Travel Advisor Success Story: Kendra Wolfe, Owner & Founder, Zip Travel Co

Travel Advisor Success Stories focus on veteran advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Kendra Wolfe, owner and founder of Zip Travel Co.

How did you get your start as a travel advisor?

I never set out to be a travel advisor. In fact, I was fresh off having my first daughter and had just been cleared to return to working out (which was a victory in itself). In the middle of a class, someone casually mentioned how I had helped them plan their vacation and suggested I should be a travel agent. I laughed – me, outside of a classroom?

But something clicked. Maybe, just maybe, I was good at this. Nearly 18 years later, I can say with absolute certainty: I love this job. It started as a passion for planning and has grown into something so much bigger – helping others build their dream careers and businesses, just like I did.

How did you build your business over the years?

In the beginning, I was a walking, talking advertisement – literally. I ran ads, handed out brochures and made sure every single person I met knew I was in the travel business. If you saw me at the park with a stroller, chances are it had travel brochures in it. My former students, their parents, the cashier at the grocery store – everyone became part of my growing network. I love to talk –and talking about travel? Even better.

What characteristics make you a successful advisor?

If you can’t communicate, you can’t be a great travel advisor – period. It’s about more than just emails and itineraries; it’s about making people feel heard, understood and confident in their travel plans. That, and a little resilience goes a long way.

What have your greatest challenges been?

Without a doubt, the hardest challenge I’ve ever faced in this industry was COVID. And let’s be real – it wasn’t just a tough season; it was years. The travel world shut down, and since my agency was 75 percent cruise at the time, it felt like we had lost everything overnight.

We had just built a brand-new home, and panic set in. I made the difficult decision to return to the classroom, teaching kindergarten by day and running my agency by night.

I stopped hiring new agents, focused on keeping the doors open, and, in many ways, had to rebuild from the ground up. Some agents left – some because they no longer wanted to be in the industry, others because I simply wasn’t as present as I had been before.

It was a painful lesson, but it gave me clarity. I now know exactly what kind of agency I want to run, and today, I have the team I always dreamed of. That’s something I’m incredibly proud of.

What have your greatest accomplishments been?

Without a doubt, my greatest accomplishments are my 21-year marriage and my two incredible daughters. But professionally? Winning a Magellan Award in 2024 for our agency’s onboarding and training program, “How to Be a Travel Agent,” was a defining moment.

This program wasn’t just something we threw together – it was built with intention, experience and the goal of equipping new agents to succeed in an ever-changing industry. It provides a seamless onboarding experience, giving new advisors all the tools, strategies and confidence they need to hit the ground running.

And it works – our agency now has an incredibly high success rate for new advisors. That award wasn’t just a trophy; it was validation. It proved that what we’re doing matters, that investing in people makes all the difference and that our agency is a place where new advisors don’t just survive – they thrive.

What tips can you provide advisors new to the industry?

Success in travel doesn’t happen overnight. You have to lay the foundation, put in the work, learn the industry and surround yourself with the right people. One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard is this: The first year, you’re slow. The second year, you grow. The third year, you leap. Give yourself grace, stay the course, and when you hit that third year, you’ll see exactly what’s possible.

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