It Began in the Dining Room
You’ve heard about those businesses that began in the garage or the basement, haven’t you?
The Joy of Travel began in January, 2005 on my dining room table in Eufaula, Oklahoma. Within 90 days I was so busy I knew I had to open a storefront. The agency had not only engulfed the dining room, but the two spare bedrooms as well. I opened up in an old gas station a block from Main Street and never looked back.
Maybe it was because I was born in Eufaula. Maybe it was because I had been Director of Nursing at our local hospital; everyone knew me and trusted me. Maybe it was because there wasn’t another agency in Eufaula. I have no idea what made it a recipe for success, but boy oh boy it was crazy busy.
By July 2008 I had 97 unanswered voicemails. I was completely overwhelmed so I decided to add an additional agent. What better pool to hire from than my own customers. 15 years later I have 12 Oklahoma agents, all of whom began as my customers. I wanted my agents to have been a customer, to know first-hand how I treated customers and how I expected them to treat our customers. My 13th agent is Doreen Kyle in Missouri, who I met in a pool in Cancun and by the end of the trip knew I needed her on my team.
The Joy of Travel motto is we never recommend anywhere or any brand we haven’t tried first. My agents and I travel extensively, always checking out the newest brands, and checking up on the older ones to be sure they are maintaining our standards. We have literally, as individuals and as a team, traveled the world.
Just last week I took Doug to a stunning new resort in Cancun. It was a fantastic experience and will be a Valentine’s Day we always remember. While we were there I also spent a day at three luxury adult-only properties I’ve been booking for years but hadn’t personally seen in a couple of years. They’d done some soft remodels and I needed to check those out for myself. It was a combination work/play trip, as usual.
Next month I’ll be cruising on the brand new Avalon Waterways suite ship, the View, along with the Godmother of the ship, Meredith Viera. An inaugural sailing is something I haven’t done before, what an adventure.
Last October I cruised the Danube on the new AMA Waterways Magna, Time Magazines Destination of the year. That’s the first time a ship has been name the destination of the year by Time, quite an honor.
Every year my agents and I book many millions of dollars in travel, I can only say THANK YOU! The support, the bookings, and the referrals of our loyal customers are what have made it all possible.
The Joy of Travel is the #1 agency in Oklahoma with the Globus Family of Brands (Globus, Cosmos, Avalon, Monograms and Cosmos Lite as well as Globus Escapes), we are #1 with AM Resorts (Zoetry, Secrets, Dreams, Now, Breathless and Sunscape), and we are your Presidents Circle agency with Travel Leaders. We are a Platinum Agency with Apple Vacations and a Gold Agency with Funjet Vacations. We are leading the pack with Holland America, and we are one of the largest privately-owned Travel Agencies in the United States. My agents are among the top 1% in the nation. Yes, I’m pretty proud of them.
After a very inauspicious beginning, who would have guessed it?
The Joy of Travel. Female owned, family/female operated, an Oklahoma born and bred company.