The Art of Crafting Iconic Travel Experiences For Your Customers, with Lolita Jackmon

Episode Overview

Episode Topic:
In this episode of Travel-Preneur, we embark on an inspiring journey with Lolita Jackmon, the visionary Founder of Global Gypsy Travel. Dive into the world of crafting iconic travel experiences and exceptional customer service in the luxury travel industry. Hop on as we explore Lolita’s insights, journey, and vision for the future of Global Gypsy Travel.

Lessons You’ll Learn:
Join us as we delve into the art of transforming personal travel experiences into meticulously crafted journeys tailored for the most discerning travelers. Lolita reveals the secret behind curating truly unique and unforgettable travel experiences, where every detail is meticulously attended to, and exceptional customer service is paramount. Furthermore, we gain insights into how Global Gypsy Travel continually adapts to the ever-evolving demands of luxury travelers, positioning itself as a trailblazer in the realm of experiential travel.

About Our Guest:
Our guest, Lolita Jackmon, is the Founder of Global Gypsy Travel. With a career spanning luxury hotels and airlines, Lolita has an innate understanding of providing top-tier customer service and personalized experiences. Her journey is a testament to crafting iconic travel adventures.

Topics Covered:
In this episode, Lolita shares the art of crafting luxury travel experiences. Her background in the hospitality and airline industries forms the basis for translating personal travel encounters into handcrafted journeys. Exceptional customer service and meticulous attention to detail are the keys to curating unique and unforgettable travel experiences for sophisticated travelers. Global Gypsy Travel’s commitment to personalized luxury sets it apart in the industry.

Our Guest: Lolita Jackmon: The Maestro of Stress-Free Luxury Travel

Episode Transcript

Lolita Jackmon: I make sure that people aren’t having cookie cutter experiences. This is going to be a travel experience custom to you and your specific interests. This is a customer who loves the spa. I might not send someone there who is looking for more of an adventure travel type of experience. Ensure that they have everything they need so that they are having really an exclusive and immersive experience custom to them.

Megha McSwain: Welcome to Travel Preneur, the weekly business show for the travel industry. I’m your host, Houston based travel journalist Megha McSwain. Each episode, we’ll be exploring what it takes to thrive as a business owner in the travel industry. From conversations with leading travel business executives and industry-focused venture capitalists to exploring the innovations that are shaping the next generation of travel businesses if it impact the travel industry, we cover it here on Travel Preneur. Hello everyone, and welcome back to another exciting episode of Travel Preneur. I’m your host, Megha McSwain. Today we are joined with Lolita Jackmon, the founder of Global Gypsy Travel. Hello, Lolita, thanks for joining us.

Lolita Jackmon: Hi. Thank you Megha.

Megha McSwain: Great. Lolita, your journey from the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC to Delta Airlines seems like the perfect precursor to your love for luxury travel. How does Global Gypsy travel translate these experiences into crafting handcrafted and personalized travel experiences for your clients?

Lolita Jackmon: Wow. Well, thank you for that observation, Mega, and thank you so much again for having me on your show. Indeed, my background in the hospitality industry and later at a top airline, it’s definitely been invaluable to creating the philosophy of global gypsy travel because I’ve seen firsthand the exceptional service, the attention to detail and the understanding the diverse needs of travelers. And so, at Global Gypsy Travel, we leverage these experiences to create truly bespoke travel experiences for our clients. And we do this by combining some of the best practices that we’ve seen in both hospitality and airline industries. So definitely trying to provide our clients with unforgettable experiences that go beyond the ordinary. It’s really all about creating memories that are going to last a lifetime, and I’m thrilled to be able to share that with all of my clients through Global Gypsy Travel.

Megha McSwain: Can you share some specific examples of things you’ve curated for your clients, emphasizing the attention to detail?

Lolita Jackmon: Absolutely. So one of my favorite clients who loves to do solo travel, I planned a solo trip for her to Singapore and Bali, meticulously planned every aspect of the journey from leaving her house, the car to pick her up from her house to take her to the airport. The transfers from the airport to the hotel just prearranged everything so that when she got in country, got to Singapore, she didn’t have to worry about a thing she knew everything was arranged for her. If there had been any snafus, I would have been there to help her resolve. Fortunately, it was a trip without any issues. That’s one of my favorite clients. Every year she goes someplace fantastic. This year she’s going to Saint Lucia, going to a resort where she gets a spa treatment every day. Again, I arrange every aspect of the detail so you really feel like your vacation is an out of the ordinary experience, that it’s something that allows you to rest and relax and don’t have to worry about a thing. So a lot of my clients are busy, professional people as well. I’ve also done group trips. I’ve done lots of wonderful travel to Jamaica. I have a special place in my heart for Jamaica and have sent lots and lots of people, groups, families, couples to Jamaica on different trips. So it’s all about making sure that the client feels like even if it’s not a high end trip, but just knowing that every detail is covered and you don’t have to worry about anything. I sent a couple of girls or a few girls. I think there were three of them that went to Saint Martin and the night before their flights were canceled. I mean, it turned into just really a worrisome nightmare. And I was on the phone with the airline resolving the issues for them, and they didn’t have to worry about a thing. And fortunately they were able to be moved to later flights. They didn’t miss a thing. They still got there in time to enjoy the resort, to enjoy their vacation, and didn’t have to worry about dealing with the airline issues.

