Yes, Travel Coaching is "a thing". Here's Why.

By: Sahara Rose De Vore, Founder & CEO of The Travel Coach Network

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard someone say “I didn’t know that was a thing” when I talk about travel coaching and guess what? That’s okay with me.

The reason being is that travel coaching is a newer concept. I remember when I started figuring out my own wellness travel coaching business in back in 2018, I had never heard of it either. Eventually, I went to Google and saw that the majority of what popped up in the search results were travel coach buses. There was an article that I did see from 2010 (the year that I began my solo global journey) on the potential of travel coaching.

Fast forward to today, the travel coaching industry is booming.

I say that not only because of the tremendous organic growth that The Travel Coach Network (TCN) has had, especially during and post 2020, but because of the amount of travel coaches that exist beyond the TCN.

Those who are passionate about the transformative and healing powers that travel can have on our life and work-life are integrating that into how they help people when it comes to travel.

For decades, the tourism industry has said that if you have an interest or passion for travel, the career or job options that you have are limited to being a travel agent (now called travel advisors), working in a hotel, being a tour operator or a tour guide, working for an airline, being a social media “influencer” and getting “paid” to travel by brands, writing about travel, working for a company where you got to travel for business, or being a travel manager for business travelers.

But times have changed and so has the tourism industry. A lot.

The tourism industry was stopped, flipped upside down, shaken up, and restarted. There are hot topics like sustainability, responsible tourism, wellness, diversity and inclusivity, cultural immersion, purposeful travel, slow travel, transformative travel, and mindful travel on the rise.

All of these topics have stemmed from the underlying passion that we as humans have for travel and the places that we visit. We understand more than ever before, the impact that travel has on our wellbeing, mental health, personal goals, professional goals, the planet, communities, other cultures, and destinations.

Therefore, it's no surprise that concepts like travel coaching are also on the rise.
Those who are interested in helping people through travel want to make an even bigger impact in the lives of others and on our world. Travel coaching does just that.

Just like how times change, so do industries, which brings about new roles, missions, and careers. Although the term “travel coaching” isn’t nearly as well-known as the terms “travel agent” or “travel advisor”, things are beginning to shift.

The Travel Coach Network has seen an immense influx of travel agents/advisors join our community and programs along with life coaches, transformation coaches, medical experts, and other roles that have the goals to combine travel coaching with how they help others.

Want to learn more about The Travel Coach Network? Join us in our free Travel Coach Network Facebook Group. Don’t forget to grab your Free Beginner's Guide to Travel Coaching! Do you want to become an ICF accredited travel coach? Check out our Travel Coach Certification Program.