In this episode of Business Edge, special guest Kerri Dickson discusses her journey of starting a travel advising business right around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. She speaks to the issues she has observed in the travel industry in the time since, and predicts how it will change in the near future. Not only this, but she gives insights into the travel agency industry and outlines several reasons why one may benefit from seeking an advisor!
Kerri Dickson [00:00:00] The airline and travel industry, hospitality industry, too, just in general has the same thing that you're seeing in other places as well, where a lot of people either retired or changed career fields or what have you. And now everybody's been pent up and ready to go. And so we just have two years of lag.
Finn Lambouris [00:00:20] You're listening to Business Edge, the podcast for professionals looking to excel in the workforce. In each episode, our guests take a deep dive into their personal and professional experiences to give you an edge in the marketplace. This podcast is brought to you by the Commonwealth Leadership® Alliance.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:00:34] Welcome back to the Business Edge podcast. We are here live in Miami for the 61st Convention. How are you doing, Nicole? Nicole Klemp is here with me today.
Nicole Klemp [00:00:42] I am so excited. We're having a great time at Convention today.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:00:46] We are. It's a little bit humid outside, so hopefully we can get some pool time. We'll see. But we have Kerri Dickson with us today and we are excited to talk to her. And I'll let Nicole share a little bit about her.
Nicole Klemp [00:00:57] Yeah. So Kerri is a business owner and travel advisor who helps clients achieve the best possible experience through all phases of planning leisure travel. With a focus on cruise, theme park and all inclusive vacations, she partners with her clients to help them find the right travel experience for their group. Kerri has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Western Governors University and is an alum of Washington State University's Beta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi. Thank you for being with us, Kerri.
Kerri Dickson [00:01:24] Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:01:26] We're so excited to have you. And so I want to jump in with your company name is Sapphire Adventures. So tell me about how--that is correct, right?
Kerri Dickson [00:01:33] Yeah! It's Sapphire Adventures, LLC. And so there was meaning behind it that was kind of double. My birth month is September, so that's my birth stone, so that was it, and then also tying into AKPsi and I knew that there would be plenty of brothers that I would get to help, and that's been the case. Plus, I live in the Seattle area and we have blue and green and mountains and oceans and everything Pacific Northwest-y. So that was all tied into it. And because it's in the Pacific Northwest, a lot of us like to get out to someplace warmer and sunnier and drier in, say, January, when it's gross and dark and the sun sets at 4:00 in the afternoon.
Nicole Klemp [00:02:16] You mean not August in Miami?
Kerri Dickson [00:02:18] Yeah, definitely not August in Miami.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:02:20] There's definitely been some melting moments already.
Kerri Dickson [00:02:22] Yes, it's been sticky.
Nicole Klemp [00:02:24] Yes. Big hair and sticky, sticky faces.
Kerri Dickson [00:02:27] Yes.
Nicole Klemp [00:02:27] We'll dive in here to some questions. We'd love to talk to you about travel and some tips for our listeners and your experience as a brother as well and how that influences your business and your leadership, so.
Kerri Dickson [00:02:39] Yeah, absolutely. Now so with travel, I started in 2020, about two months before the pandemic hit.
Nicole Klemp [00:02:46] Oh, wow.
Kerri Dickson [00:02:47] PBLI in Las Vegas was my last trip.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:02:50] Mine, too. We saw each other.
Kerri Dickson [00:02:51] We did. So it was definitely interesting. I didn't have too many bookings at that point, so I had the benefit or the silver lining of it was I could watch how different suppliers, different vendors worked with fellow travel advisors to kind of see who was going to ride the storm and how they treated everybody, how they treated clients who I wanted to work with. So that part was nice. The taking two extra years to try and get your business off the ground. This is the first year that I really felt like I could get something and I'm getting traction and getting referrals. People who don't know me are contacting me, things like that, which is what I expected to have happen the first couple of years. I just didn't expect it to start in 2022. But you know, you roll with the punches and go through it. But, you know, one of the things that's been really nice is what I've learned in AKPsi through different volunteer roles as a student attending things like College of Leadership at Convention or PBLI or anything like that is talking to other people who are entrepreneurs and they're talking to other people that run their own operations and how they do it. I also worked in the corporate world in finance and customer service for a long time, and it's amazing how much more passionate you are about helping people if you also like what you're selling or what you're doing.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:04:15] Yeah.
