
👤 Julie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-ott
👤 Alex's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexjott
Who has been a guest on The Travel Business Unpacked
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Nicholas Dintelmann
Pam Smithgall
Shawn Lamphear
Jon Malpass
Lisa VanBuhler
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.6 / 5
10 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 37 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
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