Ever wonder how to make the trip of a lifetime work for your family? Maybe you’ve had that dream destination in mind, but you just don’t know how to make all those perfect details come to life for your family. That’s where vacation planners come in. Melissa Boarman and Langley Roby are both travel planners who can make your vacation dreams come true!
Melissa Boarman is a certified travel agent with Key to the World Travel – in addition to her primary profession as a hair stylist at All About You Salon & Spa. “I like helping people have a magical time,” she shared. Melissa’s love of planning vacations all started when she and her husband went to Disney World in Orlando, Florida for the first time in July 2013.
For the next four years, Melissa and her family would try new experiences, parks, restaurants, and rides, slowly perfecting their ideal Disney trip. After months of research, Melissa took the leap in 2017 to make vacation dreams come true for her friends and family by beginning the process to become a certified travel planner. “It just felt right!” she said of Key to the World Travel, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (for more information about Key to the World, check out keytotheworldtravel.com). For eight months, Melissa took an online course that covered topics like vacation and itinerary planning, Disney advice, and hotel rates. She also graduated from the College of Disney Knowledge, as the company specializes in Disney destinations. In addition to Disney destinations like Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and Aulani Disney Resort, Key to the World Travel also plans trips to Universal Orlando and many other destinations.
In January 2018, Melissa officially began planning vacations. “I got into it because I LOVE to travel. It feels like I go to Disney all the time when I’m planning other people’s trips.” Since 2013, Melissa has been to Disney eight times now and currently has two more trips planned this year!
Langley Roby is a dream designer with My Mickey Vacation Travel, as well as a full-time special education teacher at Apollo High School. A self-proclaimed Disney fanatic, Langley got into travel planning by first helping friends and family plan trips to Walt Disney World. After researching travel planning when she heard that a friend used a Disney travel planner, Langley found My Mickey Vacation Travel and the rest is history! (For more information on My Mickey Vacation Travel, check out mymickeyvacation.com.)
To become a dream designer, Langley completed trainings on a variety of vacation-related topics. “My agency provided a six-month training period where I worked with a mentor in my company,” Langley shared. She is also a graduate of the College of Disney Knowledge, in addition to completing trainings with Universal Orlando Resort, Sandals, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Marriott, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Carnival Cruise Line (to name a few).
On a day-to-day basis, Langley said the job varies quite a bit. “I may get up at 5 a.m. to book dining for a guest, at 6 a.m. to book FastPasses, or attend webinars during the day to expand my knowledge. I am also a teacher, so I am very lucky that most things happen before and after school hours,” Langley said. There is no extra fee to use Langley as a dream designer, unless something outside of normal travel services is requested.
When it comes to the job description, Melissa shared that her hours are whatever works with her schedule at the salon and the needs of her clients. “My services to plan vacations are FREE. It doesn’t cost anything to do a quote,” Melissa said.
If you are interested in vacation planning for your family, the first thing to do is sit down and talk about your vacation expectations, including what time of year you’d like to go, what you’d like to see, and where you’d like to stay.
“My goal is to provide families custom vacations that are tailored to what their family wants out of their trip, not what I think they want,” Langley said.
“I do everything from start to finish,” Melissa shared. “From the moment I book your first reservation, I do everything for you, from your dining reservation, FastPasses, excursions, hotel bookings, whatever.”
Travel planners like Melissa and Langley assist with hotel selection, room choice, ticket plan, dining packages, itinerary, etc., tailored to your family’s needs. They are with you and your family every step of the way. If there’s an issue with a dinner reservation or your FastPass isn’t working or whatever vacation-related problem you may have, you can contact your travel planner. All you have to do is show up and enjoy yourself!
“You call me, text me, and I’m there! All of the stress is taken off of you. Disney can be very overwhelming. Let a vacation planner handle it for you!” Melissa said.
“I truly believe there is something for everyone within the Disney family of companies,” Langley shared. If Walt Disney World is too big and overwhelming, Disneyland is a great option…if you want Disney-level service with a more tropical feel, Disney Cruise Line or Aulani in Hawaii are absolutely incredible vacation destinations! Additionally, Adventures By Disney offers the opportunity to vacation in destinations all around the world.”
If you or someone you know is interested in planning a magical vacation, contact Melissa Boarman with Key to the World Travel at 270-925-7832 or [email protected], or contact Langley Roby at [email protected] or 270-929-5264.
