Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP 338: From Dallas Roots to Global Routes: Inside Strong Travel’s Family Legacy and Modern Edge

• Sophia Yvette

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What makes Jennifer Strong and Angela Burns with Strong Travel a good neighbor?

What if your next great trip started with a neighbor who knows the world by heart? We sit down with Jennifer Strong and Angela Burns of Strong Travel, a Dallas-based, grandmother-founded luxury agency that has spent 50 years turning complex plans into smooth, memorable journeys. From a legacy built at a local desk to a network that spans cruise lines, hoteliers, and guides, they explain why expert advisors still matter—and how small details transform a good itinerary into the trip you’ll talk about for years.

We dig into the biggest industry myth—“no one uses travel agents anymore”—and replace it with real-world wins: saved time, better perks, smarter routing, and calm support when disruptions hit. Jennifer and Angela map the most in-demand destinations right now, with Italy leading summer travels and Spain, Portugal, and France close behind. For winter, they spotlight Japan’s rare mix of city energy and mountain powder, alongside Caribbean islands that deliver quick sun and easy access. Their case for cruising is practical and persuasive: unpack once, see multiple ports, sleep in the same bed, and capture a wide slice of the Mediterranean without repacking stress.

Strong Travel also opens up about how a legacy brand stays current—local magazines, community events, a content-rich website, social storytelling, and an annual team conference centered on AI and the tools reshaping planning. Underneath the tech is the core promise: personal connection. The team learns how you like to travel, then designs routes, pacing, and experiences that match your rhythm. Whether it’s a multi-country sweep, a family cruise, or a city-and-ski winter in Japan, you get efficiency without losing depth—and a steady hand if plans change.

Subscribe for more local stories from operators who measure what matters. If this conversation helped you rethink how to travel, share it with a friend who loves a great itinerary and leave a quick review so others can find the show.

To learn more about Strong Travel go to:
🌐 https://www.strongtravel.com/

Strong Travel
📞 214-361-0027

SPEAKER_00:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a travel company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbors, Jennifer Strong and Angela Burns with Strong Travel. Hi ladies, how's it going today? Hi, it's going great.

SPEAKER_01:

We're excited to be here.

SPEAKER_02:

Great, excited to have you on. Now we are also excited to learn all about you and your business. Can you start off by telling our listeners just a little bit about your company?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. Well, Strong Travel is a luxury travel agency located in Dallas, Texas. Um, it was started about 50 years ago of the Strong Family being in the travel business. It was actually started by my grandmother, who still comes to the office every day while she not while she might not be selling as much travel as she used to. She is still very well connected with her clients and in the the realm of the business and how we are planning to continue this business in the future.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow, that's amazing. It sounds like it truly is a family business.

SPEAKER_01:

It is.

SPEAKER_02:

Now, um, what is the most common myth or misconception in your industry?

SPEAKER_01:

I think, and I'll let Angela um elaborate on this, but I think the biggest myth that a lot of people say is that people don't use travel agents anymore, and we can confirm that they absolutely do.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, we come into the office every day, um, and uh there are times of the year when we uh are so busy we can't keep up with ourselves. So um I would agree that's one of the most common myths is that people don't use travel agents anymore, but um, I think we can provide uh some added benefits for anybody who's looking to plan a trip, be it small or several weeks to multiple countries. Um, we can we can provide a lot of efficiency for those clients.

SPEAKER_02:

Now, um, what is the most common country people typically like to go visit?

SPEAKER_03:

I would say in the summertime, our most popular country to visit is Spain, excuse me, Italy, followed closely by Spain, Portugal, and France. Um, but Italy is top tier in the summertime. And then in the wintertime, it's really very broad. Um, Europe is still very popular. Uh, Japan is incredibly popular in the winter time. Um, they have such a variety of things to do from city visits in Tokyo and Kyoto to skiing in the mountains. Um, really has been spectacular destination. And then there's always the sunny islands in the Caribbean.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. Now we know marketing is the heart of every business. How do you ladies currently market your business and who are your target clients?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I would say with my grandmother starting this business 50 years ago and currently being 91, the realm of technology has been hard for something for her to grasp. Um, but it has been fun to collaborate with our local magazines and uh people like you, spread awareness about strong travel as well as Facebook, Instagram. Um, we have a wonderful website full of great information, and um we do like little pop-up events with whether it's a cruise line or a hotel year to uh share promotions that might be happening. We also have a wonderful um conference at the beginning of each year with the entire strong travel team, and we bring in um keynote speakers, and uh this year it's all going to be targeted on AI artificial intelligence, which I think is something that everyone can learn more about. So just keeping up with the trends, and um, I will say that strong travel is a very um they have clients for so many years that continue to come back, and um the longevity of their clients as well as staff really speaks volume of um how well the the travel agent is.

SPEAKER_02:

That's amazing. Now, have you guys ever thought of having your own podcast?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my goodness. Yes, because my grandmother would be the star. Um and I think that it would it would be great, but I don't know that uh you know we have the times or the means to write a podcast.

SPEAKER_03:

We're in the we're in the business of selling travel, not podcasting. Yes. We'll leave that to the experts like yourself.

SPEAKER_02:

Now, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember today about strong travel.

SPEAKER_01:

That strong travel is going to be your personal connection to the world. It's crafted, it's detail-oriented, you have um such lovely um connections with your travel advisor. They get to know you well to plan your experience. Um, and another fun thing that is currently on right now is um cruise lines. Uh, there's always something new on the water, uh, and it's a great way to capitalize on your budget.

SPEAKER_02:

Amazing.

SPEAKER_03:

And yeah, I would say specifically with regards to cruising, it's a fantastic way to see multiple destinations without having to pack and unpack and move house every time you want to visit a new city. So you might start in Rome and end in Barcelona, but you're sleeping in the same bed every night. You have the ability to unpack one time, and yet you're making six or seven stops along the way and beautiful destinations, and really getting to see a good slice of with that particular itinerary, the European coastline. Um, so it makes it very comfortable and efficient, and you still can experience um the true luxury of the destination.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, that sounds like a true adventure. But what our listeners really want to know today is where can they go to learn more about strong travel?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, they can go to strongtravel.com, um, strong travel on Instagram. Um you can come into our office. We're in person. Uh, we love people to come by. Um, and I do want to give a great shout out to the strong travel team, as you can imagine in the travel industry. Um, there's a lot of problem solving, whether it's flight cancellations, a volcano erupting, um, you know, a lot of travel disruptions, and the team handles it with grace and calmness and gets the clients from point A to point B as best as they can.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, Jennifer and Angela, I really appreciate you both being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best. Moving forward.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you, Sophia. We appreciate you.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Frisco dot com. That's GNP Frisco dot com or call four six nine two two two one nine three four five.