Fora

20/12/2023

This month, we’re thrilled to welcome into the Fora community six new partners, from a duo of Spanish boutique gems to an artsy Manhattan hotspot.

Read more about our last (but not least) 2023 partners: https://bit.ly/4aonIhV

20/12/2023

Here's why Angama Mara is the luxury safari lodge of our dreams:

1. Angama Mara’s overall design is exceptional: The exquisite tented suites are modeled on those one would expect in a traditional safari camp — canvas walls, writing desks, binoculars — but have a chic, modern twist, with splashes of Angama’s signature color, Maasai red. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows open up to a patio with — what else? — red rocking chairs perfect for taking in the stunning view. Oversized bathtubs beckon after a day of game drives, and in-room massages provide the ultimate pampering — with a five-star view, of course.

2. Angama Mara is the perfect home base for enjoying a successful (and uncrowded) Kenya safari, with ample sightings year round: You’ll likely come to Angama Mara for the luxe accommodations, warm hospitality and access to some of Africa’s best safaris, but you’ll stay for the food. All ingredients are meticulously sourced and fresher than fresh — and many are picked right from Angama’s onsite shamba.

3. Extend your stay with a tip to Angama Safari Camp and Angama Amboseli: If you want to spend the night out in the bush, consider a stay at the four-suite, eight-person Angama Safari Camp, in the heart of the Mara Triangle. The Mara Triangle is an idyllic section of the Maasai Mara, formed by the Kenya-Tanzania border, the Mara River and the Oloololo Escarpment. Southeast of Angama Mara and Angama Safari Camp, you’ll find Angama Amboseli, a hot-off-the-press, 10-suite retreat in the Kimana Sanctuary, Kenya’s first community-owned conservancy. Gaze at Mount Kilimanjaro, and marvel at the area’s regal Super Tuskers, elephants with exceptionally large tusks.

Read our full write up here:
https://bit.ly/48fXkF1

Learn why Fora loves Angama Mara, a luxurious safari lodge overlooking Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, and why we'll return again and again.

18/12/2023

Portugal, a land of rich culture and captivating landscapes, offers travelers a plethora of choices when it comes to luxury accommodations.

On a recent FAM trip to Portugal, we did allll the hotel "research," so you don't have to. Below are our *some of* favorite hotels in Portugal, each visited on the FAM, and each offering a unique and unforgettable experience.

1. Sublime Comporta: This property stands out for its eco-consciousness, sleek design and thoughtfully sourced and prepared culinary offerings.
2. Maison Albar Hotel Le Monumental Palace: A vintage-style hotel in a premium Porto neighborhood, Le Monumental Palace strikes a balance between old-school elegance and modern luxury, creating a unique and comfortable atmosphere.
3. Valverde Hotel: This is your spot if you're looking for a stylish boutique-hotel moment right on the famed Avenida da Liberdade.
4. The Rebello: Located in a historic building in Porto, The Rebello preserves the integrity of its original structure while incorporating handmade artwork, sea-themed room names and a Roman-style spa.

Head to our link below and read more about our favorite 13 hotels in Portugal.
https://bit.ly/3RGL0Ij

17/12/2023

Over the cold? We have rounded up our favorite hot destinations for your travels come 2024.

https://bit.ly/3RKajs7

From all-inclusive ski in the French Alps to travel to the land down under, here's where to travel in January 2024.

12/12/2023

One app, accessible from any device, from any location.

With Fora's booking platform, advisors can search by specific hotel or browse by destination, comparing preferred partner hotels in real-time with crystal-clear visibility into Fora’s preferred rates & perks.

The booking platform is connected to Fora’s Vault, a secure and seamless tool for payment card storage and collection. When advisors are ready to make a booking, they can securely add client payment information to lock down the reservation, all without ever leaving their Fora Advisor Portal.

Head to our website and discover how you get join our community of advisors, and get access to our exclusive tech & tools.

Join our community today.
www.foratravel.com/join-us

08/12/2023

It's the end of the year, and the end of another incredible cohort.

