Linda Jones is a professional travel advisor, author of Travel Agent Secrets and The Ultimate Travel Planner + Journal, and founder of Crafted Travel Company. She has helped thousands of people plan better vacations and travel more.
My Work Story
My travel industry story goes all the way back to when I was 17 years old. I remember driving around my hometown (Tucson, AZ) and seeing travel agencies in almost every strip mall. I used to love visiting them to read through brochures and ask about various vacations. I knew I loved to travel and considered becoming an agent at that time, but life had other plans.
Fast-forward 10 years and I was a stay-at-home mom seeking a way to bring in extra money. In my research, I saw ads for home-based travel agencies and remembered I had always wanted to get involved in the industry. So I decided to join a Host Travel Agency (brick and mortar agencies were starting to close and home-based agencies were growing). That agency taught me a ton and helped me get established in the industry. From there I expanded, created my own agency (Lauregan’s Travel), and built a network of travel agents nationwide. I also had the great honor of publishing my first book, Travel Agent Secrets.
But as time went on, life decided to intervene once more. I sold the agency and started a new company with my husband. I also helped grow a youth soccer league, ran operations for a non-profit, and went back to school to finish my bachelor’s degree in business and my master’s degree in global leadership.
Once I completed my master’s degree I was left at a crossroads, move on to corporate America or go back to my true love. As I’m sure you have already guessed, I chose to go back to travel and build a new agency. Except, I realized that my passion wasn’t necessarily planning vacations as much as it was helping people travel more by teaching them how to create amazing vacations. So, in addition to typical travel agency services, we also launched more tools and education with our YouTube channel and website. This has provided a new platform where we can help more people than ever before.
I’m so happy you are here! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if I can help in any way.