Danielle Brown/Sapphire Dandelions Photography
By Christine Graf
After several years spent living in Atlanta, Travelmation travel advisor Jaime Leslie has returned home to the Capital Region. The Shenendehowa High School and Southern New Hampshire University graduate became interested in working in the travel industry after visiting Walt Disney World for the first time when she was 26 years old.
After setting her sites on a career in travel—one that focused on planning Disney vacations—Leslie applied to several agencies.
“They said I didn’t have enough experience with Disney parks and resorts, so I applied to the Disney College Program,” she said.
After Leslie was accepted into the program, she spent five months living and working at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
“That’s where the Disney part of my career really bloomed,” she said. “After being a cast member, I got to know what the company stands for, so I know why it’s a great choice for a vacation no matter your age. I learned so much in terms of planning and customer service.”
Within days of completing the program in early 2019, Leslie was hired by Fort Lauderdale-based Travelmation, a company with a network of almost 2,000 travel advisors and access to more than 400 travel companies and their partners. An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and an Earmarked Diamond Producer, Travelmation is also a Preferred Partner of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and a verified Sandals and Beaches agency.
Leslie’s love for all things Disney has not wavered, and she is now able to experience Disney with her husband and their two-year-old son.
“The magic that people speak of is real, and every time you take your kids, it will be magical,” she said. “And that’s true of all of the Disney parks and resorts. You know you are going to be taken care of when you travel with Disney. That applies to all of their lines of businesses–parks and resorts, Disney Cruise Lines, and Adventures by Disney.”
Although Leslie began her career by specializing in Disney vacations, her book of business is now evenly split between Disney destinations, all-inclusive resorts, European travel, and cruises. Clients do not pay a fee to utilize her services.
“It doesn’t cost anything to use a travel advisor. That’s a big misconception,” she said. “You will pay the same amount whether you book on your own or if you book with me, but if you book with me, you have me as a helping hand all the way through the booking process. If there’s a hurricane, an illness, or if your flights are messed up, instead of calling a 1-800 number, you call my cell phone directly. I call a representative that I have a business relationship with, and I get things taken care of. I have the contacts at my fingertips.”
For clients who want Leslie to handle every detail of their trip (she does not book AirBnb’s), she can book flights, rental cars, private transfers, and hotels. She can even arrange for wheelchairs, scooters, or strollers to be rented and delivered to hotels.
“If a client wants me to, I can arrange everything from top to bottom. I also have a travel insurance vendor I work with that sells policies,” she said.
By working with Leslie, clients are sometimes able to take advantage of last-minute discounts.
“Royal Caribbean and Walt Disney World are great examples. If prices go down before your final payment date, I can apply that promotion code,” she said. “When I book a vacation, I’m booking at the same price you would book for, but there’s an added benefit because I’m looking out for those promotions every day and you are not.”
For one of her Walt Disney World clients, Leslie was able to save them almost $1,000 by taking advantage of a room promotion that was made available after they had already booked their vacation.
While demand for Disney vacations remains strong, many of Leslie’s clients are choosing all-inclusive resort vacations, with Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic being especially popular. She has also been booking a large number of European vacations, many of them to Portugal.
Leslie is in the process of completing her certification to become a Certified Autism Travel Professional (CATP), and she also works with schools and businesses to plan group travel.
“For businesses, I can block off state rooms and a conference space on a cruise ship, and you can do continuing education or training at sea,” she said. “If you are going to do these trainings and have to sit in a conference room, let’s put you on a ship on your way to the Bahamas. It’s great for company culture.”
As the price of travel continues to increase, Leslie encourages people to consider using a travel advisor.
“People are paying a lot of money for their vacations, and when people book through me, I’m able to act as a safety net,” she said. “If something goes wrong, I’m able to assist. As a travel advisor, I offer peace of mind to my clients. And if I don’t have the answer, one of my colleagues will. We all work together on the back end, and our company is here to help. We want to make sure our clients are taken care of.”
For more information, email jaimeleslie@travelmation.net or visit her on Instagram @travelmation_jaime.