Andrea Wright is a natural-born salesperson. As the daughter of a single mother who built her own multimillion-dollar corporate travel agency from the ground up, she spent much of her childhood attending travel conferences, conducting fake “business meetings” in front of the mirror and dreaming about a life in the boardroom. Her strong business sense and extraverted personality kickstarted a successful travel industry career, first at Club Med, then Playa Hotels & Resorts and, finally, as the vice president of luxury sales and trade partnerships for Opulence, the new luxury division of host agency Outside Agents.

During this episode of Humans of Travel, listeners will hear Wright reflect on her decades-long career in travel, including how her mother impacted her career and why she decided to spearhead Outside Agents’ new luxury division. In the second half of the episode, she'll reflect on one of the most profound experiences she's had, to date – suffering a brain aneurysm back in February 2025. Thanks to the swift response of those around her, Wright is now healthy — she did, however, walk away with about $600,000 in medical debt that insurance wouldn't cover. Wright describes how her travel industry peers quickly and generously rallied around her, and how the Family Bonds Foundation (created by John Lovell, formerly of Internova Travel Group) stepped in to cover a substantial amount of the cost.

This episode is sponsored by the Globus Family of Brands.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Outside Agents

Opulence, by Outside Agents

Family Bonds Foundation

Contact Wright:  Andrea@outsideagents.com

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Executive Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly, and the Editor-in-Chief of print publication AGENTatHOME.

TravelAge West also produces events including Future Leaders in Travel, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala ad the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s award-winning podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As chief revenue officer for WorldVia Travel Network, Joshua Harrell guides travel advisors through the twists and turns of running a business. But his own entrepreneurial journey — including stints in the cosmetics, retail and entertainment industries — wasn’t always easy.

In this episode, Harrell reflects on his early career, sharing the achievements, missteps and lessons learned along the way (ex: “Don’t become a branding expert before making a sale!” and “Don’t abandon an idea the moment it gets tough!”).

Listeners will hear Harrell speak candidly about the excitement and challenges of building and supporting multiple businesses, why mentorship and continuous learning have shaped his leadership style and what it takes to succeed as a travel advisor. He also breaks down the concept of “travel marketeering,” along with WorldVia’s robust suite of support tools designed to help advisors thrive.

This episode is sponsored by Air France - KLM.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Travel Marketeering: A Complete Guide for Starting (or Refreshing) Your Travel Agency

Travel Marketeering Live on YouTube

WorldVia Travel Network

Harrell on Instagram

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Executive Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly, and the Editor-in-Chief of print publication AGENTatHOME.

TravelAge West also produces events including Future Leaders in Travel, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala ad the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s award-winning podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Hey everyone, it's Emma Weissmann, the host of Humans in the Hot Seat, a spinoff series from Humans of Travel. This Hot Seat episode features Eric Bowman, Editor-in-Chief of TravelPulse.com and host of The TravelPulse Podcast.

During this episode, Bowman will share the origins of TravelPulse's annual 40 Under 40 list, which began in 2024. Listeners will also get a behind-the-scenes look at the application and judging process, plus advice for those who are considering applying for 2026.

This episode is sponsored by Air France-KLM.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

TravelPulse 40 Under 40

The TravelPulse Podcast

Contact Bowman on Instagram: @ericbowman_

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Emma Weissmann is the Executive Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly, and the Editor-in-Chief of print publication AGENTatHOME.

TravelAge West also produces events including Future Leaders in Travel, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala ad the Napa Valley Leadership Forum.

ABOUT THE SHOW

TravelAge West’s award-winning podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.