Trust, wellbeing-led choices and asking the bigger questions: welcome to the era of The Travel Coaches

Podcast host Dolores Semeraro interviews The Travel Coach Network Founder and CEO Sahara Rose De Vore on today’s conversation which highlights the raise of an up & coming new role within the travel industry: the travel coaches. 

Sahara Rose De Vore discusses her journey from a hospitality and tourism management student to pioneering the birth of The Travel Coach Network. In this interview she highlights the limitations of traditional travel agents, emphasizing the need for personalized, meaningful travel experiences. While managing a global network, Sahara advocates for travel coaches to integrate their skills into existing travel roles, enhancing client experiences and aligning with evolving traveler needs.

about this episode:

- the personal journey into the travel industry, starting with a hospitality and tourism management program in Chicago

- the misalignment between industry marketing and the true benefits of travel.

- the shift in traveler behavior post-pandemic, with a focus on self-care and better decision-making.

- how travel coaches help people who may not initially think of travel as a solution to their problems.

- the future of travel coaching and its potential integration into existing travel businesses.

about Sahara Rose De Vore

Sahara Rose De Vore is the Founder and CEO of The Travel Coach Network, a global community of travel coaches. Sahara went from broke college student to traveling to 84 countries solo to trailblazing a new path in the travel industry. Her company adds the human-centric and emotional approach to how and why we travel. This led her to creating the world's first and only ICF accredited certification program for travel coaches which as of now has over 800 coaches from 41 countries. Sahara is a published author, global speaker, TEDx speaker, Start-up Investor, and has been in over 350 media outlets for her travel and business expertise including Travel Weekly, Conde Nast Traveler, AFAR, TripAdvisor, CNBC, CNN Travel, and twice in Forbes. Sahara was named one of the Most Influential Women in Travel by TravelPulse in 2023, is on the Advisory Board for The Hotel Guide, a member of the Forbes Travel Guide Speakers Forum and the Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance, and has also appeared on Season 8 of Project Pitch It.

https://thetravelcoachnetwork.com

Host of Truth Behind Travel Podcast, Dolores Semeraro is a sought-after international tourism keynote speaker and sustainable tourism marketing professional. 

Dolores actively works in the tourism and travel conference space as a keynote speaker and moderator, gracing the stages of international tourism summits and trade shows. 

As a professional keynote speaker, Dolores’ speaking topics encompass sustainability in tourism, digital marketing and how to identify today’s traveler’s needs through technology and innovation.

5 years ago, Dolores launched her podcast show named ‘Truth Behind Travel Podcast’ where she regularly interviews tourism and travel industry leaders and representatives on how to rebuild the future of travel.

www.doloressemeraro.com

dolores@doloressemeraro.com

Instagram @dolores_semeraro

LinkedIn @dolores.sem

Transcript

Dolores Semeraro: 0:00

Welcome back to the podcast. Welcome, Sahara. It's so nice to have you on this platform after you hosted me on the Travel Coach Network Summit recently. So welcome. How are you?

Sahara Rose De Vore: 0:14

Thank you so much for having me today, Dolores. I'm so good. I'm excited to talk with you.

Dolores Semeraro: 0:19

Yeah, we have to dissect a little bit the role and the future of travel coaches in the industry, but also for people like for people that are looking for guidance, they are looking for something different, perhaps a little bit more personalized. People that are finally swimming out of the sea of sameness, as I call it, and I think travel coaches will do just that. But before we go into that, I would like you, for you, for to explain a little bit and to share with us and with the podcast listeners your journey and how you stumbled in this in this incredible role that is actually pioneering a brand new profile in the travel industry.

