AR Travel Collective is the Evolution of Amanda Rauh’s Travel Dreams

Amanda Rauh went to University just before the millennium to become an athletic therapist. But she was already hedging her bets by taking a minor in human geography. A career in travel was what was really calling her.

“Travel has been in my blood for as long as I can remember,” she says. “Every project I did in school from elementary all the way through University was about travel, or countries, cultures and geography. Naturally that should lead to a career in travel, right?”

But she wasn’t convinced it was the smart choice. After all, talk of travel agent extinction has been going on for over 30 years. But Rauh eventually decided to follow her heart.

“I’ve always been a dreamer. I’ve always loved culture. This is my life. I have a choice: let’s do this,” she told herself.

So off she went to travel school, following by studies in business administration, sales and marketing at the University of Victoria.

Her first industry job was with Cheap Tickets & Travel back in 1998. “It was sink or swim,” Rauh told Travel Market Report Canada in a conversation during TMP on the River 2026 aboard AmaWaterways’ AmaCerto. “Here’s your desk. Here’s your phone list. Off you go.”

After 28 years in the industry, Rauh is going strong. She recently left the host agency that was “a perfect fit” for her first 10 years as an independent agent. Now she is the proprietor of AR Travel Collective, where she leads a team of eight advisors. 

Over nearly three decades, Rauh has gained a wealth of experience in diverse roles. She worked for Thomas Cook Travel in Victoria and Langley, BC, before joining Ambassador Travel as Manager of Leisure Travel Sales for nearly five years. “I learned a lot at that company,” Rauh said, “including the advantages of being different and memorable.”

Her path veered in 2009 when she became an account executive with Menno Travel, a Mennonite-founded company in business since 1947. In that role Rauh worked with NGOs and missionaries. She joined a group of women on a mission trip to Uganda, where formative experiences for a self-described empath included “holding an HIV-positive baby the size of a cellphone in the palm of my hand.”

In 2010, Rauh joined Watoto Canada, a registered charity that raises funds and awareness for the Watoto organization in Uganda and South Sudan. It works to rescue orphaned/vulnerable children, babies, and former child soldiers, providing them with homes, education, and medical care. As well as hosting fundraisers and working with donors, Rauh handled travel logistics for about 150 charity workers. When she had her second son, she wanted to take a break from full-time work, and was able to continue working on the travel side with Watoto.

In 2016 Rauh returned to selling travel full-time. She became a member of The Travel Agent Next Door and launched the Nanaimo-based Travel by Amanda. 

“I used a spreadsheet to list the pros and cons of each host agency. In December 2016 I emailed (TTAND founder) Flemming Friisdahl. He called me on Boxing Day – the man never takes a day off – and we moved forward.”

Rauh says TTAND was the “perfect fit” at that stage of her career, and she says the host agency offered excellent support. “I never felt isolated working from home.”

Years later, however, Rauh was itching for a new challenge. She wanted full independence and to spend more time building and mentoring a team of motivated advisors. 

“I like helping my agents grow. Training, educating, supporting, cheerleading, empowering. I’ve never been unhappy, but I was eager to find out what’s next. It’s like jumping off a cliff and hoping the parachute opens,” Rauh said.

Rauh engaged business coaches and consultants to help plan her next move, but that didn’t end the way she expected. “They all contradicted each other. So I decided to trust my gut and just do what I wanted to do.”

She found an Alberta company that now handles much of her back-office support. She signed up with Tern, an operating system for travel advisors that combines fragmented tools to enable users to more efficiently manage customer relationships, build itineraries, track commissions and book with suppliers. 

“Tern has definitely involved a learning curve, but my clients are loving the itineraries and the mobile app. Reporting and commission tracking is so simple too.”

Rauh also wanted the support of a consortium for higher commissions and exclusive marketing. Just as she had when choosing a host agency, she assembled a spreadsheet with the various choices. 

“A lot of agents don’t use all the perks available to them with a consortium. I spoke to some who wanted to know what I would bring, but when I spoke to Jane Clementino at TRAVELERSAVERS Canada, her first question was ‘What do you need from us to be successful?’ That was impressive and I’m really looking forward to working with them. I’m feeling the love and support.”

Remembering the lesson she learned at Ambassador Travel many years ago, Rauh is determined to “be different and memorable.” You can spot her image on rink boards at hockey arenas and on digital signage at Victoria International Airport.

“It puts a face to the business. I had a young girl come up to me at the airport and ask if I was a celebrity. ‘No, I’m just a hockey mom,’ I said.”

Rauh is clearly a lot more than a hockey mom. She’s a proud business owner who believes in the value of the expertise a travel advisor brings. She thinks all advisors should be CTC-certified to reinforce professionalism. 

We’ll give the final words to Naomi Selvaraja, a key member of the AR Travel Collective team.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Amanda for 13 years. Her passion for travel, her clients, and colleagues is unwavering.  Anyone who has had the opportunity to work with her is very fortunate.”