After reading this article you will know exactly who to call to give you your dream vacation of a lifetime. Arquetta Bowman has been making dreams come true by providing her clients with the best possible luxurious vacation experience. Whether your destination is Dubai, Miami, Las Vegas, or Maui, she will make sure all your accommodations are being met as well as ensure that your stay is memorable.
I sat down with Arquetta to discuss her career and learn more about her more about her company, Luxury Travel Agency.
EB: How have you been under the world’s COVID-19 pandemic?
AB: Personally, for myself I have gotten over the fear of it, I did catch COVID once. Other than that, I take secure measures. When I go to the store I take my gloves, two masks and I have a [protected] shield that I wear.
Business wise, it did slow down a bit. But honestly, many people were still traveling. Traveling is the new norm. That’s what I tell my clients. I remember hearing of people from different countries that have been wearing masks [since the pandemic started] for a while. That was their norm and now it’s our new norm.
EB: How did you get into the travel industry? What was the inspiration?
AB: I love to travel. When I was a kid, my family couldn’t afford to travel as much, but I always was looking at magazines growing up, specifically Jet magazines. I remember looking through the pages thinking about me traveling one day to all those different locations. I was also part of the Girl Scouts, and most of my traveling was from camping, activities like house back riding and canoeing. All those things inspired me growing up. That’s where my vision started.
As far as being a travel agent, I just loved to travel. On my first beach trip to Panama City with my kids, I saw how much of a great time we had, and it inspired me to travel even more to give them that great experience.
I started off becoming a travel agent by booking family and friends for trips. We always took girl trips. One day I contacted a business professional that my friend recommended. She had pertinent information about trips to Miami. When I contacted her, she added me to her Facebook group and later booked the trip for us. She explained to me the process on how she booked the trip and what company she worked and used which is InteleTravel. This is now my host agency.
EB: Can you tell our audience a little about your company?
AB: My company is Luxury Travel Agency, I offer luxury vacation packages for individuals, couples, families, and groups. I can also service hotel accommodations, air fare, car rentals as well as cruises. Luxury Travel Agency can book concert tickets for events. Restaurant reservations at your destination can also be booked through us. There’s no limit cap on what my business can offer. It’s truly a luxury experience all throughout out.
EB: What are some of the challenges you’ve face while being an entrepreneur?
AB: I would say my first challenge as an entrepreneur was the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Many people were waiting for refunds from all the cancelled flights or needed to change their travel dates.
The good thing about working with a travel agent is the ability to handle the contacting directly to the vendor like airline companies or travel insurance. We take care of this for the customer which allows the customer to have more time to tend to other things.
EB: Who has been your hardest critic? What did you learn from that person?
AB: Myself. I would say. I have been my hardest critic because I want everything to be perfect. I try to please all my customers to make sure they are happy and satisfied. I give my customers swag bags with my brand name on it with treats that will help them in their travels such as hand sanitizers, luggage tags, Passport book covers and other goodies. I’m just always thinking about how I can improve my customers’ experience constantly.
EB: What’s next for you career and how can people find you for business opportunities?
AB: I’m going to continue to travel abroad, getting my business even more known worldwide. I’m currently planning a group trip with members of my Facebook group, but anyone can go who would like. The trip will be in October, and I also have payment plans and financing options and features as well as I have partner with a company called Uplift that provides these features which my clients can utilize. For business opportunities, you can reach me at LuxTravelByQuetta@gmail.com or via Instagram @Lux_TravelAgency.
