Monday Minute: Jennifer Meyer of Elevated by Jen (Direct Travel)

The Monday Minute is a weekly feature in PAX that highlights the movers, shakers, leaders and rule breakers in Canada’s travel advisor community. Wanna be profiled? Wanna nominate someone? Email newsroom@paxglobalmedia.com!

Name: Jennifer Meyer

Business: Elevated by Jen powered by Direct Travel

Where do you live? Ilderton (a small town outside of London, ON)

How long have you been a travel advisor? 

I’ve been a Certified Meeting Planner and a Certified Travel Counsellor for the last 20 years.

What is your specialty?

I specialize in incentive group travel and cruises. I started my travel career working on ships. 

What inspired you to become a travel advisor? 

I took my first trip when I was nine months old. I went with my parents to visit my Grandmother in England and must have picked up the travel bug early.  My real inspiration was my Grandmother. She loved to travel. She lived very modestly and spent all her money on travel and had some incredible adventures. She loved to tell the story about sitting on John Travolta’s lap at a bowling alley in California. I wish she was still alive because now that I’m older, I have so many questions about that story!

What’s the first trip you ever took? 

We did a lot of road trips to the East Coast and Florida when I was younger, but my first trip as an adult was with my sister to LA. We did one of those celebrity home tours and were out front of the Playboy Mansion where a party had just ended and the “Bunnies” asked our driver for a ride to their cars, which were parked at the bottom of the hill. I wish I had a picture of my sister in I, two small town girls crammed on a bus, with a bunch of playmates in their sexy outfits.

What travel trends are you seeing these days?

I think people are prioritizing travel over other items they would typically splurge on. Also, when they travel, they want a VIP experience whether that means flying business class, private transfers or booking the “preferred” area at a resort.

Of all the bookings you’ve made, which itinerary are you most proud of? 

I recently had a client return from France where she traced the last steps of her Grandfather in World War I.  She hired a genealogist to research her Grandfather’s presence in the war and I planned her trip around the information provided which was incredibly detailed.  She said it was the greatest experience of her life and I feel blessed to have been a part of it.   

What’s the most memorable trip you ever took?

Thailand was my first major trip outside of North America and it made me realize that as different as life is on the outside, we are all striving for the same thing. My most memorable trips were my weekend getaways with my Dad. I used to work for Air Canada, which gave me the affordably and flexibility to fly on a whim. We went all over Europe, and although I no longer work for Air Canada, I’m still hoping to surprise him with one last weekend trip. Don’t tell him. 

Where do you see your career one year from now? 

I would like to slow down. I have been working like crazy the last couple years and I’d like to take longer trips to more exotic places like Africa and the Middle East.

What’s one new skill you’ve acquired recently? 

I wouldn’t say it’s a skill, but I recently took up rowing.

What’s one thing you would change about the travel industry? 

Airline penalties. I think Delta Airlines has the right idea with eliminating change fees. Most of the time you’re paying an adcol anyway, so is a change fee really necessary on top of that?

What’s the secret to being successful in this business? 

I used to think knowledge and experience, but now it seems like “social media” is the right answer.

What is your motto? 

Go with the flow. Travel can be so unpredictable, but sometimes it’s those blips in your trip that create the most memorable experiences. Like the time my plane was stuck on the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale airport because of storms and the FA’s brought out the beverage cart and a pax brought out a speaker and we had a ground stop plane party! I can’t say what airline this was but they are not Canadian and do not charge change fees.

What is your number one piece of advice to other travel advisors? 

Pick up the phone. Sometimes speaking to an actual person is the only way to get the answer or intel you need.  Also, for any new agents, specialize in a market or destination. We work in an industry where we’re expected to know everything about everywhere.

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