I sat down with Lori Speers to talk about a celebration for the top 10 sales producers at Levarté Travel, the host agency she started and owns. While we did cover this, succeeding in the essential goal of business transacted; we got far more in-depth about travel—about the elation of setting up the perfect getaway for another person, how community plays a huge part in business, and the passion it takes to make it in the travel industry.
When interviewing people within the travel industry, it is not uncommon for them to have jetlag. In fact, I find it odd if they don’t. Lori, a veteran of 40 years, had jetlag from a recent trip to Europe.
“So worth it. We took our 14-year-old granddaughter to London and Paris. Looking at Paris and London through her eyes was so rewarding.”, Lori said.
I could tell immediately how passionate Lori was about her business, and she echoed this out loud the moment I noticed. “If you enjoy doing someone else’s travel more than your own, that’s the secret sauce.”
Granted, we’ve all heard this from the mouths of many in the travel industry. It’s often passed around like fortune cookies mass-produced on a factory line. Yet, every trope and overused slogan has its origin in an idea that was so good, so simple in an elegant way, that it spread far and wide with ease. As our conversation progressed, I realized that she has held onto the core of what it means to enjoy and thrive in the travel industry.
Lori has been in this industry for 40 years without a break, a veteran no doubt. And these forty years started with an idea of freedom. Before she started in travel, Lori worked in the family restaurant. That is, until she was approached with, “Do you want to go to travel school?”
“I was sold immediately because it was out of the restaurant business… to be completely honest.”, she noted. “I actually quit college and went.”
Leaving the safety of a degree or a guaranteed job is always a risk but, at the impetuous age of 19, she leapt right into the risk.
And, to this day, Lori regrets nothing. “Nothing else in my life has been as consistent.” I laughed as she gave the example of being in her second marriage and having gone through multiple groups of friends throughout her life. Changes came, changes went, but travel remained constant.
In 2005, Lori began running a host agency as a director. As she says, “Back in 2005, host agencies were a new thing… just catching on.” And Lori continued to work for this host agency until a realization in 2020. A turn of thought from the avoidance of entrepreneurship, blooming from the slowdown of travel during COVID-19. For her, it was a chance to reconnect with a part that had been swamped with work—energy freed up from a constant and habitual cycle of wake, work, rinse, repeat.
“I had the ache to do it [start a host agency] for about 10 years. When life slowed down, I really got to listen to myself.”, she said.
The Birth of Levarté Travel
Lori turned down a lucrative job offer at another company, gave her notice to her current company and decided that, if she was going to do it, she was going to do it right. “I knew what was involved, so that helped. I took six months preparing: back offices, and I even hired six staff members before I had one agent.”
As a veteran, Lori had a name in the industry. Between ‘what was Lori going to do next’ and the preparations informed by decades in the industry, Levarté Travel was born.
It started as a newsletter, a small example to entice curiosity. One-hundred people responded for more information. Each one was sent a box containing a ribbon, scissors, and a small champagne glass—all branded with Levarté’s logo—and “a gift for $5 to get a little bottle of champagne.”
At the end of this virtual ribbon cutting, that same night, Lori had one-hundred advisors sign up. She was shown the same love that she’d given through the hard work and passion of decades in the industry.
Years later, Lori looks back on those times with a lesson learned from the doubt and stress of being an owner. “When it really changed was when I quit thinking about the money, and just thought about the people.”, she says.
This changed Lori’s entire view, leading her to tell every new agent in training to not give up on their advisor dreams. But, “you’re not going to be profitable right away.”
Today, Levarté Travel has 470 advisors onboard. She went on to say that Levarté pays attention to what level the advisor is currently on, tailoring to that level’s needs. This is seen in the three levels available for advisors: LevNEW, LevUP, and LevPRO.
From the newest in the industry to the highest earners, Lori consistently talked about helping the advisor succeed at any part of the path in travel. She has realized the key to advisor’s success is, “having a very strong welcome journey and having big mentorship.”
Not only that, but the confusion of what tour operator to use. One example being Apple Leisure Group, and choosing one of its many tour operators for different purposes. Or, perhaps, what company owns which hotel or resort. “This industry is so big, so overwhelming, and so intimidating for an agent… they’re like ‘where do even I start?’”
Preparing the Advisor
There are a few ways that Levarté Travel helps advisors prepare for the world of travel; one is the WAVE Camp events, held three times a year.
“We have three a year,” Lori said. “It’s always January, July, and November. And two of them are live in Dallas.”
These two live events are filled with three days of onsite training, some by vendors and others by Levarté. There’s also business training, a lawyer talking on travel law, and a trade show. But, the most beneficial part, as Lori said, was “the interaction of agents with each other, and what they learn from each other.”
Add in helping agents and advisors with relationship building, one of the most important aspects of any business, and the WAVE events were obviously made with lifting up advisors in mind.
Then there are the different levels of consistent help that the host agency offers, that feature education opportunities at the advisor’s own pace.
Thirty percent of those 470 advisors are new to the industry, which is where LevNEW provides support and learning to those just starting their journey.
LevUP, the middle category, makes up sixty percent of advisors hosted at Levarté. Some of these being advisors who are returning to the industry.
LevPRO, ten percent of the advisors onboard Levarté Travel, is for what she calls the “million dollar agents.” The high earners; the ones that spurred the original plan for this article.
And each of these levels were appreciated at the second annual L.I.F.T. Retreat, put on by Levarté.
L.I.F.T. Retreat
Lift, carry, lead… these are all definitions translated from the Spanish word ‘levarte.’ Which makes the name of this annual retreat even more fitting.
The 2023 L.I.F.T. Retreat took place in Riviera Maya on May 4th to May 7th. It celebrated the top producers at Levarte Travel in 2022.
- The top ten LevNEW members get a $500 gift card, and the top five winning the STAR Award.
- Top five of the intermediate level, LevUP, a $750 gift card.
- Top ten overall get an Avalon River Cruise for two.
“I saw the stepping stones. Some [advisors] were in tears… they’re just so excited because they may have just won one of the other levels, and now they’re winning this level.”, said Lori.
There were more awards to give out though. The Pillar Award being one. “Our four Pillar Awards were for people that were helpful and great examples of an ideal member based on our core values, resourcefulness, love of travel, passion and knowledge. We try to honor the people who stand out to help others.”
Moving into the future with Levarte Travel, Lori said they are planning many events for advisors: A WAVE CAMP event in Dallas on July 21st, 2023; the L.I.F.T. Retreat in 2024; and FAM trips in November (Margaritaville Island Reserve Cap Cana), October (Seminar at Sea), and September (Club Med in Quebec).
“We keep them [FAMs] small and very educational. A lot of training, and we escort them.”, said Lori.
The travel industry is full of characters that shine a light that is specifically their own, recognizable personalities. Not only for accomplishments but the way in which they interact with their colleagues and clients.
Even within the 34-minute conversation we had, Lori stood out as one of those personalities that care about the joy that travel inspires and how to better prepare the advisor for a rewarding journey with her host agency Levarté Travel. And, I wish Lori all the best in her ventures going forward as she approaches them with a genuine love for travel.