Sahara Rose De Vore: 1:03

Yeah, I definitely didn't think I was going to end up in the world of travel coaching or even entrepreneurship. I didn't start in the travel industry until it was my third year university. I was switching schools, and I had a small window of time to find a new school to go to across country, and I came across a hospitality and tourism management program in Chicago, where I was moving to, and I said travel. You know, I was what 20 years old at the time. Who doesn't love travel, right? That sounds fun. So I enrolled in that program, and that was the beginning to my desire to want to travel more. I had met a whole classroom full of foreign exchange students, and realize how easy it was for them to travel to other countries from their own home country. Because you know, in Europe or Southeast Asia, you can take a bus to one country or train and come back home the next day. But I, I was a broke college student, so I was able to change my money mindset. And when I graduated two years later, that was the beginning of my European backpacking trip, my first solo trip. I thought I was going to go for a month and a half, come back and quote unquote figure out my life, climb a corporate ladder. But what I realized is that at 22 years old, I didn't want to sit in a corporate office and/or have someone tell me how often I could take a vacation or that I only had two weeks of a year to take a vacation, and so I fell in love with what travel was doing for me during that European trip. And I came home, repacked my bags, and I book a one-way ticket to Costa Rica and bused my way all the way through Central America, and that was the catalyst to my 10-year journey, solo journey to over 80-four countries, and it was during that time I always had in the back of my mind, what is my career path? What am I going to do? What company am I going to work for? Mind you, I never thought I was going to have my own business. I thought I was just going to work for a company, but I was underwhelmed by the options that the tourism and hospitality industry, in my opinion, had as well as as time went on, there was new roles like travel advisor transformed to a travel or travel agent transformed to a travel advisor. There were travel writing and travel influencing all of that, and none of that still aligned with what I wanted to do and how what I believed in about travel during that long time of traveling. I really got to understand the deeper reasons why people travel and the value that travel had on us as human beings. And I saw a void and a disconnect in the in the industry when it came to how travel was marketed, planned, booked, and even just the the narrative, the mindset around travel was so misaligned with the truth behind travel, and that's what inspired me to realize. I guess I have to create something I haven't found or figured out yet.

Dolores Semeraro: 3:52

So you said that the roles of the travel professionals in the already present in the industry were not really reflecting what you believed travel to be, would would you believe travel to be?

Sahara Rose De Vore: 4:06

Obviously, was a budget backpacker. I was able to. That's how I was able to travel on my own funds to as many countries, far as often as I did. And every time I would come back home, I would get questions that many other,

especially women travelers, get: 4:18

is how did you do that? Were you scared? How did you afford this? I wish I could do that. Or they had a lot of limiting beliefs and questions around it, and I wanted to shake people and say, it is possible. It is doable. You don't have to backpack the world, but it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg like the industry was saying that travel's expensive. That it's a luxury. That it's something that you can take, especially as Americans, you can only do once or twice a year. You need to save a lot of money, and that these experiences all look like this. Everyone goes to these places and spend this amount of money and have the same type of experiences. And I also would hear people. Who would use a travel advisor, travel agent, or something organized, and they'd be like, "Sahara, I don't want to tell you how much I spent on this two weeks for that one trip, where they went to one destination in two weeks and spent over $20,000. And I, in my mind, I'm like, "Wow, $20,000 I was able to see so many countries and incredible experiences throughout certain regions of the world over a certain period of time. I wanted the messaging. I wanted others to realize that travel was a lot more affordable, doable, and beneficial for themselves beyond what I felt like the industry said. If you have a passion for travel, these are your options for to work in the industry, or if you're a traveler, this is the way that you're supposed to travel.

Dolores Semeraro: 5:46

So you think that the most traditional profile of a travel agent that books trips, basically books the hotels, books the experiences, books the flights, are actually limiting the options and the opportunities to for travelers to to go out there and have the most amazing experience at the best possible price.

Sahara Rose De Vore: 6:10

I think that it's a bit of a juxtaposition in the travel advisor, travel agent industry. There's a lot of rhetoric around customized, personalized, memorable, meaningful experiences that you know really help people and and make them happy. But at the same time, the structure of the travel advisor industry is very competitive. It's there's a reason why a lot of people get into the luxury space because that is who has more money so that they can make more money off of commissions, it's how many add-ons, how many activities, how much, how high can you get the traveler's bill so that you can make more money as a travel advisor and have a freedom-based lifestyle that you desire, so you can travel more and get all the perks and benefits of traveling. So I'm not saying there's a right or wrong to the industry. I'm just saying that I didn't align with that mentality, and or there's the act of team building in the travel advisor industry as well of building your team and earning commission from their commissions, and a lot of people don't even get to experience planning and booking trips for people because they get go down that route. So I feel I felt like there was so much more that I believed in and wanted others to believe in about travel and how travel could actually help them personally in many different ways, shapes, and forms than what the industry said. Like this is how it's done, this is the way it's done, and this is just the way it's going to be.

