Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Collum.
Hi Samantha, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As the daughter of a US Naval Officer, you could say I was born and raised to be a traveler. My earliest memories are of living in Spain and sightseeing across Europe, where I learned from a young age to appreciate and respect other cultures.
I graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Biology and pursued a PhD in Biochemistry at Rice University before deciding to make a career out of my true passion: travel. As a Luxury Travel Advisor and Director of Operations at River Oaks Travel, I now pair my love of exploration with a detail-oriented and scientific approach to carefully design and coordinate once-in-a-lifetime adventures for our clients.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
While the role of a travel advisor may look glamorous on social media, there’s far more to it behind the scenes! Our travel agency is more than just a booking company – our focus on concierge-level service means that we’re here to help for any bumps in the road our traveler’s face (figuratively and literally). This means taking late-night calls when a flight is canceled or delayed, coordinating with embassies to replace lost passports, and working with companies on opposite time zones to plan an India trip within 48 hours (whew!).
Of course, the biggest struggle faced by our agency and the travel industry, in general, is the current COVID-19 pandemic. When the COVID lockdown initially hit, I worked around the clock finding emergency return flights for travelers abroad, changing travel dates for canceled spring break trips, negotiating refunds, and more. As the pandemic continued, I canceled and rebooked countless vacations while navigating the ever-changing landscape of travel restrictions. Despite the many challenges, however, I’ve been able to work with many travelers to plan wonderful experiences to open destinations both domestically and internationally!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
River Oaks Travel is a boutique luxury travel agency that offers concierge planning for the modern traveler. We like to say that we specialize in clients rather than specific destinations, though we plan trips to every country and continent! Our goal is to take your loosely defined ideas and wishes, then work with you to build your perfect travel experience. We try to move away from a simple transaction to instead build a lasting relationship with you, allowing us to better refine every trip and plan a lifetime of adventures. Regardless of where you decide to travel, our concierge team is here to deliver added value, time management, unique ideas, peace of mind, destination knowledge, and personal industry contacts to make your experience one-of-a-kind.
Our customized travel planning approach has led our company to be viewed as the top travel agency in Houston, and our team has been awarded numerous accolades recognizing our expertise. I personally was named a Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist this year (alongside agency owner Dasha Westerfield), a Virtuoso Rising Star Nominee in 2019, and Travel Agent Magazine’s 30 Under 30 advisors in 2018, and many of our advisors share similar distinctions.
What’s next?
The last year and a half has taught us the importance of combining responsible tourism with sustainable practices, as we’ve seen environments bounce back from previous overtourism. With that in mind, we’ve been making some exciting new changes to our business to promote more sustainable travel options to our clients. We’ve already launched a one-of-a-kind Sustainable Corporate Travel Concierge program, and are also empowering our travelers with ways to make a positive impact through travel.
Contact Info:
- Email: samantha@riveroakstravel.com
- Website: https://riveroakstravelagency.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riveroakstravel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riveroakstravelagency
