A top travel advisor has revealed how she turned a major setback into a multi-million dollar agency – and the advice she’d give to others looking to follow suit.

Julie Shotmeyer, founder of Jet Set Getaways, was left “heartbroken” after being unexpectedly rejected for a job in her home state of New Jersey.

The role, a first grade teacher, had seemed like a natural fit for the East Coast native. She had already taught at the school prior to having her daughter, and had a strong relationship with its faculty.

But despite being a “shoo-in” for the position, Shotmeyer was passed over for the job. 

“My confidence was so low,” she told TTG. “I felt so horrible at myself.”

Fast forward to 2026, and Shotmeyer’s life has completely transformed.

She is now the chief executive officer of Jet Set Getaways – an affiliate of In the Know Experiences, an Internova Travel Group company (the parent company of Barrhead Travel), and a member of Global Travel Collection’s The Circle – a programme of advisors who have achieved at least £3 million in actualised sales.

She caters almost exclusively to a high-net-worth clientele, with many of her bookings exceeding hundreds of thousands of dollars. She travels extensively, completing site visits all over the world to ensure she can recommend the best product to her customers.

“That rejection was the best thing that ever happened to me, because it brought me to where I am today,” Shotmeyer said.

From classroom to concierge

This new chapter officially began in 2011, when Shotmeyer took the first step to pursuing a career in travel. She’d long dreamt of working as an advisor, having always fixated on how she’d upgrade her own trips. 

“The wheels would be turning in my mind when I was on vacation – about things I’d change or improve about the hotel.”

But with no formal experience, Shotmeyer had to work hard to prove herself. She began interning at her local travel agency, clocking-in every weekday from 8.30am to 3pm in an effort to “understand the ins and outs” of the industry.  

“At first, I was scared to even answer the phone,” she recalled. It didn’t help that the internship was completely unpaid, leaving her struggling to provide for her young daughter. “I was shopping out of my mom’s cabinets to put dinner on the table.”

Slowly but surely, however, Shotmeyer began to find her footing. “I did everything and anything for the agency, from preparing for client meetings to fulfilling concierge tasks. I never really asked what they needed, I just figured it out.”

It didn’t take long for Shotmeyer, who had never seen herself as a businesswoman, to catch the entrepreneurial bug. In the evenings, she would focus on curating her own portfolio – designing trips for clients she’d met in her immediate network.

“At the time, my daughter was in elementary school, so I was booking a lot of Disney World and Caribbean vacations for families,” she recalled. “I was also working on a blog called the Jet Set Gal, which included articles on new hotels and destinations.”

The science of six-figure holidays    

A year after being made full-time at the agency, Shotmeyer was nominated for Virtuoso Rising Star for 2013 – an award that recognises new-to-industry advisors who have shown exceptional performance.

It was this lofty accolade – along with job offers from other agencies – that gave her the confidence to start her own company. She partnered with In the Know Experiences, a New York-based luxury consultancy, after being impressed by its support services for agents.

“It was really scary, and I’m not good with change,” Shotmeyer admitted. “But I just felt such a connection to Lia [Batkin] and Seth [Kaplan], the co-founders of In the Know Experiences.”

Since joining the host agency, the value of Shotmeyer’s bookings has significantly increased. Today, she designs mostly Europe and Africa tours, adding she “can’t remember the last time I sold a Disney trip.”  

“I feel like my company has grown with me as a mom,” she explained. “As my daughter started getting older, my network progressed and became more high-net-worth.”

Now entirely luxury-focused, Shotmeyer’s largest booking stands at a staggering $500,000.

The brief for the trip was simple: a multi-generational family, with ages ranging from five to 75, wanted to celebrate a milestone birthday in South Africa.

Shotmeyer, who’s “always had a strong gut instinct”, asked the client to give her full creative control over the itinerary – and they agreed.

“I bought out one of the lodges so they could have the entire place to themselves,” she recalled. “I designed the trip to prioritise quality time – the siblings lived all over the country, and some lived abroad. It was very rare they were all together at once, so it was a real honour to plan.”

As is the case with all her bookings, Shotmeyer kept an open line of communication with the suppliers from the moment the booking was made.

“It’s all about the calendar notifications: we have constant reminders to reach out to the concierge, the sales director and the general manager,” she said. “We also contact them two days before the client’s arrival, as well as a final reminder on the morning of their check-in. I want to make sure all eyes are on my clients.”

That client went on to become Shotmeyer's biggest advocates, referring many of her own friends to book their vacations with Jet Set Getaways. “All of my top customers are now from her network!”  

Lessons from teaching 

Despite no longer working in education, Shotmeyer attributes much of her success to her background in education.

“There are so many parallels between the two professions,” she said. “Everything has to be so flexible with travel, just like with teaching.”

Shotmeyer goes on to describe how working with students, parents and administration has equipped her with the emotional intelligence to handle high-net-worth clients.

“Like in a school, I’m dealing with so many personalities every day, and I need to understand them – and their desires – to make sure the holiday goes smoothly,” she said.

This calls for strong psychological skills; for example, Shotmeyer may have to persuade a client who’s reluctant to spend extra money that they should always add ‘fast track’ airport passes. She’s also constantly managing their expectations, especially when it comes to external factors like cancellations and delays.

Another similarity is the itinerary, which requires the same level of attention as planning a lesson. 
“You’re basically writing a script in both cases – you need to be very detail oriented.”

Having now worked in travel for 15 years, Shotmeyer has recently reached Platinum status at Global Travel Collection – putting her in the elite category of its top 6% of sellers.

“When I got the email to tell me, I was like: ‘Really? How?’” she laughed. “I’m not running this company as a traditional business-minded person. I’m creative, friendly, and my drive is to create memories for my clients.”

As for Shotmeyer’s advice for aspiring luxury travel advisors, she urges them to be realistic at the very beginning.

“Nothing is beneath you when you’re starting off,” she said. “I was in my mid 30s, working more than seven hours a day, five days a week – for free. But you can do it. You just have to get your feet in the door.”

She also emphasises the value of adversity, noting that without that initial rejection, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to launch her business.

“I never thought I’d be running my own company, travelling all over the world and dealing with people in different time zones,” she said. “I saw myself as Julie in the classroom with my students. I cherished that time in my life, but it’s a different chapter. I’m so thankful I didn’t get that job now.” 

Be a part of this exclusive new luxury event

Join us at Black Book this October – designed to connect travel advisors with leading luxury brands.

Travel advisors can apply to attend for a tailored programme of one-to-one meetings and insight-led conference sessions focused on growing their business.

Luxury suppliers can find out how to get involved and build meaningful relationships with carefully selected and vetted agents using the unique Black Book method.