Kerri Dickson [00:04:15] Finance, I was like, It's a job. I understand it, I get it. But it wasn't something I was passionate about. And that was one of the things that AKPsi as a volunteer I always had the opportunity to do. It was an outlet for serving people. Well, now I get to do that for my work. So it's pretty cool. It's been full circle in that respect and getting to help some brothers with different things. Like I just helped a brother and her family go on, like, a multi-generational trip, just like a couple weeks ago. And they went to Jamaica and they had a wonderful time. So that's been the best part. But learning what I have about different things with the volunteer part of things and how to work with people and interact with people, maybe that you're not necessarily always going to jive with has definitely translated into being able to help people figure out the right vacation and make it feel like they have somebody in their corner.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:05:07] It must be rewarding. I never really thought about it that way in terms of matching people with that opportunity. Tell me a little bit. So I've done it. I know several other people. When they do, their passion is their job. Sometimes it can maybe diminish your passion for that. Do you feel like you were very passionate about travel? I imagine you still are, but has there been any of those moments where you're like, it's kind of taken the joy for me personally out of travel?
Kerri Dickson [00:05:33] Absolutely. I love Disney. I've been a big Disney nerd. I did the college program when I was in college at WSU. So that's where I kind of, like, fell in love with everything. But over the last couple of years how the changes that they've made as a business and to see it from a business owner's side of things, they've personally to me have made it really difficult for first time guests or casual guests to visit. And so that's hard to try and balance the business part of my mind and like my heart, you know, a little bit. And it happens. And sometimes I have to take a step back and like, okay, maybe we're not going to promote this right now or what have you. But, you know, I went to Disney World in November last year and it was fun and I enjoyed it. But at the same point too, I also looked and could nit pick a little bit more. So it's just having sometimes to shut your brain off when you go on vacation and you're not working.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:06:25] I was gonna say, you probably were looking at everything from a completely different lens of just going and enjoying it to now I need to be able to provide all these different informations. And like you said, your brain is just running all the time.
Kerri Dickson [00:06:37] Exactly. And I even tried down here because the hotel is right across from the Port of Miami and our room actually looks out over the port. So, like, I can sit and look at the cruise ships when they're in, but I tried to get some on-ship tours, but because of the COVID restrictions, they're still not letting non travelers go, which is fine, it's close. But I was like, Oh man, it'd be great if I'm flying all the way to Miami and I'm this close but can't get on a ship. So.
Nicole Klemp [00:07:03] Yeah, and speaking of that, so what other things have you seen, particularly with the cruise industry and how quickly everything is changing? Like, I know I took a cruise back in February and since then restrictions have changed. We had to wear masks, but now you don't. It's like changing month by month. And how do you, you know, kind of keep up with these constant changes and, like, helping your clients know what to expect and all of that?
Kerri Dickson [00:07:27] Yeah, and that's exactly what it is. And that's what I tell my clients too is like, that's my job to keep up with all of those things. So I get emails that are industry news related from all the vendors. There's third party news sites that do all of that as well. So any time that there's rumblings of anything, I start going and researching so that I can tell you and give you a heads up because, like, we went on a cruise to Alaska in May. The crew wore masks, but we didn't have to if we didn't want to. So and then they just changed within the last week. They changed some of the COVID policy for the testing. And so it's ever evolving. And that's one of the things over the last two years that's been really tough for people and they realize that it's been nice to have somebody in your corner as a travel advisor is that there is somebody that knows this is what's happening. Also in Europe this year, the airports are just crazy this summer. So Heathrow here in the month of August in London has asked for things to be reduced, the number of flights coming in and out because it's taking so long. Amsterdam's airport has been super busy. So it's those kinds of things that we can give a heads up to our clients about to help them prepare and be ready, even just flying in and out of Orlando International right now, it's a three hour ahead of time, which is unheard of for domestic flights. So, you know.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:08:45] And they actually mean it? I feel like, you know.