Megha McSwain: And you mentioned solo travelers and girls trips. It’s just so nice to know that you’ve got someone who has your back that’s not on the trip, but that you can call on should something like this happen. And and the trip really does start when you leave your own house, because then you’ve got the commute to the airport, you’ve got the parking or the shuttles or the way check in and security, all of that stuff. So if you can have someone who has your back from the moment you step out the door, it just really makes a difference and offers that comfort level.

Lolita Jackmon: So true. It’s so true. I mean it really, because think about it. If it takes you a lot to get to the airport, dealing with traffic, dealing with parking, dealing with versus someone showing up to get you there and you just get to relax in the back of the of the car. Easy peasy. Yes.

Megha McSwain: Definitely. Yeah.

Lolita Jackmon: It just it really starts your vacation the minute you walk out of your door, as opposed to after you get to your destination.

Megha McSwain: Now, with the growing trend of experiential travel, especially after Covid, now people are beginning to travel more and more around the world and more for leisure again. How does global Gypsy travel stay ahead of the curve in offering exclusive and immersive travel experiences? Like, do you have people that you work with that are in the different regions where you have a client base? How do you cater to the evolving demands of luxury travel? They’re always looking for something new and something exciting.

Lolita Jackmon: So staying at the forefront does take a lot. Just keeping in touch with what’s going on in the industry. First, I’m always on the lookout for hidden gems in emerging destinations. As I mentioned, I just I’m sending a client actually leaves next week to a resort in Saint Lucia where she gets a spa treatment every day. It just comes with part of the resort amenities. You get a spa treatment every day. The resort is body. Holiday in Saint Lucia. It’s absolutely amazing. And so finding these kinds of things, there’s lots of unique and beautiful resorts. And you see you will see things on the socials, right? Lots of special. But actually getting to book and reserve these items, I’m always staying at the forefront of how do I get to book these unique experiences for my customers. Obviously, I prioritize personalization. I make sure that people aren’t having cookie-cutter experiences. This is going to be a travel experience custom to you and your specific interests. This is a customer who loves the spa. I might not send someone there who is looking for more of an adventure travel type of experience. And then lastly, I’d have to say technology and innovations to enhance travel experiences. Making sure my clients are doing things like getting air tags to make sure you’re not to worry about your luggage. If there are other types of applications to keep track of your itinerary on your iPhone or your Android. If you’re more of a technical person, or whether or not you need to have a printout of of everything, make sure that whatever is appropriate to my customer, what’s what’s their preference. Ensure that they have everything they need so that they are having really an exclusive and immersive experience custom to them.

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Lolita Jackmon: Yeah. So first and foremost, getting a deep understanding of my client’s preferences and needs for new clients. I actually do have an intake process where they can identify some of the things that they would be interested in. And then we have conversations. And then through those conversations, I hear about what kinds of experiences they had, what kinds of hotels or resorts they’ve stayed at previously, or if they’re new to travel, what are their worries? What are their concerns? Just to make sure that we can address anything, any issues, any concerns so they feel really taken care of and not don’t have any worries in the world. It’s really about the travel. The ladies that I sent to Saint Martin, it was one of their first trips out of the country. They’ve never been out of the country. Wow. Wow. Yeah. So there was a lot of hand-holding just to make sure they understood the concept of passports going through TSA, helping them understand what it’s going to be like leaving the airport and arriving at a in an international airport, which is not going to look like necessarily a US airport. I just make sure I understand where they’re at and give them the information they need to feel comfortable traveling.

Megha McSwain: Great. And it’s such a competitive market, luxury travel. And I mean now people are you can sit in your house where you are and manage this anywhere in the world, right? So it’s so competitive. What strategies does Global Gypsy travel employ to maintain the reputation as a provider of top tier customer service, and really set yourself apart from the others?