What is a Fora Cohort? It's a small-group setting for Fora Advisors to do bite-sized trainings within a community setting with other advisors. By joining a cohort, advisors get access to a world-class, asynchronous curriculum developed and taught by industry experts who share their insider knowledge, ultimately helping advisors get all of the important information they need to best serve their clients and boost their professional development.

Here's what some of our Advisors (Tanya Sharkey, April L. Sampleton and Kimberly Sessions) had to say about their asynchronous training at Fora.

04/12/2023

Still looking to kick-start your new dream job in travel? Well, there’s never been a better time to sign up as a Fora Advisor!

We’ve introduced new monthly pricing that brings you a whole lotta value at a totally approachable cost. For just $49 a month, you get everything you need to transform your passion for travel into a fun and flexible new career.

Find out more at www.foratravel.com/join-us

02/12/2023

We take you behind-the-scenes at our Live Forum event to showcase what our community of partners, HQ staff and advisors have to say about being part of the Fora community.

To learn more about how you can join our community of advisors, head here: www.foratravel.com/join-us

01/12/2023

Episode 16 of Speedtalking: Travel by Stopover.

Now live. Listen to full ep here:

Listen to the full episode:

28/11/2023

(Re)Introducing our Client Lead Program ICYMI the first time.

The goal: to showcase how Fora empowers travel advisors to succeed, leveling the playing field in an industry where growth and lead-generation are notoriously tricky.

Fora’s Client Lead Program is already garnering results. The program is on pace to deliver more than $3.5m of bookings this year!

21/11/2023

At Fora, we’re building technology for advisors to optimize their workflow and level-up their travel businesses. Since the launch of our booking platform, our advisors feedback has been nothing short of great.

Here's what a few of our advisors (Michelle Cassidy, Jennifer White, Melissa Franco & Diana Morales) had to say about our incredible new tech tool.

Find out more about our incredible tech tool here: https://www.foratravel.com/the-journal/introducing-foras-integrated-booking-platform

14/11/2023

What's Forum? The central place where we connect our community of advisors, to talk all things travel.

We are continuously working on bringing our community together. Thanks to our community app - Forum - our Fora Advisors can always be at each others fingertips with hotel insights, events, partner updates and so much more.

To check out more, head here: https://www.foratravel.com/the-journal/meet-forum-our-all-in-one-community-app

09/11/2023

Who's ready to relax and rejuvenate? Great, because EP14 of Speedtalking is all things Spa & Wellness going into the busy festive season!

Listen to whole episode here: https://speedtalking.foratravel.com/episodes/e14-travel-spas-wellness

09/11/2023

Cruise people, we see you. Transform your passion for far-flung voyages into a career on your own terms. Become a Fora Advisor and you'll gain exclusive benefits, like direct connections with top cruise providers, VIP service for your clients and commissions for every booking you make.

Join Ross Thomason, Fora's Head of Training & Development, alongside our cruise-focused Fora Advisors, Amy Lagrow Rogers and Kevin Chan (also the Creative Lead, Website at Fora HQ). Prepare to set sail into a sea of exciting opportunities!

Sign up for the event here:

Join Ross Thomason, Fora's Head of Training & Development, alongside our cruise-focused Fora Advisors, Kevin Chan & Amy LaGrow-Rogers.

07/11/2023

This November, we're feeling extra grateful for our ever-growing, tight-knit community. And we're thrilled to welcome three new partners into the Fora family!

Watch our newest round-up campaign to learn more about our new Fora family members!

06/11/2023

There are some serious misconceptions about travel advisors — we get it, and we’ve all heard ‘em. But we're here to smash those stereotypes.

Here to debunk 3 myths about becoming a travel advisor:

🚫 1. Becoming a travel advisor requires a full-time commitment.
✅ Hardly! While some agencies require advisors to work full-time, Fora does it differently. Booking travel with Fora is an incredibly flexible career path that can be done full-time or "whenever-I-have-time."