Dolores Semeraro: 7:39

I like that you mentioned the competitive side of things, especially in the travel advisory, travel agents field, like ecosystem, so to speak, because it is really what is profiling most of their ultimately most of the things that they promote, most of the things that they put forward. It's about the commission. It's about getting the best deal, getting the best cut out of the deal, and that doesn't really go all the times to you know in favor of the client or or the of of the traveler per se. It goes in favor of who gets the the highest commission, and what I noticed later on in my career in travel and tourism that the travel agents were disappearing because people were getting more knowledgeable about what they want, what they can do. The internet era started really, and and that kind of democratized the possibilities of travel, but at the same time, time changed not necessarily for the best because things started to become a little bit more obsessive in terms of wanting to conform. People see things online. I want to do this. If I do this, I'm cool. If I do this, I'm you know I'm in. I'm in my circle. I belong to something. I feel like I want to be there because people are there, and I wonder if you know the nature of the travel coach that is more of a, it's more like your advisor slash best friend that knows you and suggests things that are good for you. How does that fights against the FOMO of today's, you know, travel world online? And and with that, let's let's dive a little bit into the psychology of how travel coaches operate as opposed to travel agents.

Sahara Rose De Vore: 9:37

I mean, there are so many resources. There are so many platforms. There's a lot of content out there. There's a lot of, especially in the world of hospitality and tourism, for travelers to see and absorb. I think we as human beings, we're we're getting smarter than ever before, right? Like we're what we've noticed during and post pandemic was that people were starting to prioritize. Actively self care and making better decisions for themselves. Whether it's the company they work for, the brands they bought from, the people they surrounded them with, the businesses that they ran, the products they use, how they spent their time, who they spent their time with, and all of that's also reflected in the travel industry as well. So traveler behavior is starting to to morph even more. We're what five years out of the six years out of the pandemic, and or coming out of since it started, I should say. And everything changes slowly, but we are seeing tremendous growth and change in the traveler behavior, traveler mindset, and that also just means that ultimately, it's up to those who provide experiences, whether it's travel advisor, tour operators, retreat leaders, whoever else, and even hotels destinations, to also start shifting their mindset too. So, because there are so many different options and places for people to book their trips to go, I think people are getting less about FOMO, and I need to go there because everyone else is there. I think people are starting to really shift that around and say,"Well, I want something different. I want something more for me. I want something that's going to. And this is where that reflection, that the travel coaching, really comes into play here, is because people we're not naturally inclined to dig deeper within and and pull to the the surface our truth of why we want to do something or why we want to go somewhere, especially in the world of travel. Why we want to travel, right? We've been the travel agent world has been asked asking clients very surface level questions for very long, of the logistics, their previous behaviors and choices, but travel coaching really provides that space and challenges people to take the time to pause and say, "No, what are it? Where are these true motivations for wanting to get away coming from? Because that just sets everyone up for success. They make better decisions where to go. The advisor can help make more informed decisions and provide more options and opportunities. The agency can partner with more strategic suppliers based off of who the traveler's clients are and the experiences that people are trying to have. We hear all these shifts, changing these different this different verbiage in the travel industry around meaningful, intentional, mindful travel, transformative travel, but really, what this all means is that there is more intention and thought going into where people travel, how they spend their time, how long they travel for, who they travel with, so that they can have the feelings that they're looking for. Because again, no one is going to. No one buys a trip. No one buys tickets to get on a plane just for the act of getting on a plane. They're looking for something, just like consumerism in general. Why are we actually traveling? Why are we actually staying at that hotel, going to that destination, booking a ticket anywhere? What are we really looking for? And travel coaching really challenges the industry to pull back those layers and to get to the root, the heart, to the core of why people really travel.

Dolores Semeraro: 13:09

How does exactly a day to day at work, let's say, for a travel coach look like? I know there are people listening to the podcast that are in the travel agents concierge sphere, meaning that they probably work under an umbrella of a brand, but they are freelancers themselves. So they work from home. They have their range of clients, they have their database, and they act with a nice little logo of a very well-known brand at the bottom of their email signature. That makes them feel safe. That makes them feel recognized. Does that happen to a travel coach?