Kerri Dickson [00:08:47] No, it's not just me being like, oh, you need 3 hours. So I have a client that's going through MCO next week and I'm like, you need to make sure you have at least 3 hours, even though you're pre-check, even though--because the lines can get crazy because it's one of the busiest airports in the U.S..
Chrissy Vasquez [00:09:02] So you bring up--I'm like thinking in my head now you've sold me on why I should book with somebody instead of doing it on my own. Because we went on a cruise last fall. Our cruise was 50% full, which I'm like, Who wants to cruise at full capacity again after this? 'Cause there's no one--
Kerri Dickson [00:09:15] That's how ours was too!
Chrissy Vasquez [00:09:17] Yeah, it was phenomenal. You didn't have to fight for pool chairs like no wait anywhere, but we were all racking our brain, like, okay, are we going to have to test this? And it would be nice just to be like, Kerri, we're leaving in a week. You tell us everything we need to know.
Kerri Dickson [00:09:29] Absolutely. And that's part of what I do. I build your itinerary out, I help you go over everything with, "This is what you need to do." I have clients that are actually traveling right now in Alaska, and she goes, "We just don't want to mess it up. It's too important." And I'm like, "Not a problem. Let's hop on a call. We can have a five minute call. We can have a 30 minute call, whatever it needs to help you line things out." And I have an app that I send you with your itinerary on it, so you always have it available and that's nice.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:09:56] That's awesome. So embarrassing moment. We both got to the airport when we landed, we were getting a cab and they're like, "Well, which InterContinental?" And we're like, "I don't have the address. Do you have the address?" And we couldn't find it easily.
Nicole Klemp [00:10:08] Yeah, we thought just the name of the hotel would do the trick but apparently there are two.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:10:10] So it just shows it would be nice to have an app to be able to pull up and, you know, have your itinerary like you were saying.
Kerri Dickson [00:10:15] Absolutely. Even for my husband and I who is here also doing things that is volunteer-wise, I put all of our schedules into our app because I'm like, "We have two very separate schedules and at least that way I don't have to text you and be like, 'Where are you?' Hope that the Wi-Fi works. Hope that the 5G works."
Chrissy Vasquez [00:10:32] Is that an app that is proprietary to you or do you buy into it?
Kerri Dickson [00:10:36] I buy into it. It's a service, but it's one that travel agents use. And so there are other travel agents that will be able to use it. I found it to be really helpful so I can go over line by line and it saves me time too, because I'm not typing something up in Canva or typing something up in word or what have you. So yeah, it's really nice to have the tools to be able to do that. The industry as a whole skews on the older side of things. I'm 40, almost 41, and I'll be one of the youngest people at the conference that I go to here in a couple of months. But it's been nice because I found some other younger travel agents and so we're able to help with the technology and figuring things out. But that was one of the things that was hard when I first started was the trainings I would do were very rudimentary. So it was kind of interesting to see and remember that perspective of things so that when I'm helping clients, okay, not everybody has that tech savvy aspect of things.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:11:33] Yeah, I think that's an interesting point because to what I just said about, you know, I don't think about using a travel agent, that seems dated to me, right? And so now I can understand why there's probably not many younger people because we have this perception that it's not a need, but it very much is.
Kerri Dickson [00:11:47] But what's funny is there are younger people, especially younger people with families that realize the time that's being saved. I'm in the process of working with a couple of families right now where they just go, "We have two or three kids and we don't have time to do all of this and keep everything." I said, "If you can get your passports figured out, I can help you with the rest of it. I can't do the passport part for you, but if you can get the rest of it figured out, we can definitely help you out and make some recommendations" because it's so overwhelming. You want to go to Cancun? Okay. Well, there's like 170 resorts there. How do I know which one is right for me? So that's my job to help narrow that down.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:12:22] That's a great point. I want to touch back a little bit about air travel.
Kerri Dickson [00:12:25] Yes.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:12:26] So just curious, it's clearly changed over the last couple of years, it seems. You mentioned a lot of the European airports that are really crowded. And same thing with Orlando. It seems like there's a ton of flights being canceled. There are tons of delays. You know, we always say, wear your patience pants at the airport. It doesn't get you anywhere to be rude to the flight crew and the staff because they can't change anything. But curious to see what you think the trend of air travel is going to be going forward. Do we see relief in some of these travel issues? Are they going to stick around? And then I know there is a social media post going around from a flight attendant of like, "here's my ten tips." You know, I'm curious what your thoughts. I know you shared it, what are your thoughts on it and any additional tips you might have?