🚫 2. I have to be a seasoned travel expert to become a travel advisor.
✅ Nope! The only qualifications to become a Fora Advisor are a passion for travel and an internet connection. While destination knowledge and planning experience (even for your own trips!) is undoubtedly an asset, Fora’s training programs and ongoing resources are designed to help you hit the ground running — no experience required.

🚫 3. I either need an existing network of clients, or it’s up to me to find clients.
✅ While we recommend Fora Advisors start by booking travel for their personal network, including friends and family, it’s a common myth that travel advisors are “on their own” in terms of finding new clients. At Fora, we’re here for our advisors every step of the way, including equipping them with tools to build their book of business. We empower our advisors to generate client leads in two ways.

Read our full write up on this topic here:

Read on as we debunk three myths about becoming a travel advisor, and learn why (spoiler alert!) Fora is the best place to start.

05/11/2023

We love our global community of advisors, and we especially love when we can take advantage of their local expertise for the best in-the-know recs. (We’re spoiled, obviously.)

We recently tapped into three Fora Advisors (Stephanie Morgan, Rick Szeto & Mary Mays) from Seattle for their tips on where to eat and drink in the Emerald City. Here are some of their top picks:

Seattle's best coffee spots:
☕ Espresso Vivace
☕ Milstead & Co.
☕ Sidekick Coffee

Seattle's best restaurants:
🍽 Spinasse
🍽 Rockcreek
🍽 Monsoon Seattle

Seattle's best bars:
🥃 Ascend Prime Steak & Sushi
🥃 Canon
🥃 Foreign National Bar

Read the full round-up here:

We tapped into three Fora Advisors from Seattle for their tips on where to eat and drink in the Emerald City.

03/11/2023

Meet our first ever Fora Advisor, Gaya!

03/11/2023

Want to get to know our advisors better? (As do we, always.) So we sat down with Fora Advisor Tanima Mannan for 12 Questions!

Q: Why is travel important to you personally?
A: I find beauty in meeting people from various cultural backgrounds and religions. Traveling enables you to see the world in a whole new way and helps you become more understanding of others. I believe traveling can build bridges between cultures and create a better world full of love and acceptance.

Q: What’s your favorite way to VIP a trip for a client? (a.k.a.: What is your fave way to make their trip extra special?)
A: When planning a trip I listen to my client’s needs and likes & dislikes. I love having a framed photo of the family or couple when they check into their room. If they love wines and spirits I will also include a bottle for them. I had recently set up a bottle of tequila and mixers for a client’s stay in Mexico and they loved it!

Read our full interview via link: https://bit.ly/3tKHGCC

Read on to learn how Fora Advisor Tanima Mannan got into the industry, why she values travel and where she's off to next.

02/11/2023

ATTN all , this next episode of Speedtalking is for you.

Listen to full episode here: https://speedtalking.foratravel.com/episodes/e13-travel-taylor-swift

02/11/2023

3 Reasons why we love Getaway House (a Fora partner, of course) for a pinterest-worthy glamping moment:

1. Getaway House makes it easy to escape into nature: Getaway House’s founder and CEO, Jon Staff, recognized how important easy access — and the possibility for spontaneity — would be, which is why all Getaway cabins are at most a two-hour drive from a major US city.

2. Getaway House’s tiny cabins are actually fun to stay in: We have nothing against camping, but once you’ve been glamping, it’s a bit difficult to go back. Getaway’s modern cabin rentals have both heating and air conditioning. Translation? You can enjoy your glamping moment any time of year. And the cabins are stylishly minimalist and have everything you need to stay clean and comfortable.

3. Getaway House has thought of everything: We love, for instance, how each cabin is named after the grandparent of a staff member or guest. We love how there’s a lockbox for sequestering your cellphone. (Do it.) We love how some cabins, depending on the location, lack cell service altogether. And we love that there’s a landline in each cabin juuuuust in case.

Need more reasons? Read our full write up on The Fora Journal:
https://bit.ly/3FxOy95

Getaway House makes unplugging a breeze. Learn why we love Getaway House. Then, connect with Fora to plan and book your tiny cabin today.

