Episodes

Tuesday Mar 08, 2022
Check-In Episode 20: Rick Stiffler’s Favorite Hotels in the World
Tuesday Mar 08, 2022
Tuesday Mar 08, 2022

Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
Checking-In #19: Going to ”Brand Camp” with Virgin Voyages and John Diorio
Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
Virgin Voyages, a month out from the launch of its second ship, continues to make waves in the cruise industry. From an all-inclusive fare to an adults-only policy, Virgin is making itself known as one of the standout companies in cruising. But what drives the team guiding Virgin forward? John Diorio, the vice president of North American sales for Virgin Voyages, joins TMR to talk about his career in travel, including his time at Mark Travel, and what makes Virgin Voyages so special.

Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Episode 18: Checking-In with Jacki Marks
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
ALGV’s Jacki Marks has always been brave. It’s something that was instilled in her during her early days in travel working for the LaMacchia family. Taking risks and going to where the puck is going, rather than where the puck is, has long been the recipe for success for Marks and her teams. In this episode, Jacki joins TMR to talk about that philosophy along with growing up in Wisconsin, getting into travel, and her role during the 2018 merger with Apple Leisure Group.

Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Episode 17: Checking-In with Guy Young
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
From South Africa, to managing a California-based Days Inn, to now, the president of Luxury Gold and Insight Vacations, Guy Young's career in travel has taken him a long way. In this episode, Young speaks to TMR's Dan McCarthy about his career in travel, TTC's dedication to conservation, and advice for those just getting into the industry now.

Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Episode 16: Checking-in with Matthew Eichhorst
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Expedia Cruises President Matthew Eichhorst shares a history with so many people within travel—his road into the industry came because he saw the passion that the people within the industry shared, passion that helped them succeed both pre-COVID and through the pandemic.
Prior to joining Expedia Cruises, Matthew spent 20 years as an entrepreneur before a chance introduction led to him joining the industry where he has spent his last two decades.
In this episode, TMR's Dan McCarthy checks-in with Matthew for a short conversation about his entry into the industry, what he learned about travel advisors during COVID-19, and what's on his travel bucket-list for the next few years.

Monday Oct 18, 2021
Episode 15: Checking-in with Jennifer Tombaugh
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Tauck’s longtime president Jennifer Tombaugh just recently celebrated the two-decade mark with the U.S.-based tour operator. Being in charge of a portfolio of products as wide ranging as Tauck isn’t an easy task, but Jennifer’s experience has helped her along the way. In this episode, Jennifer talks to TMR about that experience, including her time living in Singapore, and also talks about the biggest challenges the industry will face over the next decade.

Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
Episode 14: Checking-In with Sherwin Banda
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
For African Travel’s Sherwin Banda, the travel and hospitality industries found him, not the other way around. The industries provided an escape for Banda, a way out to a different life out of the regular constraints he faced growing up.
In this episode, Banda shares his story, from his humble beginnings in apartheid-era South Africa to now overseeing one of the leading Africa-focused tour operators in the industry. He talks about what he loves about Africa and how travel, a force for good, is one of the driving forces in preserving the continent’s environmental beauty.

Tuesday Sep 21, 2021
Episode 13: Checking in with Vicki Freed
Tuesday Sep 21, 2021
Tuesday Sep 21, 2021
With almost four decades in the industry, Royal Caribbean’s Vicki Freed is a cruise industry icon, but getting into the travel industry wasn’t always the plan for Royal’s senior vice president of sales and trade support and service.
In this episode, Vicki talks to TMR’s Dan McCarthy about how hearing a conference keynote by Carnival’s Bob Dickinson changed the course of her career and changed her aspirations from IBM to CCL.

Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
Episode 12: Checking-In with Ellen Bettridge
Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
Uniworld CEO Ellen Bettridge shares a start in travel to so many successful people in travel—her first job in travel was as a frontline, retail advisor. In this episode, Ellen talks to TMR’s Dan McCarthy about that start and about the confidence she brought with her from that original position to other stops throughout her career from Amex to Silversea to Azamara, and now to Uniworld.

Monday Aug 23, 2021
Episode 11: Checking-in with Michelle Fee
Monday Aug 23, 2021
Monday Aug 23, 2021
While there are so many factors that go into being able to keep consistent success in the travel industry, one of the ones that may be overlooked is anticipating change. In this episode, Michelle Fee of Cruise Planners speaks about how, as a frontline travel agent in the 1990s, she saw where the travel trade was trending and bet on those instincts, creating Cruise Planners, one of the industry's most notable host agencies that is just three years away from celebrating its 30th anniversary.
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