Host Agency Nexion Recruits Military Veterans as Travel Advisors

For many travel advisors these days, travel is a second career. The industry is drawing people from a wide variety of backgrounds who bring knowledge and perspective from previous occupations and life experiences. Among them are military veterans.

Believing that vets could be a likely source of new talent, Nexion Travel Group launched a program specifically aimed at giving vets the training they need to start careers as travel advisors. After its first year, 90 veterans have signed on for the training, which is provided free of charge and includes coaching once the coursework is completed. Among the successful graduates is Manuel Padilla, an Air Force vet who said his agency, Kwik Escapes, is thriving in the Philadelphia area.

“In general, veterans have a lot to offer when it comes to employment, and one of those key skill sets is the ability to adapt and fix problems,” Padilla told Skift. “If you have a client who is on the road and something unexpected happens, a veteran can manage that situation fairly well.”

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— Maria Lenhart, Travel Advisor Editor

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Skift Travel Advisor Editor Maria Lenhart [mbl@skift.com] curates the Skift Travel Advisor Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send her an email.