I Launched a Travel Business - Now What?

Originally posted on Substack on April 25, 2026: https://substack.com/home/post/p-195472339

If there is one thing that I can’t escape, it is my own doubt. I would love to say that I launched my business with full confidence, knowing exactly how things would turn out. But nope, I have no idea how this is going to go. But one thing I do know is that this is the most excited I have been in a long time.

I’ve had some great jobs and I’ve been grateful for every one of them. Inevitably though, the same thought would always keep creep up: there has to be more than this. It wasn’t that the companies I was at weren’t great or that my roles weren’t fulfulling. They were. But I didn’t wake up excited to do the job. When you lose that energy, you tend to get into a rhythm where the work is getting done but you aren’t really making any strides to further your career.

I felt stuck. There were so many other things that I loved to do. It was almost like my job got in the way of what I really wanted to do. I was living in Los Angeles and I took a leap, a 3,000 mile leap to be exact, back to my hometown of Syracuse, New York.

I’m pretty lucky (for many reasons). One reason being that I grew up just 15 minutes away from the top communications schools in the country: S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. The stars aligned and I got into the program I wanted: multimedia, photography and design. My first love is photography. I have always and will always love it. Photography opens up a new world, for the person taking the photo and for anyone who sees it.

My second love is travel. Seeing different parts of the world and getting to experience different cultures is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It isn’t about flying first class and staying at The Ritz, its about talking to the people around you in a new country. Getting to fall back and observe how others live their lives. Its the most enriching thing you will ever do.

So I started a business that combined both of these things. I got certified as a Travel Advisor and built my own brand around that, JacobTravelCo. Now I get to plan experiences, all over the world, for anyone that wants to experience a new place. Whether they want to relax and go off-grid, lay in the lap of luxury or see the best on a budget. I get to help people do it all.

The best way to make a successful travel business is to share how travel is the best thing you can do for yourself. Reaching out to hotels all around the world, I can now license my photos for their marketing and corporate needs. And in order to get those photos, I get to stay at these hotels to truly experience what every traveler will get to experience. This is how I bring my clients along for the ride. The more traveling I do, the more I will be able to share firsthand the experience my clients are in for.

The best business plans start from a passion, continue to grow my perserverance and a love for what you do.