Sahara Rose De Vore: 13:48

Yeah. Well, the beautiful thing about travel coaching is that it's not a it's not competition with any other role out there. It's actually very complementary. What we've noticed in the travel coach network during and post pandemic is that we have an influx of travel advisors, tour operators, retreat leaders, wellness experts, health wellness coaches, educators coming in to combine the concept of travel coaching with how they serve their clients, how they build their business models, and the experiences that they provide. It's a bit of a mindset shift around when we're talking about the travel industry, especially as a travel advisor, and I'm going to continue to compare it to that, even though it's not a competition, because that has just been the travel agent industry has been the industry that dominated planning and booking trips and providing experiences for people if they want to travel. Right? They, the people who go to them are people who already know they want to travel, they already have an inkling to travel. So even though in the world of travel coaching, yes, many travel coaches, if they're solely just a travel coach as well, and they don't wear any of these other hats, they may serve people who already know they want to travel. But something so unique and special about travel coaching is that. This is also about people who may not even be thinking about travel as an avenue to feel how they want to feel, to make the changes in their life they want to change. So what I mean by that is, for example, if we have travel coaches, some popular niches are things like women in life transitions, or women 50 plus going through menopause or reinvention, it could be burnout. So business travelers and burnout, or entrepreneurs, or busy moms, or caregivers who need a sense of healing and self care. Those people may not be thinking about travel as an avenue to help them feel how they want to feel, achieve their goals, create the life that they want, or whatever outcomes that they desire. But that's where the travel coach, the travel professional, comes in and says,"Hey, have you considered this sort of experience? Have you considered this retreat, this group tour? Have you considered this travel experience, this destination, this type of experience to help you with the grieving process, with the clarity you're looking for, with the creative creativity if you're an entrepreneur, because it's connecting the dots behind all of this. I spent over a year and a half studying the various mental, emotional, physical, social wellness benefits of travel, and when I started my own wellness travel coaching business in 2018, and there is so much information, research, case studies, statistics that exist out there on how travel can help us as human beings through our these different forms of wellness, but also beyond that, professional development, personal development, and so travel coaching is just taking all of that information with that specific type of client and their pain points, and connecting the dots. So whatever hat that they wear, whether they are the ones that help plan and book the trip, or whether they're the people who run the retreats, or they partner with someone who does, the business models vary. But it's really just about helping people realize that travel is more than just a vacation, and it really is an incredible value in our lives as human beings.

Dolores Semeraro: 17:10

So, who looks for who? Is it is it people looking for travel coach? Do they even know that they need a travel coach, or is a travel coach duty to constantly grind and find someone to work with, find clients.

Sahara Rose De Vore: 17:25

Yeah, it's a little bit of a tricky question because there's a little bit of yeses and noes within all of that. Travel coaching, even though the travel coach network we are over seven years old now, it's still a newer concept. As we see that even just topics like transformation, even though that's been around for years and years now, it is now just gaining more traction in the travel space. Things like mindful travel, sustainability, all of these huge mindset shifts of the traveler. This is all slowly picking up speed in the travel industry. So it has all of that aligns with what what we've been talking about in the travel coaching world for years now, but because the travel industry is shifting like that, it takes time for people to really realize that it is what they that they're looking for something different. So, as the travel coach, just like any business owner, it's up to you to to market yourself, to build a business, to have strategy, to figure out what is your specific messaging and who is it for. Because, like I said, our travel coaches focus in so many different business models, have so many different types of clients. It just depends on theirs, their business model, their ideal clients. So yes, it takes time to to grind and spread the message and and share your story and your connection, just like any business does. But from a traveler standpoint, I mean, there are travel coaches who are like move abroad coaches, and people know that they need a coach to help them move abroad because it's more than just the logistics. It's the the settling back in. It's the navigating a new place, it's the cultural adjustment, the family adjustment, all everything. So I know a lot of travel coaches who really thrive in like relocation and moving abroad as well. So it really just depends on the niches. But yeah, so some niches are taking off more than others. But we have we have travel coaches who have very successful businesses, what those business models look like vary as well. Some running online programs, some run in-person programs, some of them combine travel coaching with other sort of like group trips or retreats. But we also have travelers reaching out asking for travel coaches and say,"Hey, I'm. This is what I'm going through. Who's best to serve me and help me? So it's really just understanding their goals and needs. But it's actually a really interesting and fun time seeing both of these worlds kind of growing.

