EP 474: A Travel Advisor Explains Why Booking Direct Can Beat Expedia

What makes Lauren Gill with My Live Love Travel a good neighbor?

Think a travel advisor is just an extra expense? We sit down with Lauren Gill of My Live Love Travel to break down the real value behind professional travel planning and why having the right person in your corner can save you time, reduce stress, and even improve your overall experience.

Serving clients across McKinney, Frisco, and the greater DFW area, Lauren shares what it actually looks like to plan trips professionally. From navigating endless options and pricing confusion to protecting your plans when things don’t go as expected, she explains how working with a travel advisor brings clarity and confidence to what can otherwise feel overwhelming.

We also dive into Lauren’s personal journey into the industry, including the honest question she asked early on: “Is this an MLM?” That moment led to deeper research, real world experience, and ultimately a career built around her love for cultures, cities, and global exploration. Today, she helps clients plan meaningful travel across Europe, Asia, Africa, and beyond without the stress of managing it all alone.

We also talk about what makes a travel advisor especially valuable today: strong supplier relationships, up to date product knowledge, and having a real human advocate when travel plans shift. Lauren shares how she builds her business through referrals, networking, and a relationship first approach that turns one great trip into a lifetime of travel support.

If you want smarter travel planning, better experiences, and fewer headaches along the way, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share it with the friend who always plans the group trip, and leave a review with your next dream destination.

To learn more about My Live Love Travel go to:
 https://www.mylivelovetravel.com/

 My Live Love Travel

469-905-8131

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_01 0:00

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

Meet Lauren Gill And The Agency

SPEAKER_02 0:10

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 neighbor, Lauren Gill, with my Live Love Travel. Lauren, it is a pleasure to have you on today, and we are so excited to learn all about you and your business. So let's kick things off. Go ahead and tell our listeners a little bit more about your company.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

Hi, everybody. I'm excited to spend part of my Monday afternoon with you. Okay, so My Love Love Travel is an agency that's based actually in McKinney, Texas, but of course we operate in Frisco as well. And uh it was founded by Aaron and Kevin Johnson. We've been in business about 10 years, and I am one of their senior travel advisors, mostly a connect leader for Europe, Asia, and Africa for our team. And then, of course, with the clientele of my own. We love creating memorable experiences for our clients throughout the DFW Metroplex and beyond.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

Wow. Now let's get into a little bit more about your story, Lauren. You know, how did you originally get into this industry?

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Yeah, so it's kind of a funny story. Um, I've always loved to travel, like um, experiencing different cultures and cities and countries, it truly like beats my soul. Um, and I had always had it in my mind that I would love to go into that industry and did some research, and it was very daunting, as we know, you know, you do a Google search and you're like, oh my goodness, I don't know what any of this means. Um, and I saw a girlfriend about five years ago post on social media, on Facebook, in fact, that, and we were in the wine industry together, and she posted that she had started this journey with my level of travel, and I was really intrigued by it. And then I saw another friend who was also in the same wine business as us something similar. And I reached out to um my friend is Lindsay Parrish. Um, they she and her husband Chris owned forest roofing. Um, anyway, I was like, is this an MLM? And she said, No, why? And I said, I'm actually really intrigued. I would like to know more. And she said, I'm happy to introduce you to the owners. Um, I connected with Erin and Kevin. We had um, I didn't realize it was actually like an interview. Uh, so I was dressed in shorts and a tank top, not the way I would normally show up for a professional type of experience, but uh they looked beyond that. We had a great conversation and I decided immediately that they were that was the route that I wanted to take to dive into the travel world. And it's been one of the biggest blessings of my life.

Travel Advisor Misconceptions Debunked

SPEAKER_02 2:48

Wow, I love that. I love that. Now, having so many clients, you know, what is that number one misconception people bring to you about travel?

SPEAKER_00 2:59

There's several misconceptions out there, actually. One of the main ones is that uh it's gonna cost more for your trip when actually we save clients time and and often money uh by working with us because we've intentionally, and especially I can say this about our agency, we have intentionally developed relationships throughout the industry. Um, and we also travel throughout the world. And so we know the product that we're selling and offering to our clients. We really try to curate and tailor the trips to the client needs. Um, so that's one big misconception is that it's going to cost more money. We're actually paid by the suppliers that we work with and partner within the industry. So it's not, um typically there's not an additional cost uh to use us. Um, also, that it's going to be um just easier to go on Expedia or um Booking.com or one of those. And the simple fact is a lot of times they aren't comparing apples to apples. And if there's something wrong, um, something goes amiss while you're traveling, that's an 800 number that you have to deal with versus uh dealing with an actual live person. So um those are a couple of like the key misconceptions that I hear over and over.

SPEAKER_02 4:10

Well, someone who actually loves to use Expedia, I'm glad to know that information.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Yes. Yeah. We actually, I know a lot of times when people, I mean, Mexico is basically like South Texas as here. Um, I know people like to use that oftentimes for booking all-inclusives and things of that nature. We have great partnerships and can often get like special amenities or um like let the property know, hey, they've got a special celebration. Um, but the price point will either be identical, sometimes it's lower.

Referrals Networking And Relationship Marketing

SPEAKER_02 4:41

So, Lauren, we've gotten to know so much great information about you and your business. So let's dive into the heart of things. You know, marketing is the heart of every business. I'm sure, you know, with your company. So um, how are you attracting some of these clients to yourself? And who are you looking to help?

SPEAKER_00 5:00

There are a couple of key ways that I have found um work well for me. One is just simply that referral. Um, because I have developed a clientele over time and have sought to provide excellent service. They refer me to friends and family, and so there's natural growth. They're my brand ambassadors, so to speak. Um, I do a lot of networking uh and I have found that to be really impactful. And one of the ways that it has really benefited um is I have a cheer squad on social media, and so they are happy to advocate for me when somebody is looking for a travel advisor. So again, it's definitely like that no-like trust. Like I have developed those relationships with people through networking, or I've developed those relationships with people um through them being my clients and serving them well. And so there's no hesitation then to recommend me to others.

SPEAKER_02 5:58

I love that. So you really take the lifelong relationships approach.

SPEAKER_00 6:04

Absolutely. It's um, I'm not a transactional person by nature, and this is an industry where relationships really matter, both when it comes to um like in all directions, right? So with our suppliers, um, with our clients, and then also with my live love travel as a team.

Where To Find My Live Love Travel

SPEAKER_02 6:22

Wow, that's that's so amazing. And I'm sure all of our listeners here are so curious, you know, where can they go to find out more about my live love travel?

SPEAKER_00 6:35

You can go to mylivelovetravel.com. You can also go to uh we've got a Facebook page that is uh available for clients to go and check us out. Um, if you do a Google search, you'll find us there as well. Um, and you can see reviews and things of that nature.

SPEAKER_02 6:53

Well, Lauren, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure being a part of this today.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

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 six six six six nine two two one nine three four four four four four five.