Kerri Dickson [00:13:09] Yeah, like you said, pack your patience. That's what Mike and I say to each other all the time when we're in a situation like that, we just need to pack your patience. We know it's going to be busy, it's going to be stressful. And like you said, you can't take it out on other people. But the airline and travel industry, hospitality industry too, just in general has the same thing that you're seeing in other places as well, where a lot of people either retired or took the last two years to go back to school or changed career fields or what have you. And now everybody's been pent up and ready to go. And so this is the first real big year of we need to get out. Everybody is comfortable traveling for the most part. We really want to get out and that's part of it. And we just have two years of lag that we haven't been able to move forward and that intrinsic knowledge that gets passed down. And it's not, like I said, it's not just travel, but I do see it getting better. I'm hoping that the airlines can get it figured out.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:14:08] And it's all of them, right?
Kerri Dickson [00:14:10] There's not one over the other. So the biggest thing is if you can take a direct flight first thing in the morning, nonstop, that's the thing.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:14:18] I'm flying out at 5 a.m. on Sunday for that exact reason, not direct, but I'm like, getting out of town.
Kerri Dickson [00:14:24] Yeah. If I wasn't traveling back to the West Coast, I would also be on the first flight out but we're on one of the last flights out. So it'll be an adventure. The other thing too is, I took this opportunity to use Airtags because I'm an iPhone user to track our bags, even though I didn't anticipate there being any issues because again, it was a nonstop flight from Seattle. And if you are a user of Android products, there is the tiles that you can get to and it's the same thought process, but it can't get any worse. It can only go up.
Nicole Klemp [00:14:56] Let's hope so.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:14:57] Yeah, I was just going to say, famous last words.
Kerri Dickson [00:14:59] I know, I know.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:15:01] You heard it here folks.
Kerri Dickson [00:15:01] But you know, I try to be optimistic as I can be because I want people to get out and experience things. And that's what travel is about, is getting out and seeing different things and experiencing something new or just doing something that makes you happy.
Nicole Klemp [00:15:14] Yeah, absolutely. I know, you know, just from being cooped up for nearly two years with the pandemic, just being here, traveling and seeing people in person is just so refreshing after being, you know, just stuck at home for so long.
Kerri Dickson [00:15:28] Absolutely. This is my first AKPsi trip since that PBLI. So my husband's traveled a couple of times and we've seen some friends and our brothers, but for the most part, this is like the first event that I've been at that's been other than my convention that I went to last year for the travel. So it's been exciting, but it's different. It's like, "Oh yeah, I do like this."
Chrissy Vasquez [00:15:48] Yes, yes, I had mixed feelings coming here. Like, I was excited, but it feels like it's been so long. I was like, I don't remember what Convention feels like. And then you meet everybody, you see everybody, you're like, "Oh yeah, that's great." You get to see people and familiar faces and.
Kerri Dickson [00:16:02] Yeah.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:16:02] Things like that.
Kerri Dickson [00:16:03] Yup, exactly. I mean, we got to the airport on Tuesday and there was a bunch of people that we knew that were on our flight. So, that's always fun. It's a good way to kick it off.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:16:13] You've been listening to Business Edge, brought to you by Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity and sponsored by Synergos Association Management Company. Now let's get back to the conversation.
Nicole Klemp [00:16:27] Switching gears a little bit, since we have a lot of students and young professionals listening. Somebody that's interested in doing what you do or becoming an agent or starting their own travel business. What tips would you give them to kind of get into that?
Kerri Dickson [00:16:40] I would definitely say to talk to somebody that is a travel agent. I wish I had done that a little bit. There are some resources out there which I spent a lot of time going through to try and find the right fit for me. The biggest thing is using your network, and that's been the hardest thing for me because I'm pretty introverted. So even though I'm good at being conversational, outgoing in the situation, but if it's somebody I don't know or anything, I'm not going to go into a room of people and just like get up in front of everybody and talk. That's just not who I am. And so it's been good to know my network and share my network with everything, but it's definitely one of those ones where the AKPsi network has been so helpful for me to help get my business off the ground and finding those places to network that are going to connect you with the right kind of people. And it takes time. It is not a quick and easy thing. And I'm very fortunate to have a supportive partner in the fact that I've been able to do this without having to work part time also. Like, I've really been able to put everything into this.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:17:44] That's awesome. Tell us a little bit as we wrap up here, how can listeners find you on social media? Because she's got some amazing pictures.
