Travel Outside … Your Comfort Zone

KHM Travel Group recently welcomed 200 of our travel advisors to Cleveland, Ohio for Destination Success. As our annual summer education event, Destination Success is driven by our advisors’ dedication to continued learning. More than 70 supplier partners joined in and were eager to talk about their best cruises, resorts and products. We took a journey around the world in four days and explored the Galapagos, Mexico, Alaska, Greece and almost everywhere in between.  

While most of this event is supplier-focused, we also incorporate time for our team to interact with our advisors. This year, it was in the form of a neon 80s party, which was just as fun as it sounds. 

During the start of day two, I took a few moments to thank our advisors for attending — as we all know that any industry event is a financial investment and personal sacrifice of your time, schedule and priorities. As I stood on stage alongside two of my fellow executive leaders, Geoff and Bill, we talked about a topic that we feel is important to success — going outside your comfort zone.  

For many advisors, selling a new destination or trying a different marketing technique is outside your safe zone. If it’s something we’ve never done before, we’re often not sure what the outcome will be. We’re not always given the right training or expectations before being thrown into a conversation or approached with a unique booking request. By embracing these situations, rather than avoiding them, the possibilities for growth are endless.  

If you’ve been approached by someone questioning if travel agents still exist, you were likely flooded with emotions. While comments like this aren’t always ill-intended, they do put us in a difficult position of defending our livelihood and passion. Instead of dodging the discomfort, lean into this discussion as a teachable moment. By explaining the value you offer, you may even secure a future client. 

Getting out of your comfort zone is about uncovering the strengths that we may not even know exist. It’s about introducing yourself to someone new at your next industry event and forming a new connection. Or it can be taking advantage of a speaking opportunity to introduce your business to a new crowd.  

We concluded our remarks at Destination Success by asking those in attendance to share their own examples of stepping outside what’s familiar to them. The first hands didn’t rise immediately, but once a few advisors opened up, it was amazing to see so many people grabbing the microphone to share a personal story. 

The next time you’re looking to set a new goal for yourself, I suggest you look beyond the borders of your own comfort zone. You may be surprised at the places you can go if you take a step outside.