Gather and Go with Brian Jewell

A Travel Pro’s Guide to Hiring … and Firing

Are people problems holding your travel business back? As a tour operator or travel entrepreneur, you likely have to work with team members or contractors to make your trips happen. But if your team isn’t working well, can cause major problems. Rebekah Snider feels your pain. Through many years of trial and error she has become a respected tourism leader — and has learned through experience how to find good team members and lose bad ones. She joins this episode of the podcast to share her insights on hiring and leading great tourism teams. Rebekah shares her secrets for finding great employees and the questions she always asks herself before having difficult conversation with struggling teammates. She also provides insights about how to lead multi-generational teams and what core workplace wishes everyone has in common. Plus, we have news about America’s top travel inspiration source and a thought-provoking question about the role of social media in all our lives. Insights from Rebekah Snider Rebekah shared lots of great wisdom about how she builds high-functioning tourism teams. Here’s what she had to say about the top characteristics she looks for in employees: “We’re really looking first and foremost for somebody that has a kindness to them and a relatability. I think people do business with people they like. Those things are important to our brand and to hospitality…. I have found that if we have someone who is a good communicator and has a kindness and warmth to them, we can usually teach them the skill set they’re going to need.” Plus, she had great perspectives on: The importance of finding quality mentors Setting expectations for team members How to dismiss an employee with dignity Resources Mentioned in This Episode Email Rebekah at rebekah@visitmilledgeville.com. Read our Buyer’s Guide for the Group Travel Industry here. Key Moments From This Episode 2:14 — Travel News: Social media becomes America’s top source of travel inspiration 3:37 — Your best source for group travel insight and intelligence 9:17 — How Rebekah Snider became a tourism leader 10:12 — Key traits of great mentors 12:45 — Dealing with imposter syndrome 14:57 — Leading a multi-generational team 20:31 — Setting expectations for team members 21:50 — Navigating difficult conversations with employees 27:04 — How to find great employees for your travel business 29:45 — Exercising influence in your community 44:15 — Hot Minute: Is using social media still morally acceptable in 2025? Watch the Full Interview See the full interview with Rebekah on our YouTube channel. About the Podcast Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly.

From Startup to Sold: One Tour Operator’s Story

What’s your biggest struggle as a travel entrepreneur? No matter what you’re wrestling with, Andrea Ross has been there. Over the course of 12 years, she started a tour company from the ground up, grew it to profitability and eventually sold it. She’s now a business advisor who helps other travel company owners through the same process, and she joins this episode of the podcast to share her insights. Andrea discusses the good decisions — and the bad mistakes — she made in her time as a tour operator. She shares the most common challenges travel entrepreneurs face and how you can measure and grow the value of business. Plus, we have news about free Wi-Fi on Southwest Airlines; a Road Tip about dealing with sick travelers; and a Hot Minute about the reality of struggling travel businesses. Insights from Andrea Ross Andrea had lots of hard-won insights from her time in the trenches as a tour operator. Here’s what she had to say about the common pain that almost all travel entrepreneurs feel: “Across the spectrum, the challenges are the same. How do I duplicate myself? I’m working 80 hours a week, I’m exhausted. How do I force myself to work on my business so I can grow some of the processes and procedures and some of the training, when really I’m just holding a fire extinguisher putting out fires?” Plus, she had great perspectives on: Growing your tour company beyond yourself How to know when it’s time to sell your business Dealing with post-pandemic PTSD that still haunts travel professionals Resources Mentioned in This Episode Email Andrea Ross at andrea@cultivateadvisors.com. Browse our catalog of more than 250 free group tour itineraries here. Key Moments From This Episode 1:49 — Travel News: Southwest launching Free Wi-Fi fleetwide 3:07 — Road Tip: You need a sick policy 7:48 — Your best source for group travel itineraries 12:35 — How Andrea Ross launched, grew and sold a tour company 18:15 — The pain every tourism entrepreneur feels 20:09 — Growing your company beyond yourself 22:18 — Problems that come with a growing tour company 24:00 — How to know when it’s time to sell your travel business 32:13 — Overcoming pandemic PTSD as a tourism professional 49:13 — Hot Minute: Do you have a travel business or a travel hobby? Watch the Full Interview See the full interview with Andrea on our YouTube channel. About the Podcast Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly. You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.

You Need Better Branding — Here’s Why

A bad logo could be costing you business. Ross Evans has seen all manner of wild and weird logos. A longtime branding expert and vice president at Redpoint Marketing PR, he has worked with many travel companies to create logos and branding that transform their identity and make a big impact on their bottom lines. He joins this episode of the podcast to share insights on why your branding isn’t working and how you can make it better. Ross discusses the basics of a strong visual brand and how you can leverage them to increase your company’s profits. He explains why travel companies need to put more emphasis on visual branding than other organizations and gives tips for how to achieve great brand design on a budget. Plus, we have news about a new tour concept for travelers in their 40s and 50s; a Road Tip about the best shoes for travel; and a Hot Minute about the most important ingredient your trips are missing. Insights from Ross Evans Ross had lots of insights about how your visual branding impacts customer decisions — without them even realizing it. Here’s what he had to say about why visual branding is so important: “A visual brand is the language a company uses to articulate its brand pillars, its brand values, how it treats its customers…. They’re important because they make a first impression. We process color and texture and shape before we read a single word.” Plus, he had great perspectives on: How bad branding holds businesses back How to avoid the dreaded “design by committee” Leveraging a great visual brand to sell more trips Resources Mentioned in This Episode Find Redpoint online and subscribe to Tickled Red at redpointmarketingpr.com. Hear our interview How The Pandemic Changed Travelers with Dan Christian here. Register to attend Dan’s Travel Trends AI Summit with this link and use the code TTGATHER at checkout to save $100 on registration. Key Moments From This Episode 1:10 — Travel News: Tauck launching a brand for younger travelers 2:30 — Road Tip: The ideal travel shoes 7:37 — Save big on the Travel Trends AI Summit 11:42 — How Ross Evans discovered the importance of visual branding 14:05 — The basics of visual branding 15:30 — How fonts and colors communicate your values 17:28 — How bad branding holds travel businesses back 18:55 — Why visual branding is more important in travel than in other businesses 21:22 — The essentials of a travel company brand 24:16 — What kind of design support do small travel businesses need? 26:20 — How you know it’s time to rebrand 31:41 — Getting a great brand design on a budget 36:12 — How to avoid design by committee 37:19 — Leveraging your brand to sell more trips 47:54 — Hot Minute: The most important ingredient your trips are missing Watch the Full Interview See the full interview with Ross on our YouTube channel. About the Podcast Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly. You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.

