Out & About Travel 10 Year Anniverary

Tonight I was thinking about the fact that Out & About Travel, my company, will be celebrating it's 10th Anniversary this year. I feel gratitude for having this company and yet a sense of sadness that after 10 years it is still not where I hoped it would be.

Some good things? Go to www.google.com and type in GAY TRAVEL AGENCY and guess who is #1? Yup. Guess who doesn't pay a penny for that position? :) Pretty cool, huh? Try GAY TRAVEL AGENT. Not bad, don't you think? GAY TOURS, # 2 spot (::big smile::). GAY CRUISES, # 5 (pats self on back). Remember, this is out of millions of web sites - at zero cost. That is something to be proud of. It is because of that exposure Out & About Travel is still in business 10 years later.

Do you know how much money I spent on advertising this year? Close to zero. Sure, my web site cost money to host ($20'ish a month maybe). But that is it. Why don't I advertise more? Because it is tooooooo expensive and although I make a living from my agency I am still a LONG way from making a GREAT living. This is because even though I come up on the top in Google with many popular terms, I am still widely unknown! :(

I simply can't afford a fabulous web site. Just the one I personally design. And update. I am proud of it, but sure, it could be better. More fancy.

If I advertised in Out Magazine, The Advocate, Curve and local/national gay & lesbian newspapers I would be extremely successful, but again, no $$$ my friends. Advertising rates are CRAZY.

In 10 years of running this business, which I solely operate, I have never had ONE BIG write up. I am not (really) complaining, but c'mon! LOL! :) Go to all the other gay travel agency web sites online and compare the INFORMATION you find and I assure you, I have the most out of all of these sites. Not to mention the most up to date. I would love the gay media to throw me a bone. I have written them, but will keep trying. Maybe if I was a better writer they would give me a shot. I don't know. Maybe if my web site was "prettier". Maybe I am the UGLY BETTY of gay travel agency's? LOL!

I'll be honest with you all. I am feeling burnt out. Every year around this time I feel this way, but I am especially burnt out. However, I am grateful for at least staying the same, as far as sales go, year after year, but I NEED TO GROW. I need MORE BUSINESS. More referrals. My repeat business is fantastic.

Do you know we (err, I) don't charge a service fee???? When you e-mail us (a.k.a me) with your request, I personally spend time (sometimes days) researching a package for you, the client. It excited me to find the BEST deal. I am all about the best value for your dollar. It kills me when a client says they found "something similar" for $5.00 less. Trust me, I have had it happen. Argh!!!! Would you visit a dentist for free? Ask them to look in your mouth and tell you what is going on for free? Nope. They don't give me the opportunity to tell them I can MATCH that or beat it. Most times the quote they got doesn't include taxes and then they are too shamed to come back to me. How sad!

I am also there for my client 24/7. I provide all my clients with a personal cell number. I never want them to feel alone. In 10 years of running this business I have only had a handful of small problems, which were all quickly solved.

Anyway, I sincerely hope 2009 is the year Out & About Travel receives the recognition it deserves. I will do everything in my power to try and make this happen. If you are reading this and like to travel, please give us a shot! I have been sending clients around the world for over a decade (I have been a travel agent since 1996 and know all the ins & outs of gay travel).

You can check us out at http://www.gaytravelpros.com/, http://www.outloudcruises.com/ and http://www.gayskitrips.com/.

Here are some motivational quotes I found inspiring (click on image to make larger).