30/10/2023

Are you looking to level up your next trip, but still not sold on using a Travel Advisor?
Whether you’re looking to score hotel perks on your next weekend away, staycation, solo trip, or honeymoon, Fora is your best friend.

When you book with a Fora Advisor, you benefit from expert itinerary planning, insider recs & killer hotel perks.

Here are three reasons why:
🏆 1: You’ll have a better planning & booking experience (with personalization, insider intel & attention to detail) before your trip
🏆 2: You’ll travel like a VIP, with killer hotel perks, priority room upgrades… the works
🏆 3: You can feel good about supporting a small-business entrepreneur

Read our full write-up and find out why booking with a Fora Advisor for your next trip is your best decision yet.
https://bit.ly/3Quc9he

When you book with Fora, you benefit from expert itinerary planning, insider recs & killer hotel perks — all for the same price as doing it yourself.

30/10/2023

Another incredible award for the Fora team! Proud to announce that we were named a Magellan Award Gold Winner for Travel Agent Innovation!

For 15 years, Travel Weekly's Magellan Awards have awarded companies for their achievements and boundary-pushing innovation across various segments of the travel industry, from traditional players like hotels, airlines and cruise lines to technology (that’s us!), marketing, PR and more.

Congrats to our team on another incredible accolade. Read more about the awards here:

We are thrilled to be recognized as a Magellan Award gold winner in Travel Weekly's “Travel Agent Innovation” category.

27/10/2023

We’ve rounded up three of our favorite Norwegian Cruise Line cruise itineraries, all of which embark out of Miami. Norwegian Cruise Line’s menu of destinations is impressive and there are cruises throughout Southeast Asia, Europe, Alaska, New Zealand and Africa, to name but a few options!

Read full article below:
https://bit.ly/4791yxP

Read on for three of our favorite Norwegian Cruise Line Miami itineraries. Next step: connect with Fora to plan & book your dream cruise vacation.

27/10/2023

Some things just click. And since eighth grade, Yina Munoz — founder and owner of ALLabout Travel, one of Fora's favorite boutique representation companies — knew she was destined for hospitality.

"I'm always going to remember this girl saying that she wanted to be in hospitality, because she wanted to be in the industry that makes people happy. So I was like, that's what I want to do," Yina said, later adding, "In the Dominican Republic, one of the main sources of income on the island is tourism. So for me, that was a no brainer: I'm in."

Read our full interview with Yina via link below.

Yina Munoz, of ALLabout Travel, on hospitality, starting her own business and why she values travel.

24/10/2023

We built the Booking Platform to ensure our advisors experience was seamless; meaning less time browsing, and more time booking. That's why our Booking Platform is accessible from any place, any time, anywhere and on any device - so our advisors can spend less time researching, and more time on the fun stuff - like, getting their clients the VIP treatment.

Take a look at some of the places our advisors are booking from!

18/10/2023

October's here, which means Pumpkin spice season has arrived - as so have our newest hotel partners for the month!

Read our full write up below, or watch our latest partner campaign!
https://www.foratravel.com/the-journal/october-roundup-announcing-foras-latest-partners

12/10/2023

Have you been keeping up with Fora In The News lately?
Don’t worry, we have. Here’s what you missed this last month:

🗞 Travel Agent Central: Fora Launches Integrated Booking Platform for Travel Advisors. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3LY42Xk
🗞 Travel + Leisure: 35 Best Things to Do in New York City, According to Local Experts. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3PMbQN8
🗞 Travel + Leisure: 20 Famous Las Vegas Restaurants to Try on Your Next Trip to Sin City. Read more here: https://bit.ly/45u2Ulx
🗞 Henley Vazquez on ‘Make Life Rich Movement’ podcast. Listen to episode here: https://spoti.fi/46I9FRy

Want more Fora In The News, news? Head to our press page here: https://bit.ly/3rN6Lw5

Travel agency Fora has unveiled the alpha release of its integrated booking platform. | Advisors can now seamlessly research and book trips from their computer or on-the-go with their smartphone. Here's what you need to know.