Is “Mocktail Hour” the Future of Travel?

Travel is better when you don’t drink. That’s what Darci Murray believes. A longtime travel professional, Darci realized years ago that she had developed an unhealthy relationships with alcohol — and that it was negatively impacting her travel experience. She joins this episode of the podcast to share the journey that led her to start the alcohol-free tour company Hooked. Darci discusses the explosion of interest in “sober curious” and “sober supportive” travel. She gives us an inside look at how she builds thrilling alcohol-free trips to destinations around the world shares secrets of helping travelers connect in deep and meaningful ways. Plus, we have news about a tourism coalition pushing back on trade policy; a Road Tip about making non-drinkers feel special on your trips; and a Hot Minute about the way your trips might be making your customers better people — or worse. Insights from Darci Murray Darci had a lot of hard-won insights into the ways alcohol dependency has infused the tourism industry. Here’s what she had to say about why she thinks travel is better without booze: “There are so many hours lost in the itinerary that are just sitting around looking for the happy hour. At hooked, we start early and see way more than the average tour company. We focus on what I call full sensory experiences. When you’re not drinking, all your senses are intact, so I try to play off that.” Plus, she shared really helpful perspectives on: The rise of mocktail culture The demographics of alcohol-free travel groups The incredible travel opportunities available to non-drinkers Resources Mentioned in This Episode Follow Hooked on Instagram. Learn more about Hooked and upcoming tours on their website. Apply to attend our Alabama FAM tour here. Key Moments From This Episode 1:52 — Travel News: Tourism coalition calls for trade policy changes 3:11 — Road Tip: Accommodating alcohol-free travelers 6:41 — Reserve your spot on our Alabama FAM tour 13:30 — How a young-adult group trip sent Darci Murray down a bad road 14:44 — How alcohol negatively impacts the travel experience 17:05 — Transitioning to alcohol-free living and traveling 20:56 — Sober-curious, sober-supportive, gray-area drinking? 24:14 — The incredible rise of mocktails 27:00 — Who joins an alcohol-free group trip? 28:28 — Where Hooked travelers go 29:55 — How alcohol-free travel supercharges relationship building 35:43 — Is alcohol-free travel poised to grow in the future? 36:39 — How to make alcohol-free travelers feel special on your trips 46:31 — Hot Minute: Do your trips make travelers better or worse people? Watch the Full Interview See the full interview with Darci on our YouTube channel. About the Podcast Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly. You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.

Adventure Travel Myths BUSTED

Adventure travel is for everyone — no matter their age or fitness level. That’s what Shannon Stowell believes. As the CEO of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, Shannon is on a mission to help more people discover the joy of adventure tourism and learn how to do so responsibly. He joins this episode of the podcast to bust common myths around adventure travel and help you discover the adventure style that will thrill and delight your travelers.. Shannon discusses how you might be leading adventure travel without even realizing it. He puts to rest the misconception that older travelers don’t like adventure and shares a framework for traveling like respectful guests in the places we visit. Plus, we have news about dozens of cancellations from a major cruise line; a Road Tip about making your devices and appliances work well abroad; and a Hot Minute about the unprofessional habits of some travel pros. Insights from Shannon Stowell Shannon had lots of ideas about how planners can seek out and deliver enriching adventure activities for travelers of all kinds. Here’s what he had to say about what adventure travel really means: “We did this deep dive study and found that three themes came out clearly to define the core of adventure: nature, culture and activity. “The beauty of that is it’s accessible to everyone. So an 18-year-old who’s climbing a mountain in Nepal, that’s adventure for them. Somebody up there in years who would love to walk from inn to inn in Ireland — that’s an adventure too. They’re just a little bit different…. I think everyone should have access to adventure.” Plus, he had insightful thoughts on: Domestic adventure destinations The booming growth of the adventure travel industry Visiting the national parks in uncertain times Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Shannon Stowell on LInkedIn. Purchase Shannon’s Book “Riding the Hulahula to the Arctic Ocean” on Amazon. Learn more about the Adventure Travel Trade Association on their website. Sign up for our FAM trip notifications here. Key Moments From This Episode 1:08 — Travel News: Norwegian cancels 40 cruises 2:20 — Road Tip: Using your electronics abroad 8:08 — FAM tour opportunities you don’t want to miss 13:11 — Shannon Stowell’s journey from e-commerce to adventure travel 15:09 — Defining adventure travel for the 21st century 18:04 — Adventure opportunities for older travelers 21:31 — How adventure travel providers are adjusting to today’s marketplace 24:11 — The incredible growth of the adventure travel industry 26:32 — Adventure travel opportunities in the United States 28:52 — Visiting the national parks in uncertain times 31:55 — Enjoying adventure travel responsibly 39:21 — Training people to become the “right” kind of travelers 52:24 — Hot Minute: Character traits tourism professionals must develop About the Podcast Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly. You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.