How To Make It in the Travel Industry: Partnerships That Open Doors

Traveling the world for a living may sound like a dream, but behind every breathtaking video and every epic destination is a journey of persistence, consistency, and boldness. When I first started out, I had nothing more than a vision and the determination to keep pushing forward, no matter how many rejections came my way. Today, I partner with global brands and tourism boards—including Antigua and Barbuda, Kazakh Tourism, the Curacao Tourist Board, and Bermuda Tourism—to help them tell their stories to the world.

This is how I turned a dream into a career.

Persistence: The Foundation of Everything

The travel industry isn’t easy to break into. For every “yes” I received, there were a dozen “no’s.” But persistence kept me moving. Every email unanswered became a reminder to refine my pitch. Every partnership delayed became a chance to improve my content.

As Saint Augustine once said: “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” I decided that I wouldn’t just read the book—I would help write it, one country at a time.

📌 Hidden Gem Advice: Always keep the camera rolling. The moments between the big shots—chatting with locals, grabbing street food, waiting at a ferry—often become the most authentic and memorable parts of a story.

Consistency: The Secret to Long-Term Success

One great project won’t carry you forever. What matters is showing up consistently, improving your work, and building trust. I didn’t start with fancy gear or a giant budget. But with each shoot, each edit, each story—I got better. That consistency built credibility, and credibility built partnerships.

📌 Hidden Gem Advice: Content isn’t just about the big picture. Pay attention to details—your captions, your thumbnails, even how quickly you reply to emails. Consistency in the little things adds up to big results.

Boldness: The Game-Changer

Playing it safe doesn’t get you noticed. I learned early on that boldness wins. I sent proposals that felt impossible, asked for access where others were too shy, and suggested ideas that pushed beyond “standard” tourism content.

When I pitched Kazakh Tourism for Travel by Dart, I didn’t hold back. I shared a vision that was ambitious—and that boldness turned into a partnership that changed everything.

As Mark Twain once wrote: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” That line has pushed me to take leaps others wouldn’t dare.

📌 Hidden Gem Advice: When pitching, focus less on what you want and more on what they gain. Tourism boards and brands aren’t just looking for pretty visuals—they want compelling storytelling that moves travelers to book a flight.

Partnerships That Create Impact

Working with Antigua and Barbuda wasn’t about showing beaches. It was about sharing their culture, resilience, and hospitality. With Bermuda, it wasn’t just luxury shots—it was history, hidden corners, and identity. These partnerships aren’t transactions; they’re collaborations that allow nations to tell their story authentically.

But those relationships didn’t appear overnight. They were built email by email, call by call, through persistence and professionalism.

📌 Hidden Gem Advice: Don’t give up after one or two follow-ups. Most of my partnerships closed on the third or fourth email. Respectful persistence gets remembered.

Lessons From the Road

The travel industry isn’t glamorous 24/7. There are flight delays, lost gear, bad weather, and canceled shoots. But every challenge taught me resilience, and every setback made the victories sweeter.

Travel has shown me that success isn’t just about the places we go—it’s about the courage to keep going.

📌 Hidden Gem Advice: Don’t ignore smaller destinations. Sometimes the most powerful partnerships come from “underdog” countries that are hungry to be seen and willing to take bold steps with you.

Final Thoughts

Persistence, consistency, and boldness are the compass points that guided me through this journey. They turned rejection into resilience, small wins into global partnerships, and dreams into a career that helps nations tell their stories to the world.

If there’s one lesson I’d leave you with, it’s this: success in the travel industry doesn’t come to those who wait—it comes to those who dare, improve, and keep showing up.

So throw that dart at the map. Start where you are. Be bold, be consistent, and never stop knocking on doors. Because one day, the world will open them for you.