Lolita Jackmon: It’s definitely wavering commitment to personalization, right. As I said, this is going to be a trip that is personal and custom to you and you alone. It is also looking at the exclusive relationships and insider access that we have as a result of our partnership with different vendors and different companies with dedicated customer support. As I mentioned, if there’s anything goes wrong during your trip, I’m here to be your advocate to help my customers deal with just really frustrating and aggravating travel situations should they occur, and continuous improvement feedback. I do surveys when my customers come back to find out. Did you like the resort? Did anything happen that was concerning and I do follow up with the resort to anything concerning did happen. It’s just all of this attention to detail sets us apart. Making sure that that our customers are having amazing travel experiences. I was recently contacted by a friend of a friend who had a terrible time trying to get to Greece. It was actually her honeymoon and one of the she didn’t use the travel agent and one of them arrived early. One of them, they weren’t on the same flights. I mean, it just really was not the ideal situation, right? Once you use a travel agent in the future, because a lot of times people think they can by not using a travel agent, I can just do this. It’s so easy. And yes, it is. It is easy. There’s a low barrier to entry to being able to book travel, but to be able to book free travel is really what travel agents provide, and definitely what global gypsy travel provides.

Megha McSwain: And I’m sure you are looking for that return business as well. Like people have a relationship with you, they can trust you. I mean, I’m sure that kind of adds to it. Why people would come back again and again to global gypsy travel is because clearly you’re very hands on. It makes it feel like you’re talking to a friend who’s looking out for you.

Lolita Jackmon: I have to say, 100% of my clients come back for a return trip. I mean, just some of the feedback of going on the trip, and I didn’t have to worry about what I was doing from day to day while I was on vacation because it was all planned out, but it was flexible enough that I could adjust if I felt like doing something different that day. Every customer I’ve had has been completely satisfied and felt the, I guess, the special hand-holding or the special guidance that comes with booking through Global Gypsy Travel.

Megha McSwain: And what can we expect from the company in the coming years? Can you share your insight and what you have planned? How to further elevate the standards of luxury travel? Because let me tell you, I feel like any time I open a magazine or look online, it’s like there’s something new or something that people want to try because these travelers, they keep up with so much and they want more, right? So it’s like, how do you keep up with all of that?

Lolita Jackmon: I’d say first and foremost, the core values of providing exceptional experiences, definitely embracing technology. There’s a lot of emerging technologies that are shaping how travelers plan and experience. We’re staying on the up to speed on what’s happening there, sustainability and ethical travel. That’s a big area. A lot of people want to go on. Make sure that there’s sustainable, eco friendly options, ethical travel practices. So being able to speak to that when when that’s a customer preference. Obviously the flexibility and customization is always going to be key to what we provide and do continuous learning to stay ahead of the industry trends. There’s lots of vendors who send information on what they’re doing in these areas to make sure that I can relay that information and book my clients with those special features and benefits that they offer.

Megha McSwain: As someone who’s dedicated their career to the art of travel and hospitality, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs in this industry looking to make their mark?

Lolita Jackmon: You definitely have to embrace innovation. You have to focus on providing exceptional customer service. You need to build strong partnerships with the vendors, with all of the resorts, with all of the cruise lines, to make sure that you have the connections so that you can offer something special to your clients. You have to be authentic and unique to you. Don’t try to be the cookie cutter, but just identify what’s your niche? What’s going to be your special offering. Prioritize sustainability. Because this is something I’m just going to continue to become more and more important for travelers developing online presence. Definitely learn from your mistakes. I mean, it’s been six, seven years now that I have been running Global Gypsy Travel, and I’ve learned over time, right, how to make this work smoothly and stay passionate about travel. And not only am I the founder, but I’m also a client, right? I love to travel myself, so I think you have to stay passionate about travel, get out there and travel. I have taught in Jamaica and I picked it because it’s a place that I have been and I knew from our discussions this is something that would work well for them, because they were looking for everything that was offered at that particular one. But definitely staying passionate about travel yourself is going to be a key to any aspiring travel entrepreneurs.

Megha McSwain: Thank you so much for sharing all of this, Lolita. It’s been so insightful and I look forward to speaking to you again in the future and learning how global Gypsy travel has grown. For our listeners who want to learn more. War or reach you. How can they do so?

Lolita Jackmon: Well, definitely they can go to my website, which is myglobalgypsy.com.

Megha McSwain: Excellent. Thank you, Lolita. And to our listeners, please like and subscribe and stay tuned for future episodes. Thanks so much.

Lolita Jackmon: Thank you so much for having me.

Megha McSwain: You’ve been listening to Travel Preneur by travelpayments.com. Make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast listening platform so you never miss a new episode, and we’ll see you again soon on Travel Preneur.