Good Neighbor Podcast: Virginia Beach
Good Neighbor Podcast: Virginia Beach
Good Neighbor Podcast: Virginia Beach
Ep. 18 Unlocking Extraordinary Adventures with Joslin Roberts of Wanderlux Travels
Join us on the Good Neighbor Podcast as we welcome the insightful Joslin Roberts from Wonderlux Travels by Nova Vacations. Ever wondered if a travel agent is worth the investment? Joslin uncovers the truth behind common misconceptions, revealing how the cost structure is often misunderstood and how specialized knowledge can transform ordinary trips into extraordinary experiences. After spending five vibrant years in Europe, Joslin has honed her expertise, particularly in European travel, though her skills extend to orchestrating family vacations, group tours, destination weddings, and corporate incentive trips. Her journey, inspired by a blend of international work experiences and her mother's influence in the hospitality industry, adds a rich, personal layer to her professional prowess.
During our conversation, Joslin shares the fascinating story of how she initially shunned the idea of using a travel advisor until the pandemic prompted her to reconsider. She now advocates for the unique value travel advisors bring, such as insider connections and seamless coordination, especially for complex events like destination weddings. Based in Virginia Beach but catering to clients worldwide, Joslin is a beacon of travel wisdom, passionate about making each trip as enjoyable and memorable as possible. Discover how her organizational skills and love for travel make her an indispensable ally for anyone planning their next adventure.
WanderLux Travels by Nova Vacations
Joslin Roberts
757-402-6715
www.novavacations.com/joslin
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Denise Taylor.
Speaker 2:Welcome everybody to Good Neighbors Podcast, virginia Beach. Today I am with Joslin Roberts with Wonderlux Travels by Nova Vacations. Welcome, jocelyn.
Speaker 3:Hi, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:You're absolutely welcome, so excited to talk to you. I know since COVID I know the last four years have been kind of a big boom and people after being locked up for a year and a half ready to get out and about, how's that going for the travel business for you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I guess I'm seeing a huge influx of people needing assistance with travels and it just keeps growing and growing. And obviously, when you help one family and then they refer you to others, it just grows even more. So, yeah, it's good.
Speaker 2:Tell me what your specialty is. And I know it sounds like you can do kind of the gamut of vacations for people. But what is your specialty? What do you like to focus on?
Speaker 3:You know I have a wide variety of things that I do do I do have a specialty in European travel. I lived in Europe for about five years between Spain and England, so I do specialize in that. But I can do basically anything. You know. Do family travel, group travel? I'm doing a lot of destination weddings um corporate incentive trips, anything like that I'm able to do so so do you partner with wedding um planners?
Speaker 2:How does that work?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I don't necessarily partner with, I just handle the travel on the travel side of things so I can get them in touch with wedding planners, and a lot of times with destination weddings, they have planners on site at their resorts. So you don't really, yeah, you can bring your own in or they have one there to assist you.
Speaker 2:So that's awesome. Okay, so you shared a little bit about living in Europe. What made you go into the travel industry?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I grew up in the. My mom worked in the hospitality industry when I was growing up, so I got to experience a lot of that within that world. And then I was sent to Sweden when I was 18 to do a fun trip to see some family, friends and just kind of eye opening. From there, you know just what is all out there. I studied in Mexico in college. For half a year I was in Mexico and then I had an opportunity with the advertising company that I worked for to go help open offices in Europe, and because I spoke Spanish I took advantage of that and so I went over there and I was, you know, just learning how to do business within those different countries. But yeah, it just you know I love the travel aspect of it, the organization of it, just helping people, you know, make their investment in their travel just the best it can be.
Speaker 2:So what would be there's? There's a couple of questions here, but what would be a misconception about using a travel agent?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I actually it's. It's funny my friend had started our boutique agency and I obviously had traveled all the time and never used a travel advisor, and I did it. It was because it was during COVID and I was a little scared of, you know, planning everything. And I went to her because she had started this agency and I was like blown away with what was a, what she was able to do, basically, and I thought I knew everything about travel basically. So, right, um, and it's not to say that you can't travel your or travel, you can't plan your own travels yourself. We just have the ins and outs of, you know, on-site companies, uh, within the different countries that can make your trip truly special, that you can't necessarily get just if you're booking online yourself. But I think the common misconception is this all costs extremely, extremely more money than you would pay if you just booked it yourself, which I had no idea. I didn't realize that there was already a. Whether you use a travel advisor or not, there's a fee built into what you're paying already.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:You don't pay anything extra?
Speaker 2:Yeah, gotcha, that's great. So you live in Virginia Beach, you work in Virginia Beach, tell me, but you serve clients everywhere. Is that correct?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I've worked with clients all over the world. Actually, I have. I just booked a trip for some people in Germany, england. I've done a couple of different countries, but yeah, oh, bermuda, I have some clients in Berm, I can help anyone. I can help anyone wherever you're at in the world. I have in spain and I just booked a trip for some people in germany, uh, sweden, um, but yeah, anyone can come to me for help so you live in virginia beach.