11/10/2023

We love supporting our Fora Advisors through every milestone, no matter how big or small! Here are this months :

🏆 Renee Olson: First booking!
🏆 Kendra Hearn: Made it to 100k in 6 months!
🏆 Dawn Phipps: Landed two bookings in one weekend totaling nearly $60k over the weekend!
🏆 Alberto Mussali: $40k bookings in just two weeks!
🏆 Chanda Daly: First booking from a destination guide lead.
🏆 Rod Carrillo-Lundgren: First TikTok booking lead!

11/10/2023

As we continue to grow in booking volume, Fora is proud to unveil a new boutique, luxury agency within the company for its highest earners: Fora X.

A new venture that will help our advisors continue to grow their businesses by providing them best-in-class coaching. Whether it’s marketing or financial management support, we’ve got them covered.

Watch our latest campaign to find out more about our latest initiative, and what our advisors are most excited about!

05/10/2023

We're live with Episode 10! We're talking All-Inclusives (but cool ones, we promise). What we love about them, what we wish we could change about them, and everything in between.

Listen now: https://speedtalking.foratravel.com/episodes/e10-travel-all-inclusives

03/10/2023

We're breaking down our certified training program designed for our advisors to learn, thrive and succeed, no matter where they are in their travel advising journey.

Here's a break down of what they can expect in their month-long certified training program. Read here to find out more: https://www.foratravel.com/join-us

29/09/2023

It's time to break down the Delta Air Lines SkyMiles changes: the good, the bad, the ugly.

Episode 9 live now: https://speedtalking.foratravel.com/episodes

26/09/2023

With Fora's booking platform, travel advisors can bid farewell to chaos and wasted time. It streamlines the entire booking process, simplifying research, price comparisons, payment storage and client bookings all in one place.

We may be biased, but our bookings platform is a game-changer, offering a modern experience that's at least 4x faster than the traditional method. On average, Fora’s booking platform saves travel advisors 83 hours a year.

Looking to learn more? Read our full write-up here: https://www.foratravel.com/the-journal/foras-integrated-booking-platform-a-time-saving-resource-for-travel-advisors

21/09/2023

In the aftermath of a natural disaster, deciding what's best to do with your travel plans to the affected destination can be challenging. In the case of Morocco — where tourism contributes to 12% of the country's GDP — canceling travel plans might actually do more harm than good, exacerbating economic turmoil in addition to the physical damage Moroccans are grappling with.

This week on Speedtalking with Fora, join your host Henley Vazquez as she sits down with special guest Hicham Alaoui, co-founder of Experience Morocco, to explore common misconceptions about traveling to Morocco after the recent earthquake, and to discover why the best way to support the country right now is by visiting!

Head to our podcast site to see where you can help with donations: https://speedtalking.foratravel.com/episodes/e8-travel-natural-disasters-morocco

21/09/2023

Still trying to find a reason why you should book with a Fora Advisor on your next trip? Let us kick start the reasons for you with three:

1: You’ll have a better planning & booking experience (with personalization, insider intel & attention to detail) before your trip
2: You’ll travel like a VIP, with killer hotel perks, priority room upgrades… the works
3: You can feel good about supporting a small-business entrepreneur

To learn more, read our full write-up on the Fora Journal here: https://www.foratravel.com/the-journal/4-reasons-why-you-need-a-travel-advisor-for-your-next-trip

16/09/2023

We sat down with Jennifer Schwartz to discuss Fora's new 'Client Lead Program', and how this new initiative has helped her build out her own clientele book.

If you're looking to learn more about how Fora supports its advisors, read more here: https://www.foratravel.com/the-journal/fora-leads-the-way-spotlighting-our-game-changing-client-lead-program

14/09/2023

We're live from Cairo, Egypt! 🇪🇬 Henley Vazquez shares all the essential information you need to plan your journey; prime times to visit Egypt to avoid crowds, insight into the best neighborhoods, currency tips, visa requirements and other vital info (like the unexpected necessity of packing your own toilet paper).

Listen to full episode here: https://speedtalking.foratravel.com/