Serving Those Who Served: How Vacations for Heroes Found Success Selling Travel to Service Members

Agency Name: Vacations for Heroes
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Employees: 19

In 2001, Canadian travel agency owner Connie Skrine found herself at a crossroads. 

Following the 9/11 attacks, the travel industry took a beating—and her brick-and-mortar business, CM Travel, was no exception. She considered her options: Should she close up shop? Try a new career path? Instead of throwing in the towel, she did something unexpected.

She started a new travel agency.

Vacations for Heroes is a travel agency serving today’s heroes—namely, current and retired members of professions like law enforcement, corrections, the military, paramedicine, and even teaching. 

What started as a website and some word-of-mouth referrals has grown to a network of over 30,000 Canadian and 5,000 U.S. members, served by 16 advisors.   

Today, the agency is run by Erin Skrine, Connie’s daughter and the current acting owner/co-partner. She also runs the sister agency, Cherished Moments Travel (CM Travel).

Erin joined the family business around the time Vacations for Heroes was launched.

“We created a website called Vacations for Heroes. We started faxing into fire halls and police departments,” Erin recalled. “We decided we wanted to make this a family business that would grow and that I could take over someday—and then hopefully my kids can take over someday.” 

Vacations for Heroes: A Family Business (In More Ways Than One)

For the Skrine family, travel and law enforcement go hand-in-hand. 

Connie began selling travel because her husband, Jack Skrine, was an RCMP officer. His career meant keeping irregular hours and the possibility of being relocated to a remote town. Becoming a travel advisor was an attractive career option because of its flexibility—it was a job she could do no matter where in Canada the family ended up.

For the Skrine family, there seem to be two main career paths: law enforcement or travel.

“We are a police family. My brother, my nephew, my sister-in-law, my brother’s son…it’s in the family,” Erin explained. “People love that the owner [Jack] is an ex-police officer. To this day we talk to members that know who my dad is. He was a great leader and friend to so many in the service.”

Erin told TMR that Vacations for Heroes developed naturally from her mother booking fellow officers and civillians that worked with her husband. The company grew through referrals, although eventually they started targetted advertising, such as the Canadian military magazine Esprit de Corps and Canada’s national law enforcement magazine, Blue Line. 

Those who want to book with Vacations for Heroes need to register as a member, providing personal information including branch of service. Today, the membership is 33,000 strong.

“A large amount is police and law enforcement, but we have over 6,000 Canadian Armed Forces, and a lot of firefighters, corrections, and emergency responders (EMTs).”

Jack retired from his position as chief of police in Chilliwack 22 years ago, and started helping out with the business. As the company grew, so did the staff: The Skrines attracted people who have a similar personal connection to the clients they serve, such as former RCMP or corrections officers, or family members. Some have stuck around for more than 20 years.

“We’re more than colleagues, and we’ve known each other all these years,” said Erin. “That’s my favourite part of the job.”

“There is a certain brotherhood with first responders and our organization”

Connie and Jack have semi-retired. Erin is leading both travel businesses, and is optimistic about the future. Vacations for Heroes has begun expanding into the U.S. and Erin is working on initiatives to bring in the next generation of clients.

“Clients have grown with us,” Erin told TMR. “We used to do group cruises and young families. It was very price-sensitive and high volume… Now we have [fewer] passengers traveling but higher volume trips. A lot of bucket list trips… river cruise is just exponentially growing.”

Things look bright for the niche travel agency. This year, six advisors will be attending the TRAVELSAVERS global conference in June—the most the company has ever sent.

Erin told TMR that working with Vacations for Heroes over the last 22 years has been a rewarding experience.

“We take pride in the understanding of the sacrifice and dedication our niche provides to society,” Erin said. 

When asked about the company’s success, Erin told TMR that relationship-building has been the cornerstone of their business. 

“The relationship you create with each customer, the trust that’s built…That’s what made us grow,” Erin said. “I still feel there’s importance of picking up the phone and really getting to know somebody on a different level. That relationship is what keeps them around from year to year.”

Erin also noted that there is a “brotherhood” among the clients they serve as well as the staff itself due to their shared personal experiences.

“We understand the hard work and dedication to their job… We take pride in the understanding of the sacrifice and dedication our niche provides to society. We have dedicated these years to giving the best service possible.”