I joined Unique Romance Travel & Adventure Vacations in April 2019 after working for 7 years at a storefront agency as a commission-only employee. My main reason for making the move was to be able to have a more flexible schedule, work from home full time, make 40% more money, and ultimately have more say in how I ran my business, spent marketing dollars, generated/maintained clients, etc.

I had known of Unique Romance Travel & Adventure Vacations from attending several Industry Events. I had seen Carla win top awards with different hoteliers and suppliers and it was apparent she was very passionate about her business and her brand. It was also evident she was passionate about her team's successes since suppliers did exclusive FAMs for just her team (also my top preferred BDM/suppliers) and she hosted retreats for her team and their spouses. I knew if I was going to make the big move I wanted to be part of an agency like this.

Long story short when I looked at different agencies, Carla and her loveable personality was the main reason I joined her team. In addition, these are the other reasons why I made the switch to her team:
I wanted to be part of something bigger and not just create my own small agency. In Mexico, for example, she has suppliers, hoteliers, shuttle companies that customize things for just her team because they loved working with her.
She was looking at making the switch to STN which was a big deciding factor for me since I think of STN as family and loved everything that they offered members and my clients.
The majority of my top supplier BDMs would remain the same which was very important for me because I worked for years to create those close relationships. Carla knows the importance of having great relationships with suppliers and I could tell they all thought highly of her too.
Carla made it clear that the team makes the decisions on what the agency does, not just her. It is was very apparent she cares about all of her individual agents and not just making money for her business.
She is passionate about her brand and knows the importance of marketing it to everyone and on everything. I have always felt strongly about this!
Even though her agents are spread across the country she has created a close-knit team where her agents are eager and willing to share information with each other. Almost daily we are sending messages back and forth to each other asking for answers or opinions. In our industry, we can't know everything so it is amazing to be part of a team that is so quick to share information.
Carla allows us to operate as if we are an owner in the agency and does not every put pressure on us to hit certain goals or change how we do things. However, she is always available if we have questions or need her guidance/support.

Carla and her agents are very unique and I am so thankful to be part of their team!!

The best career move I ever made was joining the team at Unique Romance and Adventure Travel. As a newer agent, there were fears about being independent and being on my own. This team has welcomed me with open arms and we communicate as though we are sitting by each other in an office. Anytime I have a question I have always felt that it was validated and my teammates have wanted to help me as much as they can. It’s unbelievable to think how despite the different time zones and even countries, we feel so connected with one another.

I am unbelievably proud to represent this agency.

Coming to Unique Romance and Adventure Travel has been the best decision I could have made for myself. Unique Romance and Adventure Travel is set up to allow me the flexibility to build my business and success at the rate that is comfortable for me. The team at Unique Romance and Adventure Travel is made up of other travel advisors who are always willing to help and encourage. Unique Romance and Adventure Travel also has a program set-up to allow for a seamless experience for my clients.

I picked Unique Romance Travel because I was impressed with how friendly Carla and the other advisors were. There was never a feeling of being alone. There's something intimidating about starting a new business on your own, especially when new to the field, but all of the agents were willing to help me navigate every aspect of being a travel advisor. They gave helpful advice, ideas and a person in my corner when my day wasn't going as planned. It made it more like a family instead of a workplace. Being a travel advisor has been one of the most challenging and rewarding careers I've ever done, and being able to enjoy the people I work with has been the icing on the cake. I feel blessed to have been selected to work with this team of amazing people!

I have been a Travel Agent since 1980. For the past 30 years I have been an Independent Travel Consultant and for the past 11 years have specialized in Destination Weddings and Honeymoons.
As times have changed, it has been important to periodically review the needs of my clients, as well as my own needs as an independent agent with regards to the agency I select to work with. In late 2019, I decided to make a change in my agency affiliation. I turned to many industry contacts whose opinions I value and asked their recommendations on an agency they held in high regard and who they felt would be a good fit for me.
I looked for an agency and agency owner that was attuned to the times, responsive to agent needs, and whose agents worked together to build their own businesses as well as working as a team to help the agency grow and achieve success for us all.
One agency owner's name, and one agency came up repeatedly from the industry insiders I discussed this with, and that was Carla Schipper and her Unique Romance Travel Agency.
After one conversation with Carla I knew her agency would be a very good fit and "home" for myself and my clients. Carla is warm, supportive, very knowledgeable and appreciative of the knowledge each of her agents brings to the agency community table.
Unique Romance Travel is an agency with a true "Team" Spirit, providing support, information, and all the tools an agent could need. She has set up an affiliate Consortia in Signature, plus provides opportunities for agency on site meetings, destination site visits, access to further educational tools and webinars, a helpful accounting system and very fair commission program for her agents.
I have found my Agency home for what I hope is a very long time to come!

Kristen Bullock and I work as a team and have been in the travel industry since 2007. Although we book all travel and destinations worldwide, we specialize in Destinations Weddings, Honeymoons and Romance Travel.
We joined the Unique Romance Travel Team in December 2019 and have been extremely happy with our decision. We value the benefits afforded to us by being part of an award winning agency combined with the support we receive from agency owner Carla Schipper and all the “URT Team” agents. Carla has created an excellent atmosphere of teamwork giving all the URT agents the tools needed to be successful both as an agency and as individual agents. We have a great network where we are able to connect with the other URT agents, participate in regular agency virtual meetings, online supplier webinars, training, and continuing education.
Over the years we have visited many destinations, participated in FAM trips, site visits, and completed many online destination specialist programs. We take pride in what we are able to offer our clients with our expertise and experience. Now that we are a member of an award winning consortia Signature Travel Network, the value we can offer our clients has increased significantly. The support, resources, training, and “value added perks” offered with Signature Travel Network definitely gives us the ability to go above and beyond for our clients and further grow our business.
We look forward to continuing to grow our business with Unique Romance Travel and Signature Travel Network.