On the HOT SEAT:
Amy Wescott, owner
Escape Reality Travel LLC
Welcome to the lake country hot seat! We believe in supporting local, and being apart of our community. We cannot think of a better way to get to know the owners of local businesses, community leaders, makers and shakers than to ask them questions to learn their knowledge, advice, wisdom, challenges, wins, and maybe some fun personal tidbits as well. We are hoping a little interview will help drive traffic for them by gaining insight in trust to who they are by you!
I do not have a brick and mortar location but meet clients wherever they like!
414-581-6310 / email
Get social! Facebook • Instagram
What is your professional background? How did you get into the travel industry? I got into the travel industry around 6 years ago to fuel my love of travel. I am also a microbiologist that studies the effects of probiotics.
Amy Wescott, owner
Escape Reality Travel
TELL US WHAT A “DAY IN THE LIFE” LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU NOW THAT YOU’RE RUNNING your own travel agency? A normal day starts with checking for new client emails/facebook requests. We start a great conversation with a few questions on my end to get us on the right path to send a rough draft quote. Next, I attend to my current clients and make sure the process for putting together their dream trip is going smoothly. Lastly, my evenings are spent working on Facebook posts and sometimes waiting on hours with airlines.
How did you come up with the idea for your business? I have always had a great passion for traveling and learning about other areas of the world. My organization and planning skills made the transition to help others experience the world an easy switch.
What inspired you to start your own business? My husband gave me the push. He said “instead of planning our next 20 years of vacations, you could help others…” and the rest is history!
How did you choose the name of your business? My mom and I always joked about escaping from reality when she took me on vacations as a kid so the name just fit!
What sets your agency apart from the others? I am a small agency that is focused on the quality of my client’s trips, not the quantity of trips I can book in a year. I take the time to make sure what we have planned for a client is EXACTLY what they envisioned.
Photo cred: Amy Wescott, owner
Escape Reality Travel
What is your favorite thing about your job? Most rewarding? Most challenging? My favorite thing about my job is getting to talk to clients once they return from their trips. I cannot tell you how rewarding it is to send someone on their bucket list trip and have them come back with memories for a lifetime. I love an email full of photos from clients! One of the most challenging things right now is the cost of travel. Flight prices and some hotel pricing have almost doubled in the last 2 years and it is not a fun moment to have to tell a client that their hard earned money “isn’t enough” to go on their dream trip.
Where is your favorite place to travel to? If someone asks you for a recommendation where to go, do you give them ideas? I am a girl who loves to immerse herself in the country she travels to so I am FULL of recommendations for different countries as well as what to do. I like to ask clients about their hobbies to help narrow down the best places. Right now, I would say my favorite place I have traveled is the Galapagos Islands.
Now for fun:
If you could choose one superpower, what would it be? I would absolutely want the ability to fly so I could hop around from country to country 🙂
Which celebrity would you like to meet? I am a huge football fan and would LOVE to meet Donald Driver.
What is your guilty pleasure? I like to spend my spare time curled up on the couch reading!
If you are interested in being in the Lake Country Hot Seat with The Lake Country Mom, send us an email or connect with us on social media.
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