Like so many travel advisors, Susie Flores pivoted to the profession after working in another field for years.
She was a social worker in greater Los Angeles for more than a decade, helping unhoused and mentally ill individuals. It was rewarding work that she loved, but when her young son struggled to succeed in his school setting due to Autism, Flores felt like she had to dedicate more time to his needs. So, she quit her job and her family moved to California’s Central Valley to put down new roots.
But more challenges arose. After her spouse lost his job, she started substitute teaching. Getting her credential and leading her own classroom seemed like a good avenue, until she figured out the cost to do so — $20,000, by her calculations.
So, she turned to another interest: cruising.
“My first-ever cruise was my honeymoon cruise,” Flores said. “It was with Royal Caribbean on Monarch of the Seas, in 2002. I fell in love with the cruise industry immediately; I was always booking cruises behind my husband’s back.”
But she wasn’t just planning her own cruises — she was encouraging her friends and helping them book, too. They called her “Cruisin’ Susie.”
Susie Flores, owner of travel agency Countdown Travels
Credit: 2024 Susie FloresShe recalls researching how to become a cruise specialist as far back as 2008, but it wasn’t until March 2019 that she truly dove in. She Googled “how to become a travel agent,” determined that joining a host agency was wise, sifted through the online site Host Agency Reviews and ultimately chose KHM Travel Group.
“I literally signed up that day, and I started selling cruises,” Flores said. “I had one solid year of selling before the world shut down.”
Navigating the pandemic was a crash course for Flores as she tackled cancellations, future cruise credits and more. But in that tumultuous time, Flores’ love of cruising remained steady.
“I did something that has paid off in so many dividends,” Flores said. “I continued to support the travel industry. I shared my love for cruising specifically on TikTok and Instagram. And the very first Royal Caribbean cruise at the restart [of operations] left from Nassau [in the Bahamas]. My friend and I were on the booking engine right when it opened, and we got ourselves on Adventure of the Seas in June 2021.”
How Flores Uses TikTok to Bolster Business
That 2021 cruise was certainly unique, and came with both mask mandates and onboard COVID-19 testing. But Flores went live on TikTok, crying happy tears to her followers and putting the whole experience on display.
“My life has never been the same since then,” Flores said. “That is my story: I didn't give up, even though I was really just starting in this industry, and despite the negativity during that time about the cruise industry, specifically. I just continued to share.”
Cruising on Adventure of the Seas and showing other travelers that they, too, would be okay, helped Flores gain momentum on TikTok. She continues to use the app to share informational videos — room tours, travel tips, cruise tips — and she teases her followers just so.
I only give enough to where people want to bite, and then they come back to me.
“I only give enough to where people want to bite, and then they come back to me,” she said.
And her strategy works. A whopping 90% of her bookings come to her through TikTok, and she has more than 96,000 followers, as of press time.
In addition to engaging her followers, her TikTok profile brings in new leads. Her profile page shows a Linktree link. Users click through, and the top button on her Linktree page takes prospective clients to her inquiry form.
“That Linktree link has been money for me, because people will go there and then submit an inquiry,” she said. “Now, not all inquiries turn into sales, but we are doing pretty well with it.”
How Flores Uses Instagram
Her Instagram posts tend to be more personal. Flores posts about her life and kids, and shares details about her personal health and wellness journey. Cruise posts are sprinkled into the mix as well, but Flores says she doesn’t wear her salesperson hat on this platform.
“All of my videos are unedited, so I fumble over my words,” Flores said. “But I think people really like that authenticity. I’m just being real and organic and natural.”
She also uses the platform to chat with followers.
“If someone messages me and says, ‘I want to book myself on Carnival Paradise,’ I’ll ask them to tell me why,” Flores said. “Then I might share that that’s an older ship, and discuss ships with more bells and whistles, or smaller ships. That's the kind of relationship that I have with people; I am just keeping it real."
Social Media Pro Tips For Travel Advisors
For travel advisors growing their own social media presence, Flores has a few suggestions:
“It's about consistency, continuity, staying present and staying relevant,” she said.
It helps that Flores likes the content creation side of things; she even likens editing images, videos and music together to a form of therapy. If anything, she wishes she had more time to lean into the creative part of her business. For now, she aims “to make things aesthetically pleasing and useful."
“I say keep it simple and clean,” she said. “And [use] captions, captions, captions, especially if you're talking over the images, because most people do not have their volume on.”
Other pitfalls to avoid?
“I would say the biggest mistake people make with content creation is using stuff that is not theirs,” she said. “[Also], be sure your content has a purpose. If I take a picture, there has to be a purpose. I might literally get down on the ground with my phone to sweep across [a space], because I want to bring you into the picture with me.”
While attending Northstar Travel Media’s GTM West event this past spring, Flores networked with new-to-her operators that are already helping her grow her book of business.
Credit: 2024 Susie FloresBusiness Growth Goals
Flores owns and operates Countdown Travels, a multimillion-dollar business fueled by her continued commitment to cruising and “being her authentic self.” She’s added three advisors to her company in recent years, and they are set to sell $3 million in travel by the end of 2024.
Flores is growing her book of business by attending conferences such as this past year’s GTM West in Las Vegas, and she’s branching out beyond ocean cruising by learning more about and selling all-inclusive vacations, Hawaii, Disney and beyond.
“GTM West has opened up all kinds of doors,” Flores said. “One of my interviews was with Scenic, and now I’m heading to Paris to go on my first river cruise. And that’ s incredible, because river cruising is definitely a market I want to tap into. And the luxury market, as well.”
Flores plans to continue to show her real self online, for current clients and potentials ones. She feels that strategy helps her build more personal connections with people, which in turn brings her repeat business and referrals. A recent referral really wowed her: a physician from her area reached out and subsequently made a $56,000 Disney cruise booking for his family.
Flores says she will also continue to travel herself. Two Europe trips and an adventure in Costa Rica are on the books for the second half of this year.
“I think an important part of joining this industry is investing in yourself,” she said. “I’ve dropped quite a bit of money this year in education, and education is trying the product, feeling the product. If I'm going to sell you a rock, I need to know what that rock feels like; I need to be able to touch it, to feel the texture and everything. It’s so important to get yourself to these destinations, or [to experience] whatever it is that you specialize in, because that’s what's going to make you stand apart from someone else.”
