And Speaking Of... Rising Talent in the Travel Industry (Part II)

I'm excited to feature Sterling Wertanzl, MA of Sterling Journeys Luxury Travel as I continue to spotlight rising talent in the travel industry. Sterling's story is a travel industry tale two decades in the making—rooted in a family legacy where her mother, Lise-Marie Wertanzl , not only founded the company but also named it after her daughter, never imagining she would one day join the business. This legacy began aboard Crystal Cruises , where Lise-Marie, a captivating performer, and Dietmar Wertanzl , a dedicated hotel manager, met and ignited a lifelong passion for travel. It's truly inspiring to see Sterling carry forward her parents' love of travel in her own unique way.

Sterling's journey is a powerful reminder that blending legacy with innovation paves the way for a vibrant future in travel. Share your comments for Sterling below!

What inspired you to pursue a career in the travel industry, and how has your journey unfolded so far?

Travel runs deep in the Wertanzl veins. My dad, Dietmar Wertanzl, is an Austrian hotelier and cruise industry executive. My mom, Lise-Marie Wertanzl, met my dad aboard the Crystal Harmony while performing in the ship's stage productions. The love story of the lead singer and hotel director is one of my favorite stories to tell, particularly because it was the lived fairytale story of my parents.

Fast forward many decades, my mom started our travel agency, naming it after me. After being a solopreneur and a mom for 12 years, my mom came to me with an incredible offer to join her in business. So, after finishing grad school, I was juggling job offers with marketing firms (and contemplating continuing on to get my PhD) when my mom said, "Come join me." And the rest is history. Choosing between building Excel sheets or building itineraries wasn't too hard of a decision. I grew up in the industry and watched my mom build our firm from the ground up, and now I get to work alongside her as a partner.?

Who has been your biggest mentor or influence in your career, and what advice from them has shaped your approach?

An obvious answer to this is my mom. She is my biggest mentor in life, so that is a no-brainer. I could not be more thankful for her in all aspects of my life, particularly in my career. Another mentor that I've grown to work very closely with is Sandra (Sandy) Lipkowitz , who merged her top-producing travel business with ours this past year. In my mom's first years at Gifted Travel Network , Sandy welcomed her with open arms, showcasing her decades of experience and knowledge. GTN is great at fostering that kind of environment.

Since Sandy merged her brand with ours, we have worked very closely together, and I have learned so much. I am incredibly lucky to have two powerhouse women leading our company, with a vast array of knowledge and support to offer the younger generation. Successful women setting the example of partnership rather than competition is extremely important for young female professionals to see.

What do you think is the biggest opportunity for innovation in the travel industry today?

I think the biggest opportunity for travel advisors to innovate is in optimizing operations. The unique service of a travel advisor (and their team) really shines in the operations (from time of sale to time of travel), and this is often overlooked in an industry culture focused on sales volume. This is not to say that sales volume isn't incredibly important or a great metric for growth and company success, but it is not the only metric that matters. Operations are a great opportunity for advisors to lean into who they are as service providers, not just "agents."

When deliberating where we can innovate our industry in a way that is long-lasting, I think we should continue to turn to talent, not just technology. For example, the advantages of AI are immense, but they can only take us so far. Specifically, we should turn to young talent to bring our clients' dreams from a deposit to a departure while creating space for young minds to innovate with experienced ones. I am of the "old school" mentality that technology can be extremely helpful, but it does not replace experience, training, passion, interest, and opportunities for collaboration.

Some advisors may feel more inclined towards AI assistance because it saves them time on training. Conversely, I would argue that the experience of training an operational support team member is equally as helpful to the trainee as it is to the trainer. The more we train, the more we get to know our business, the more we understand how we work best, and the more we can set ourselves up for growth.

So, innovation in the travel industry doesn't have to be technological. Rather, innovation may look like normalizing the leap in bolstering the organizational design of our agencies. It may look like normalizing risk-taking and not being afraid to create a team.?

What trends or changes in travel excite you the most, and why?

Last-minute travel in a post-Covid world is exciting. I love being able to turn something around quickly, having clients see things in a proposal that they never would have thought of, and then making it happen. I also love collaborating with partners that can support this kind of travel.

Prior to Covid, we were planning trips years in advance, partners were finalizing services at least 30 days before departure, and our timelines for successful trips were longer. We are simply not moving at this same pace anymore. While these previous practices had their advantages, the turnaround speed that we are moving at today fuels the growth of our businesses and the economic advantage for destinations that thrive from tourism, and it pushes us to keep finding ways to optimize our operations.?

As a leader under 30, what unique perspectives or strategies do you bring to your work?

With the benefit of growing up with technology, leaders under 30 can easily embrace "newness." Our ability to embrace newness and progress shines the most in collaboration with the tenured professionals of our industry. I get to work alongside two incredible women with decades of industry experience. I have much to learn from them, and as they've told me, they also have things to learn from me.

With that, throwing new technology at a tenured travel professional can either go really well or really poorly. When advisors have been doing things consistently and SUCCESSFULLY for decades, change can be extremely challenging to implement in a successful business. But, in a collaborative setting, where the younger generation works alongside the experienced, we are better able to implement technology and thus optimize the great business that took those decades to build.

My unique perspective is this - technology is great for travel advisors, and it's only getting better. But in order to best implement the newness of the industry, we need the collaboration of both generations for us to make the most out of it.?

What advice would you give to others looking to build a successful career in the travel industry?

It takes time. I joined an agency that was already successful to begin with. While my time at the company can be quantified in the tripling of our business that year, I know that information isn't helpful for an under-30 solopreneur just starting their business. When I was graduating college, it was hard to see so many of my peers jumping into high-paying jobs in great cities as a 22-year-old. I was choosing grad school when everyone else suddenly became "who they want to be when they grow up."

Similarly, when we see rapid success in our industry from young business owners, it's easy to fall into the same mindset of "why isn't that me?" It DOES take time to become well-connected, and it DOES take time to learn the best practices. These are things I am still personally investing in. You are not only learning an industry, but you are also learning how to run a business. These are TWO feats, and I don't think new travel advisors give themselves enough credit.

As you build your database, lean into education, both in travel and business. Trust the process, and don't miss Meredith Calloway 's "Mindset IQs" to keep you going.