Dolores Semeraro: 19:51

And I guess it's because in a travel coach, could it be? Correct me if I'm wrong. That a person. Traveler or someone who desires to travel sees less of a of a salesman trying to give trying to get that deal signed and trying to get that invoice paid, and more of a and a more of a person that that the you know that you can trust.

Sahara Rose De Vore: 20:18

Exactly, the world of travel, whether it's a travel advisor or a destination or anything, anyone in tourism hospitality, they we love using the words customized, personalized, tailored experiences, right? But what that really truly means is that you know the world of travel coaching is really bringing redefining what that looks like, and it's really about the traveler themselves. The industry loves to talk about personalized, tailored, customized experiences. Everyone uses it in and to try to think it makes them stand out, but everyone says it. And it's just about that. It's not about someone who just plans and books your trips for you. It's someone who becomes like your shoulder to lean on, a guru, your coach, your mentor-it's that best friend who knows what you need at every stage of your life, and they use that vessel through travel. So, in the travel agent world, trust building is huge. That's going to grow loyalty, and it's going to grow referrals, and you know more aligned clients and experiences, and you're growing your business and repeat business and all of that. All of that happens if your client trusts you and they know that you know them and their true needs, and you're not taking advantage of them. You're not just trying to. They're not just another sale that you're having and another commission that you're making, they really know that you're the person that gets them. So whether they are their kid is graduating, whether they are going through a divorce and then they got a new job and then they have you know they lost they're grieving from a loss of a loved one or a pet, you are the person that knows because you're a travel expert, what type of experiences would best suit them at these different phases and stages of their life? Because every time we travel, we're a different person. We have something different going on in our lives. We have different motivations. We're seeking something different. It's not that cookie cutter go here because this is the popular place. What is really truly aligned with that ideal client at that time in their life, and you won't have to hustle and compete and do every do everything that everyone feels like they're trying to keep up with the grind in the world of travel planning and booking. If you create a brand, you speak directly to your ideal client. You know exactly who you serve, and you you tap into your own truth about travel, your own truth, and that's where people connect with you. That's where you start building trust in the first place. It's not about how many trips you've booked for people and how many years and countries you've been to. What it is about is that you realize that travel can help you do X, Y, and Z in your life. Others want that too. I want to feel like that. I want my life to look like that. I want that sort of outcome. I want my relationship with my partner to look like that after this sort of experience. I want to make memories with my my children and and their grandparents because that's important for us. So knowing the values for your own business and brand is important because then that's going to reflect in the values of your ideal clients as well.

Dolores Semeraro: 23:26

As you said before, you you can be a travel coach and be already a business owner. You can run your own business and add that to your certifications, add that to your qualification, to your understanding, to your knowledge and awareness. I'm thinking maybe maybe this is not happening, or maybe it will happen. It's such a it's such a very it's such a deep take on the way we go about travel moving forward. You know, I wouldn't call it the future of travel because it sounds very hoo-hoo technological, but it's actually it instead of becoming more of the same, we become more unique. And travel coaches, I feel, do just that. That they help people understanding that it doesn't matter that everybody goes to I don't know Hawaii for for for the best tropical holiday possible, maybe there are other places that are more suited for the personality of of that specific traveler. It's an opportunity. Could it be that not long from now, travel existing travel businesses will have a designated travel coach within the organization.

