Humans of Travel

In this live episode of Humans of Travel, host Chelsee Lowe talks smart business growth with Joe Leon, vice president of sales, the Americas for Silversea; Marc-Antoine Kamel, national director, Canada, for Norwegian Cruise Line; and Mickey McBride, vice president of sales for Avoya Travel. The trio attended Future Leaders in Travel in Mexico’s Riviera Maya last month to share their career paths and impart business wisdom to both travel advisors and fellow suppliers in the audience.  The panel discussion covers tackling professional and personal curveballs, taking risks, finding mentors, building confidence, dedicating time each day to business development, leveraging personal networks and much more. Listen in for practical and applicable ideas from three great business minds.  This episode is sponsored by Travel Insured International. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Future Leaders in Travel Silversea Norwegian Cruise Line Avoya Travel Lomas Hospitality El Dorado Royale Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas ABOUT YOUR HOST  Chelsee Lowe is Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She’s an avid reader, writer, interviewer and traveler. Los Angeles is her home base. The TravelAge West team also produces travel industry events, including Future Leaders in Travel, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum. ABOUT THE SHOW  TravelAge West’s award-winning podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marcus Williams is the owner of Houston-based travel agency Impressive Travels. After spending years in the medical world, Williams was inspired to pivot to the travel industry after his own destination wedding in Jamaica — seeing the joy his family and friends experienced abroad made him want to build similar vacations for others, and to educate people on the feasibility of travel. In this episode of Humans of Travel, Williams talks about group trips — including a recent Crop Over experience he hosted in Barbados — as well as how consistency, professional boundaries and ongoing education have helped him scale his business. Williams explains how firsthand destination knowledge and daily social media posts drive his success, with about 60% of business coming from social media. He also talks about balancing growing professional demands with family life, his love of fashion, how he prides himself on knowing where to send clients for a good time (clubs, hookah bars) in destination and a new HipHop Party Boat product he’s building in partnership with Renny Travel in the Dominican Republic. This episode is sponsored by Travel Insured International. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Impressive Travels Impressive Travels on Instagram Impressive Travels on Facebook Impressive Travels on TikTok Global Travel Marketplace Events Renny Travel and HipHop Party Boat ABOUT YOUR HOST  Chelsee Lowe is Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She’s an avid reader, writer, interviewer and traveler. Los Angeles is her home base. The TravelAge West team also produces travel industry events, including Future Leaders in Travel, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum. ABOUT THE SHOW  TravelAge West’s award-winning podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans in the Hot Seat, a spinoff of Humans of Travel, is running a 10-part mini-series on the 2026 TravelAge West Trendsetter Awards, which recognize some of the most forward-thinking and impactful travel advisors in the U.S. The Trendsetter Awards celebrate outstanding advisors across five unique categories: Best Targeted Marketing Idea Best Group Booking Effort Upward Bound: Rockstar Advisor Under 40 Saving the Day Best Use of Social Media This episode features Hope Reynolds of Timeless Travel Collective, who was nominated in the Best Targeted Marketing Idea category. Episode sponsor: Travel Insured International RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Timeless Travel Collective Timeless Travel Collective on Instagram TravelAge West Wave Awards TravelAge West Trendsetter Awards ABOUT YOUR HOST  Chelsee Lowe is Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She’s an avid reader, writer, interviewer and traveler. Los Angeles is her home base. The TravelAge West team also produces travel industry events, including Future Leaders in Travel, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum. ABOUT THE SHOW  TravelAge West’s award-winning podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Abbey Meyer, travel advisor and CEO of Altitude Travel, spent seven years teaching high school world geography before pivoting to the travel industry. She now runs an agency with a storefront in St. Louis and a team of 22 advisors, and helping them reach their individual business goals has become one of her primary professional objectives. In this episode, Meyer shares how her travels as a younger person — including a stint as a 6th grade student in Jamaica — influenced her career choices. Listeners will also hear about why she loves solo travel, how she tackles work-life balance as a parent and more. This episode is sponsored by National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Altitude Travel  Altitude Travel on Facebook Altitude Travel on Instagram Abbey Meyer on Instagram Global Travel Marketplace ABOUT YOUR HOST  Chelsee Lowe is Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She’s an avid reader, writer, interviewer and traveler. Los Angeles is her home base. The TravelAge West team also produces travel industry events, including Future Leaders in Travel, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum. ABOUT THE SHOW  TravelAge West’s award-winning podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Humans of Travel, Captain Heidi Norling shares how a childhood spent sailing with her father in the Stockholm archipelago sparked a lifelong fascination with navigation and the sea. A graduate of Sweden’s Kalmar Maritime Academy, Norling learned by doing, studying nautical English, celestial navigation, radar communications, safety procedures and more while on ships all around the world. She joined National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions in 2019 as a captain — the first-ever female captain of the fleet, and she’s currently helming National Geographic Resolution, a 138-guest expedition ship. Women remain a small minority among the world’s sea captains, making Norling a role model for many. Listen in to hear about her daily life on an expedition ship and why she loves the work she does. This episode is sponsored by National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Resolution National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions on Instagram In Good Company: Captain Heidi Norling On TravelAge West: Review: Sailing on National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions’ Islander II On TravelAge West: What’s on the Horizon for National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions ABOUT YOUR HOST  Chelsee Lowe is Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She’s an avid reader, writer, interviewer and traveler. Los Angeles is her home base. The TravelAge West team also produces travel industry events, including Future Leaders in Travel, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum. ABOUT THE SHOW  TravelAge West’s award-winning podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.