Exploring Life & Business with Celine Kirk of Trek It Travel Agency

Today we’d like to introduce you to Celine Kirk.

Hi Celine, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My mother was born in Auckland and raised in Papua New Guinea, and my father spent his summers growing up with his cousins in France. I am very blessed to have a global upbringing and exposure to multiple cultures. I went to Texas A&M University for undergrad, where I studied International Studies, Business Administration and Chinese. My goal in starting Trek It Travel in 2022 was to help make travel more accessible to the average American. Only 51% of Americans have passports and I think if more people had the opportunity to see and experience the world outside of their own backyard it would be a wonderful thing. Now, we have a team of 3 agents and sell about $1 million a year in travel – everything from $500 weekend getaways to $60,000 once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think that starting a small business always comes with some elements that are challenging. For me, I was getting to a point within two years of business where I had more client interest than I had capacity to handle myself. It was an interesting challenge because I didn’t want to hire just anyone – they needed to have the same understanding of why I went into this industry and desire to help others. I ended up very lucky in being able to bring on some of my closest friends – this year marks 11 years of us knowing each other – to assist with the business.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We specialize in all types of travel and our clients go all over the world with us – from 1-night domestic hotel stays on a road trip, up to a 3-month daily scheduled trip through Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands – I have booked everything you can imagine! We have an agent that focuses on Disney and Universal, one who does Destination Weddings and Romance travel, and I, as the owner, do a little bit of everything. I am most proud of the relationships we have with our clients, and I think our customer service is what sets us apart in the industry. We don’t just book the travel; we offer full concierge services from start to finish for our clients. It is not unheard of for me to take a call for a client needing assistance at 2 am – that is all part of the full service we offer to clients.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I initially wanted to start the business in 2020. I had a gut feeling to hold off, and I am glad I did; otherwise, I would have spent my first two years of business cancelling and rebooking clients, which would have been a major challenge to get into. Instea,d I used those two years for personal education about the industry, which I think really helped me build a solid foundation when we formally launched in 2022.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trekittravelagency.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trekittravelagency/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trekittravel