Sahara Rose De Vore: 24:42

Yeah, absolutely, and we're seeing that a little bit now. There are travel agencies who have the travel coach, you know, on board already because they know that it's a it's really great for that, especially that initial phase, the understanding the client, then they can work with their team members to pass on who. Wear more of the hats of the planning and the booking, but yeah, I mean, even just across the board of like the medical and the healthcare industry, like I've always had the vision of the Travel Coach Network being like the headspace of the travel world, because it isn't only about travel; it is also about all these different aspects of travel that can help us at these various times in our lives, because we we have a lot of travel life coaches and health and wellness coaches that come to us and say, I don't want to have a travel business, I don't want to plan book trips, I don't want to teach people where to travel, how to travel, but I value travel, and I know that different parts of travel, travel experiences, the different things travel can do, can help my client achieve X, Y, and Z. So that's what travel coaching does as well. It's like how can you implement these different aspects of travel into how you help your clients? How do you help them gain confidence, be more empowered, whatever achieve their life goals and life design? And so it's such a versatile industry because we know that we all turn to travel at these very unique moments. We don't often just bring it to light. We don't talk about it. You know how travel can help the the leadership world. You know creativity, innovation, all of this. So it's not about telling people and teaching people to travel, and that's such a misconception about the world. Or and it's also not about just creating itineraries and booking trips for people. It's about changing the narrative that travel isn't just travel or don't travel. It's about creating a life of purpose, and travel is a an avenue, no matter what way, shape, or form you do that, and implementing that into the lives of people to help them reach the goals that they have and feel how they want to feel because that's really what we're all looking for in the first place.

Dolores Semeraro: 26:48

If I look at the, if I think about the people that are listening to the podcast, 99% of them are in the travel space, tourism, tourism boards, a lot of them, and hospitality hoteliers on this specifically. So, if if anyone is is listening to the podcast now and is thinking, okay, am I am I travel coach material? Like, how can they how can they know if that's something that can align to their existing their their current profile.

Sahara Rose De Vore: 27:23

I'm obviously a big believer that everyone in the tourism and hospitality industry should also be a certified travel coach. And not saying that you have to lead with the travel coaching role all the time, but the skills and the fundamentals that you learn as a travel coach only helps all of these different brands and companies and positions that exist in the industry. Where the end goal is to provide more meaningful, intentional experiences for people to help them feel how they want to feel and have the life and experiences that they desire. So that starts from the very beginning. And hotels, destinations, anyone in this in this space, it's so important to understand who are you trying to attract. Who is your traveler? Who is your client? Who should stay at your hotel, and when should when should they stay there? And I don't mean the time of the year, but what part, what phase in their life do your amenities, does your location, does your staff, does the whole experience best serve them? Destinations. It's not just for throwing spaghetti at the wall or a net and see what fish come into the net and that's who you serve. That's no strategy in any business, especially in a very competitive one and overly saturated one like the tourism hospitality industry. And when there's resources and like AI that can just plan and book anything for anyone, it's about being a lot more intentional about your branding, your values, who you're for, who you're not, and the experiences, the outcomes, and the feelings, and the emotions that you're trying to have people feel and and obtain. And that all takes that's what travel coaching does. It helps you get to the roots of all of that, so that you can just do your work better, that you can succeed and thrive better in this industry, and and provide more better experiences for people.

Dolores Semeraro: 29:11

You are pioneering something that may stand out at the beginning, but ultimately the goal is to embed it within the structure and the and the different layers and segments of the travel industry, right?

Sahara Rose De Vore: 29:26

Absolutely, it's all it's all down to the why for the traveler, and that's what travel coaching does. And it takes skills, it takes knowledge, it takes practice, it takes implementation to be able to do that, and that's a huge difference between what a travel coach does versus anyone else in the industry because they have that skill set and the capabilities.

Dolores Semeraro: 29:51

So these skill sets-it's something that people can find out more about in the certification program of the Travel Coach Network, right? Yeah,

Sahara Rose De Vore: 30:00

I mean that's a huge part of what we do to become a certified travel coach is to learn the skill set of the fundamentals of coaching. Ours happens to be ICF coaching that's internationally recognized. Into how do you better understand your clients and and us as human beings? How do you pull the truth from within? How do you create that space to do that. How do you build that trust and that loyalty with them? How do you ask the right questions? What are the right questions to ask, and how do you continue to ask why so that they aren't just satisfied with the initial response that they give? Because again, we are conditioned in the world of travel. Travelers are conditioned to give a very surface level answer. I like to go here. I want to go there because my friend's gone. It's always been on my bucket list. I dream to go there. Well, maybe that's really not what they're looking for. If you, the more you get to understand them as a human being, who they really are at this point in their life, maybe it's a different type of experience that would truly help them feel how they're looking to feel.

