Meet Sarah Key of The Keys to Travel

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Key.

Hi Sarah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
From a young age, I knew travel was going to be a big part of my life. Even though my family wasn’t big into traveling, I would go out of my way to seek opportunities to travel, including joining the marching band in high school so I could go to Hawaii.

After moving to Colorado from Wisconsin with my now husband, I discovered the world of entrepreneurship. I enjoyed the freedom and unlimited potential that could come from this career path, and honestly, the risk of working for yourself and building a business didn’t scare me. A week after coming back from a trip to Italy in 2018, the opportunity to become a travel advisor presented itself, and I jumped right in.

Thankfully, my business survived the pandemic. While the world wasn’t traveling, I took the time to rebrand and focus on how I wanted to run my travel agency moving forward. Now, The Keys to Travel is a full-service luxury travel agency. Our mission is to help couples, families, and groups create lifelong memories together through unique, luxury travel experiences.

My journey of discovering my passion and life’s purpose has now led me to live a life I absolutely love, surrounded by those I love. We recently welcomed our first baby boy into our family in June 2023. My husband and I cannot wait to experience this world together as a family of 3.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I don’t think any entrepreneur would say their journey has been a smooth one! So far, the two biggest struggles on my entrepreneurial journey have been the pandemic and becoming a mom.

First, the pandemic. Of course, that was a struggle. My industry was completely shut down with no end in sight. But with every struggle comes a silver lining. The pandemic reminded everyone that travel advisors provide a lot of value. While no one knew what was happening in the travel world, it was our job to support clients and find answers and solutions.

Travelers who worked with a travel advisor during the pandemic, I believe, had it easier than if they were trying to navigate traveling on their own. The pandemic also made me realize that I had found the right career because even through all the difficulties of owning a travel agency during the pandemic, I still woke up every day eager, excited, and happy to be doing what I was doing. There was still no other path I would rather take than helping travelers navigate the confusing landscape of our industry at the time.

The second biggest struggle was becoming a mom. Before I had my son, I spent a decade being 100% dedicated to building and growing my dream business and career. How do you just switch that focus off and turn the majority of your attention to a cute, tiny little human? I had no idea how I would run my business as a solopreneur while being an amazing mom to my son.

As you might have guessed, it was not an easy transition. Luckily, around the time my son turned 8 months, I finally found a good “balance” of being a mom, business owner, and wife! I put balance in quotations because I don’t believe there will ever be true balance in your life, but it’s about finding the right mix for you and being open to adjusting as things constantly change.

I know there are going to be many more struggles along the way. One in my near future is going to be hiring! The thing with entrepreneurship is that everything you do is new to you, so yes, there will be struggles. But if you take each challenge as a learning lesson and don’t let fear hold you back, you and your business will continue to grow.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe you can tell us more about your business next?
The Keys to Travel is a full-service, luxury travel agency here to make your dream vacation a reality. Our mission is to help couples, families, and groups create lifelong memories together through unique, luxury travel experiences.

In order to create a seamless travel experience for our clients, we design complete vacation experiences customized to each traveler, which can include everything from airfare, transportation, hotel accommodations, experiences, and travel insurance. We are there for our clients from day one to the day you return from your trip. It’s nice to know you have a travel expert in your corner for any situation that may arise!

Along with our personal experiences and expertise, we partner with local companies based in destinations around the world to support your travels, provide local contact, and ensure top-quality accommodations, drivers, and guides. With the knowledge we bring to the table along with our partners, we can create the most customized itinerary for each traveler. Partnering with local suppliers provides top-quality resources and support for our clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thekeystotravel.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekeystotravel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekeystotravel
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-keys-to-travel
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahrosekey/

Image Credits
Kate Schwindt Photography, Joanna, and Flytographer