Speaker 2:tell me how you're involved with this community. I know you haven't lived here your whole life. Yeah, but your extended family's here, is that correct?
Speaker 3:Yeah, we actually I grew up coming to Virginia Beach in the summertime. My mom grew up in Virginia Beach and, yeah, we'd come and stay with some of our friends out here and you know I, we just just loved. I loved it so much that, you know, when I got the opportunity to move out here, I my husband and I and our little golden doodle moved out here a couple of years ago and we absolutely love it.
Speaker 3:So and then also yeah, we have a business here in town it's the cabinet factory, yeah, and so my husband works there and yeah, we're just kind of lots of different family members in town.
Speaker 2:Can you describe one hardship or life challenge being a travel counselor? Business owner.
Speaker 3:Life challenge.
Speaker 2:Or a challenge with your business that you've overcome.
Speaker 3:Well, I would say, not specifically this business, but you know, one of the things that I was tasked to do for the corporation that I worked for in advertising, I had to figure out how to open a business in Spain and you know I was lucky enough to have, you know, the backing to support to, you know, with the right attorneys and government officials and everything like that. But I think that was probably the biggest challenge that I've ever faced, just with expectations of working for a very successful corporation. And they put all of that, you know challenge on your shoulders. But you know it was, it was definitely the biggest challenge I've ever had to.
Speaker 2:How long were you in Spain for that position?
Speaker 3:So I was between Madrid, spain, and Manchester, england, for five years total, so two and a half roughly for each.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, well, outside of. So your, your job in general is kind of everybody's dream. I wouldn't say dream job, but when people are thinking about you know what's going to be happening in the next three or four months, everybody's kind of like what's when's my next vacation? And so you already kind of have that and you're thinking about that. What do you do for fun outside of your current, current job?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I actually, yeah, I played college golf. So my husband and I went to golf and, yeah, just being outdoors, and obviously we well, we moved from nebraska to virginia beach so we were taking full advantage of being near the beach. Um, so we like to go to the beach and play with our dog. And, yeah, where did you play college golf? Uh, nebraska, wesleyan university oh nothing was more educational, but it was. It was great the big. Do you guys plan trips?
Speaker 2:golf trips uh-huh, okay, and you're kind of an expert when it comes to planning golf trips. I think at one point you and I talked about a unique opportunity for the masters and yeah, um, getting a group going to augusta. Is that, is that? Yeah, we have.
Speaker 3:We have all opportunities like that. I have a group trip. I actually have an informational night tonight for the Catholic Jubilee in Rome coming up here this summer. Actually, we have lots of different days through the fall also, which only happens. You know it's it. This doesn't happen every year, so it's, it's a big event and so I have that set up. Lots of different group opportunities we're booking up until 2026 right now going to be one I'm planning for myself for 2026, because it looks fabulous. You can sleep out under the stars, they have champagne and caviar night. They go into the yacht harbors. Versus the cruise ports, it's a little bit different.
Speaker 2:That's your very high-end luxury cruise, is that correct?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you would be surprised. Price point it's a great price point for people, I yeah. I mean, we have all everything across the board. We have different budgets for different clients. Whatever your budget is, we should be able to find you something that will work for you.
Speaker 2:So but that when you in particular, that you were talking about what are the different cities it's going to?
Speaker 3:Like this one's a very unique one, so we're going to stop in Virgin Gorda. I'm trying to think of some of their very unique stops. I can't remember. The big one is Virgin Gorda, though. That I'm excited for because they say it's like one of the most amazing places you have to visit.
Speaker 2:So well, that's exciting, exciting. So you've got, you're going to go on with people you've booked on the trip. Yeah, what about tour type trips? Do you help and join groups for tour type excursions?
Speaker 3:Yep, yep, and I am going to start doing some stuff for Spain, since I live there. So lots of wine and food options. I'm a wino and a foodie, so just anything that you know I can experience also myself. So yeah, we'll take advantage of that, and then we do have another one coming up here. I do have group space held for a discount for November of 2026 for the Christmas markets. It's a river cruise on Amma Waterways and it's going to start in Budapest and end in Vienna, but there's a post extension to Prague.
Speaker 2:So that sounds like a really nice Christmas trip.
Speaker 3:Yes, so it's basically going to be a Hallmark experience.
Speaker 2:Yes, Hallmark experience yeah, through the Christmas market. That sounds amazing. Well, experience, yeah, through the Christmas Amazing. Well, thank you so much for being here. Can you give tell us listeners where they can find information about your travel business, your website?
Speaker 3:You can either reach out to me at 7, 5, 7, 4, 0, 2, 6, 7, 1, 5. Or you can email me at Joslin at Nova vacationscom. And it's J O S L I N at Nova vacationscom. Thank you, and then a website. Do you want a website?
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:And, yeah, it's Nova vacationscom, and then it's forward slash, forward slash. Jocelyn J O S L I N.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, jocelyn, for being here today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNpvirginiabeachcom. That's gnpvirginiabeachcom, or call 757-797-8852.