Kerri Dickson [00:17:53] Thank you. So you can find me on Facebook. It's Facebook.com/SapphireAdventuresLLC. On Instagram it is @Sapphire.Adventures. And yeah, I do try and keep everything posted up and try and keep it updated. Especially when I'm traveling, you'll see different things. So that part's really good. And then I have a website which is www.SapphireAdventuresLLC.com. So yeah, but social media and especially Instagram and Facebook is the best way to reach me. And then email is Kerri@SapphireAdventuresLLC.com.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:18:34] Perfect. Thank you so much. It's been great chatting with you. We have our signature question for you.
Nicole Klemp [00:18:39] Yes. And earlier in our recordings here at Convention, we already grilled your husband on this very question, so.
Kerri Dickson [00:18:46] Yes, I heard.
Nicole Klemp [00:18:49] So we ask all of our guests our signature question. So, Kerri, tell us about a time when your personal values were challenged. What happened and how did you handle it?
Kerri Dickson [00:18:58] So it's not been while I've been in travel, it's been when I was in other industries working for somebody else. I made a mistake. My boss decided to cover it up and I just went along with it. Which, I was young and I didn't know any better necessarily, and I didn't want to lose my job. So I just did what I had to do. And looking back 15, 20 years later, I wish I would have handled it differently, but it was a very toxic work environment as well in that. And so that paved the way for me to run my business how I want to do it. And it's really important to me that I am ethical and transparent with my clients all the time. So the clients, they pay a small service fee a lot of the time to me, but the majority of my funds come from the hotel you stay at, the cruise you go on, the trip you take. So, what's more important to me is that my client has the best vacation that they can possibly have, or that I get the bigger paycheck and I'm always going to choose what's best for my client. If that means I don't get anything, that's fine. You have to find that balance. But it's so important that if somebody is paying all of this money to go and have a vacation and get away, that they have that vacation that they want, that adventure that they want. And so, those little things that peppered me through different corporate situations. It's important to me to make sure that I remember that and don't forget that. And then with just things that I've seen through the fraternity and the volunteer work that I've done, it's important for me to teach and lead with my actions, not just, you know, it's the servant leadership thing that we talk about. And so that's a big part of what I do and making sure that my client is happy and that they need me. And also respecting that space and that boundary all at the same time. But yeah, I'm going to do what's best for my client, hands down all the time, and I will go to bat every single time.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:20:56] That's awesome. And I think that just serves you well because those are the clients that have an amazing time and they'll refer you to somebody else. Like it's that investment that will return dividends. Plus, you're delivering on an experience for somebody.
Kerri Dickson [00:21:09] Absolutely. And if you don't have a big vacation this time, I would rather help you with your small one and that way we can start planning and talking about your big vacation you want to take in five years.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:21:17] Yeah. I love that you take such a personalized approach. It's not just let's get you a little cookie cutter vacation to go on. Let's really find out what's going to make you happy.
Kerri Dickson [00:21:26] The difference between an advisor and an agent: an agent just books.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:21:30] Good to know.
Nicole Klemp [00:21:31] Oh, yeah, that's great.
Kerri Dickson [00:21:32] So that's my personal philosophy, which is why I don't say I'm a travel agent.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:21:36] Travel advisor. I love it.
Nicole Klemp [00:21:38] Yes.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:21:39] Well, thank you so much for joining us. It's been a pleasure.
Kerri Dickson [00:21:41] You're so welcome. Thank you for having me.
Nicole Klemp [00:21:44] Yes, thank you, Kerri. Enjoy the rest of Convention.
Kerri Dickson [00:21:47] You too. Thank you.
Finn Lambouris [00:21:50] Thanks for listening to business Edge. If you have questions, comments or topic suggestions for us, email businessedge@akpsi.org.