Travelmation Founder Adam Duckworth on Building a Travel Agency Brand

Travelmation Founder and President Adam Duckworth turned his passion for Disney into a thriving travel agency brand.

Today, Travelmation boasts over 2,100 independent advisors in 47 states across the country. Many more have applied and been turned down: Only those with the right mix of skills and ambition make the cut.

Disney is undoubtedly the cornerstone of the brand. Duckworth’s love of the Disney parks inspired his entry into the industry, and today it’s still the company’s biggest seller. In January, Travelmation will hold its 10th annual retreat at Walt Disney World, where the event has been held since its inception. This Authorized Disney Vacation Planner is an Earmarked Diamond Producer, which is the highest level Disney Destinations gives travel agencies.

Travelmation is more than just a Disney specialist, however. Last year, the travel agency won Royal Caribbean Southeast Partner of the Year, a Playa Hotels & Resorts 2023 Spotlight Award, and a “Million Dollar Club” Award from Sandals Resorts. It’s also a Universal Orlando Resort Preferred Travel Agency, a Carnival Platinum Partner, and a Delta Vacations Diamond Elite.

“We never started out thinking that we were going to do any of this ever,” Duckword told TMR. “We started something that turned out to be really unique, and really, really special.”

Building a digital brand

Duckworth took a leap of faith and launched Travelmation in 2012. At that time, the industry was in a transitory period. The agencies he worked for were “old school,” and there was uncertainty about the travel advisor industry’s future. Duckworth saw this as an opportunity.

“I really felt that this industry was ripe for the picking,” he told TMR. “The industry was lacking an organization with a brand that could be taken into the digital age.”

From the very beginning, Duckworth was “laser-focused” on building Travelmation into a recognizable brand, using then-emerging tools like Facebook and Instagram. The strategy paid off, in part because the company was an early adopter.

“Had we started this thing five years later, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation,” he told TMR.

Duckworth also credits his strong team for his success.

“Oftentimes in organization successes, there’s a little bit of strategy, a lot of good people, and a little bit of luck.”

“Lean into what you’re great at”

In Travelmation’s early years, Duckworth spent a lot of time client-facing. Now, he is able to devote more of that energy to promoting and strengthening the brand. He’s a naturally charismatic public speaker, so he does media appearances – appearing on platforms such as TV shows (like Access Hollywood) to talk about the industry.

Duckworth told TMR that while this strategy has worked for him, he recommends other agency owners resist the urge to emulate what other successful agencies are doing, and instead lean into whatever unique strengths they have.

“If you’re an agency owner, you need to lean into what you’re great at,” he explained. “I might be a really great face for [Travelmation]. Someone else might be really great at gathering individuals, but they’re not great in public. That’s okay … Lean into what you’re great at because you’re uniquely gifted and you’re uniquely wired.”

Part of leaning on your strengths involves surrounding yourself with like-minded people with a diverse skill set.

“When you have that group of folks who are all moving in the same direction toward the same cause and the same goal, and it’s almost unstoppable.”

Want advisors? Make your agency a welcoming home

Duckworth told TMR that agencies aren’t really competing for clients – they’re competing for advisors.

The travel advisor talent shortage post-pandemic is well-documented, with many agencies struggling to find candidates with experience. Travelmation welcomes newcomers, however, and he gets a lot of them – particularly eager Disney-lovers.

Duckworth estimated as many as 98% of his advisors have no travel experience. Travelmation developed an in-house training program to get new advisors started in the industry.

Finding talent has never been an issue for the company, Duckworth told TMR. Travelmation has never recruited talent; it’s all been organic growth. In fact, the agency has rejected more applications than it’s accepted.

While the Disney magic may have something to do with Travelmation’s draw, Duckworth told TMR that the most important thing an agency owner can do to grow their brand is to make the company appealing to advisors.

“We constantly sit around the table to ask how we can make this the best place an advisor would call home,” he told TMR.

Part of this is the business structure, making sure advisors have support like marketing materials, training, and a healthy commission split. But it’s also important to make advisors feel welcome. This is why Travelmation hosts its annual retreat, which this year is expected to attract 1,000 advisors.

“We care personally about a lot of folks … There’s a lot of relationships and there’s a lot of community, and that’s important to us.”