Dolores Semeraro: 31:00

I personally see this the presence of a travel coach as something that is destined to to become bigger and bigger because people are now feeding their own personal hunger in a way, or like their own desires of of personalized travel to to do to travel more as who they are and not as what everyone else is doing or whatever everyone else is going. And I think a lot of these people out there are now just using internet to do that to to find answers to to look for the latest online travel concierge, or maybe even using ChatGPT for ChatGPT, design me a personalized itinerary for Morocco that is including X, Y, Z, and it's good for me. And I'm like, and and and the problem is that unfortunately many people do stop at that. Are content with that. So, how does the future of a travel coach job fight with that? How do you cope with that with that level of personalized technology?

Sahara Rose De Vore: 32:16

Yeah, no, I, I mean, I think that's a little bit of a contradiction. Personalized and technology-it just really defines depends on how you someone defines personalized. But that's one of the the great things about travel coaching and why what we're doing in the travel coach network is so important is that technology is going to continue to grow in the industry. So is AI, but especially in the world of tourism and hospitality, where the the foundation is built off of people and place, the humanity, the empathy, the compassion, the connection, the storytelling-all of that comes from us as human beings. So, in a world that is very hyped on technology and AI, those that keep that human-centric and emotional approach to their clients, to the experiences, to their business, their branding, how they connect with their clients, who they work with, and why are, in my belief, are going to succeed in the future of no matter what technological growth we have or how much robots take over the world. So, and that's what people seek. They seek connection. They're always going to want someone to hold their hand. They're always going to want that personal story, their and personal recommendation. They're always going to want that someone who gives them the empathy, the understanding, makes them feel like they belong, that they are someone, that they can be helped, and that's what in the world of coaching, is it's you know that's not going to go away, and helps us differentiate versus everything else that's happening in the in the industry.

Dolores Semeraro: 34:09

I would take this as last word of wisdom from you, and you just beautifully put it. Normally, I ask at the end of the podcast, would you like to share a last, you know, suggestions or recommendations-something that comes from you-to the people listening to the podcast. What would you like them to to go away with after listening to this? Okay, learning about travel coaching. Yes, learning about the opportunities and the responsibilities because it is a big responsibility to be to be a travel coach. You're working with people who are trusting you, and with your suggestions and and the sharing of what ultimately it's best for the for you, not for the travel coach per se. And so there's a lot of a lot of things that we I feel like we just scrapped the surface, but at the same time. If you were to to say goodbye with, like, with what would you like people listening to this episode to go to go home with?

Sahara Rose De Vore: 35:07

Well, I would just love people to remain open minded about travel coaching. The travel industry tends to be a very stubborn industry, like a lot of industries are, and we tend to have the mentality that if it's not broke, don't fix it. But who says it's not broken? We have to listen to the travelers. Just like there was once a world where there was no such thing as a life coach, there was no such thing as a fitness coach or a leadership coach or a wellness or health coach. People laughed at the idea of someone telling them how to live their life or what kind of food they should eat, or how they should move their body, but now they're all billion-dollar industries. Billion dollars. I was just doing research on these billion-dollar industries, and because we're in such a humanizing industry, an emotional industry. It's only a matter of time before travel coaching gets there too.

Dolores Semeraro: 36:06

Well, I think it's pretty much on the way. I mean, it's you. You you you put it very eloquently. Like few years back, there was no such a thing like a private coach that tells me how to do what to do, what to eat, but now people don't seem to be able to do without, right? So, so I think it's just a matter of time and and and technology in travel and tourism. I I observe a lot of how we we already misusing technology for the tourism industry, how is already perhaps doing the job that shouldn't be doing, and and I think it's just a cycle. Things will come around once again, and and I think that that when those things will come around, travel coaches will be just there at the right spot on the spot. So very interesting. Thank you, Sahara. Thank you for joining the podcast. Thank you for sharing and for also taking the time to not just explaining what the Travel Coach Network is about, but also the why's. And I think that's something very important for people to relate.

Sahara Rose De Vore: 37:21

Well, thank you so much for having me and providing this space for me. I do appreciate you, Dolores.