Subscribe now using your favorite service:
From Aug. 11-14, Apple Leisure Group Vacations (ALGV) hosted its first-ever Beachfront Bru event at Breathless Cancun Soul Resort & Spa in Cancun, Mexico. During the three-day event, an invited group of social media content creators — made up of travel advisors, social media micro influencers and former contestants of The Bachelor franchise, among others — created social media content for the resort, swapped best practices in content creation and promoted ALGV’s #AskATravelAdvisor campaign.
The event also celebrated the launch of ALGV’s new TikTok account, @AskAnAdvisorALGV.
“Breathless Cancun Soul is the perfect location to create exciting social media content,” said Erin McCarthy, senior director of marketing for Apple Leisure Group Vacations. “This gathering provides ALG Vacations’ travel advisor partners with new opportunities for learning new skills like social media photography and TikTok best practices. It’s also a great opportunity for us to launch our new TikTok channel, @AskAnAdvisorALGV which promotes the benefits of using a travel advisor.”
“One of ALGV’s missions is to arm our loyal travel advisors with new ideas and practical guides to the latest trends,” she added. “We know that advisors need to be where the clients are, and that’s in emerging social media platforms.”
In addition to participating in networking opportunities, the group recorded on-site radio shows and podcasts, including this episode of Trade Secrets.
On this special bonus episode, sponsored by ALGV, Trade Secrets co-host Emma Weissmann (Managing Editor of TravelAge West) sits down with ALGV’s five travel advisors and a special guest: Bernice Padilla, an American Airlines flight attendant who has accumulated 30,000 followers on Instagram (@TrendyTraveler_) and 110,000 followers on TikTok (@TrendyTraveler).
Here, she shares best practices when it comes to social media marketing, building a personal brand and improving audience engagement.
Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod (License)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Trade Secrets Co-Host Emma Weissmann (left) with Travel Influencer Bernice Padilla
Credit: 2022 Jenn Martins
In This Episode:
- 2:00: Meet Bernice Padilla, flight attendant for American Airlines and @TrendyTraveler on TikTok.
- 3:00 Padilla shares how she chooses which content to post to which platform.
- 4:30: Padilla talks about the importance of consistency when posting to social media platforms.
- 5:00 What’s the difference between TikTok videos and Instagram Reels?
- 6:40 Padilla encourages listeners to use CapCut for video editing.
- 7:30: Padilla gives advice to travel advisors on what to look for when traveling – and what translates well to a social media post.
- 8:30: When you’re looking to partner with a travel supplier, how do you approach that conversation about a social media partnership?
- 10:30: Travel advisor Kelli asks Padilla about what has worked for her for increasing engagement and a following, and if she has tips for someone who is just starting out on social media.
- 11:30: Ashley from J Co. Travel wants to know how to balance authenticity with reaching your audience.
- 14:30: Tyler with CS Elements Travel asks Padilla how she’s used her travel knowledge to grow her following and create more relatable content, and how important it is to have a cohesive look (with similar images) across social media channels.
- 15:50: Padilla advises the travel advisors to have a niche and stay “on-brand.”
- 16:15: Does Padilla suggest splitting a personal and business social media account into two separate accounts?
- 18:00 Alyssa from Lovin Away wonders if Padilla would consider using a travel advisor for future trips.
- 19:20 Will Medina of Destination Wedding Expert asks if Padilla wants a destination wedding, and what content she thinks would work best for brides when promoting this niche.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode and Related Reading
Padilla’s TikTok: @TrendyTraveler
Padilla’s Instagram: @TrendyTraveler_
Apple Leisure Group Vacations
@AskAnAdvisorALGV on TikTok
Need Our Advice?
If you're a travel advisor with a question about the latest travel news, trends, best business practices or more, please call our hotline and leave a message at 201-902-2098 or send an email to tradesecrets@travelweekly.com.
About Your Hosts
Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives — the highs and lows that make them human.
Jamie Biesiada is a Senior Editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors’ 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.
About the Show
Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, is where travel advisors ask — and answer — questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel industry insider to join them and field listeners’ questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more — as long as it’s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at www.travelagewest.com/podcasts/trade-secrets.
