Today we’d like to introduce you to Ane Lowe.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
From 2008 until late 2017, I worked in the financial services industry as a private banker. In early 2011, I started a food and travel blog as a creative outlet and as a way to document or chronicle all the new places I was visiting and where I was eating. I was very passionate about traveling and looked forward to every opportunity I could get to visit a new place.
I had a yearning to channel my passion for food and travel and do something different than working in the financial services industry, but I didn’t exactly know what that would look like until I met a luxury travel advisor in late 2016. I was mesmerized by the fact that she worked in a niche similar to mine but in the travel industry, and an important aspect of her job entailed extensive luxury travel for research.
I realized that this was the dream career I didn’t know still existed and decided to make a move into the travel industry as a luxury travel consultant. I joined a highly respected, family-owned travel agency based out of Dallas as an independent contractor affiliated with them, and began my journey in designing luxury travel.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Definitely not! I think the biggest obstacle (at least initially) was getting people to understand the tremendous value and time savings I can provide as a travel consultant, especially when planning complicated, high-end travel. With the internet at everyone’s fingertips, most people wonder why they need to use a travel consultant to book their flights or hotels. Many people I’ve worked with have had the “aha” moment when I’ve been able to narrow down their options and explain why they should stay at one 5 star hotel versus the other one based on the location or what they want to see and do, and when I’ve been able to jump in proactively and rebook them on a flight before they even found out it was canceled.
Although they can easily book their own hotel accommodations, they now prefer I do it because they know we have a great relationship with the hotel, and they are not only acknowledged as a VIP when they check in, they’re able to get upgrades, complimentary breakfast, and additional credits that they wouldn’t have been able to get if they had booked their stay on their own. With the extensive global network I have, I’m able to give my clients access to unique experiences that one can’t find on the internet, like accessing the Sistine Chapel before it opens to the public, getting them access to a prestigious invite-only fashion show, teeing off on a mountain accessible only by helicopter in New Zealand, and so much more.
When it comes to travel, it’s not a matter of “if” something can go wrong, it’s a matter of “when” (as we all may know), so there is a certain stress related to this job that I hadn’t experienced when working in private banking. I am on call just about all the time, but it’s only because I want to ensure my clients have the best experience and that they don’t have to worry about anything while they’re traveling.
Please tell us about The Hungry Chronicles Travel Services.
I work in the travel industry as a Certified Travel Advisor and my specialty is in planning high-end luxury travel. I work with couples planning their honeymoons or anniversary trips, families planning multi-gen vacations, friends/couples planning fun getaways, etc.
What I’m most proud of as a company is being able to give clients back their time and remove the stress that sometimes comes with planning high-end travel while being able to design unforgettable experiences and connect them to the world. I’m also proud of the relationships I’ve been able to cultivate with my global travel partners as we work closely together to make each client’s getaway truly memorable. They are a crucial component of my business and I wouldn’t be able to do it without them. In this business, who you know is just as important as what you know.
I think what sets me apart is that I like to take a consultative rather than a transactional approach to planning travel and find it’s crucial to really get to know the client and understand their preferences so that each trip is truly unique and tailored to them,
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think luck plays an important role in life and business but only if you acknowledge it and use it to your advantage. I think I’ve been incredibly lucky both in life and business, with the family I have, the upbringing I had, the friends I have, the husband I have, the business relationships I’ve had, and people I’ve met or situations I’ve experienced by being at the right place at the right time. Many think I’m lucky to be in the industry I’m in and have the business that I have, but I made it happen, by acknowledging and leveraging the relationships or experiences that I’ve had that may have come out of a stroke of good luck.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thehungrychronicles.com
- Phone: (956) 648-5643
- Email: ane@strongtravel.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thehungrychroniclestravel
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/hungrychronicle
- Other: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/anelowe
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
