TAKING OFF
THE TROPICAL TRAVELERS ’ GUIDE TO ROMANCE TRAVEL
With years of experience delighting clients , Jennifer Byrne shares her top advice for booking more destination weddings and romance travel .
WORDS / ROSSILYNNE SKENA CULGAN / IMAGES COURTESY OF JENNIFER BYRNE
Above : Jennifer Byrne ; top right : majestic flamingos in Aruba
As a girl growing up in eastern Pennsylvania , Jennifer Byrne used to play “ travel agent ” in her family ’ s basement with the neighborhood kids . Fast forward a few decades , and Byrne is the CEO of The Tropical Travelers , an internationally recognized agency where she and her team of 12 specialize in romance travel and honeymoons .
Byrne started her career at Apple Vacations , and she credits the company ’ s training program as a significant driver of her business success . After that , she worked at several travel agencies , a cruise reservation company and as an outside sales agent — all experiences that primed her to strike out on her own in 2001 . A passion for creating custom packages for travelers inspired her to start the business , and that ethos still guides her work today .
“ It ’ s always been the same philosophy : How do we delight the client and how do we keep them happy ? That was the whole premise ,” Byrne says , adding that she ’ d never just hand a client a brochure and send them on their way .
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