Marketing

Set Up Like a Pro in a Weekend: A Simple Online Presence Plan for Brand‑New Travel Advisors

Joshua Harrell Jan 24, 2026 2:33:37 PM

If you’re a new or soon‑to‑be travel advisor, you’ve probably heard this advice a hundred times: “You need a website, a brand, a content strategy, a funnel…” and suddenly you’re overwhelmed before you’ve booked your first client. The truth is, you don’t need all of that to look legitimate online. You just need a clear, credible presence that helps real people feel confident reaching out.

That’s the heart of the Set Up Like a Pro in a Weekend edition of Travel Marketeering Live: a practical, 48‑hour plan to get brand‑new advisors looking the part—without disappearing into tech projects for months.

This article walks through the core ideas from the show and the companion handout so you can implement the same weekend setup inside your own travel business.

Why Your Online “First Impression” Matters More Than Ever

Today’s traveler almost always looks you up online before committing to a planning fee or handing over a card number. Even if a friend refers them, they’ll still click your name on Facebook, Instagram, or Google to make sure you look like a real, established business

For new travel advisors, that creates a gap:

You have the training and the passion.
But your online footprint still looks like a personal profile, a side hobby, or nothing at all.

When someone searches your name, they should be able to answer three simple questions in seconds:

Who is this person?
What kind of trips do they plan?
How do I book time with them?

The weekend setup plan is designed to make those answers obvious.

Step 1: Upgrade Your Headshot Without Hiring a Photographer

One of the fastest trust builders for a new advisor is a clear, professional‑looking headshot. You don’t need a studio session to get there; you just need to avoid the usual mistakes and follow a few simple guidelines.

Headshot mistakes that make you look less professional

Blurry, dark, or grainy images where your face is hard to see
Extreme selfie angles from above or below
Busy backgrounds full of people, clutter, or distractions
Sunglasses, hats, or filters that hide what you really look like
Party shots with drinks, beachwear, or gym clothes
Heavy filters that change your skin tone or distort your features

Any one of these can subtly tell a prospective client, “this isn’t a serious business yet.”

Simple rules for a strong DIY headshot

Instead, aim for:

Natural, even light from a window or shaded outdoor space
A clean, simple background (plain wall, doorway, or blurred greenery)
Framing from the chest up, with your face centered
Neutral or business‑casual clothing in solid colors
Direct eye contact and a genuine, relaxed smile
Minimal editing so you still look like yourself in real life

To make this feel doable, we point new advisors to a short YouTube tutorial, “How to take a professional headshot using just your phone,” which walks through taking a professional‑looking headshot with a smartphone, including how to position the camera, find flattering light, and crop the final image.

Turn it into a community challenge

Inside our private Travel Marketeers Facebook group, we encourage members to post their new (or newly chosen) headshot along with a short introduction. It’s a mix of accountability and networking: you’re not just updating a photo; you’re saying hello to a community of advisors building alongside you. Join here to participate and grab the handout: facebook.com/groups/travelmarketeers.

Step 2: Write Instagram and Facebook Bios That Actually Convert

Most new advisor bios fall into one of three traps: they’re vague, passive, or completely generic. “I love travel!” might be true, but it doesn’t explain who you serve, what you specialize in, or why someone should book with you.

In the show, we walk through “bad to good” examples to illustrate the shift:

From: “Love travel! Book your next trip with me 🌴”
To: “Caribbean Destination Specialist | All‑Inclusive Resort Expert | Let me plan your stress‑free getaway ✈️”
From: “Travel advisor. DM for info.”
To: “Luxury Travel Advisor | Honeymoon & Adventure Specialist | Free consultation → Link in bio 📅”
From: “I help people travel”
To: “Travel Advisor Affiliated with [Host Agency/Consortium] | Cruises & Beach Escapes | Expert since 2024 | Book your dream vacation here 🌊”

The “good” versions work because they’re specific about niche, promise, and next step—all inside a short space that plays nicely with Instagram and Facebook’s character limits.

A fill‑in‑the‑blank bio formula for Meta

To make this foolproof, the handout uses a simple prompt that works on both Instagram and Facebook:

[Your Title/Credential] | [Your Main Niche] Specialist | [Your Benefit/Promise] → [CTA]

For example:

“Travel Advisor Affiliated with WorldVia Travel Network | Caribbean All‑Inclusive Specialist | Stress‑free vacations tailored to you → Link in bio 🌴”

Advisors choose from curated lists for each piece—title, niche, benefit, and call‑to‑action—so even someone who hates writing can assemble a clear, on‑message bio in a few minutes.

Because Instagram and Facebook sit on the same Meta backbone, this single bio can be reused with minor tweaks, and the built‑in scheduler makes it easy to plan posts to both platforms from one place.

Step 3: Make It Easy to Book With a Simple Calendly Link

Looking legitimate isn’t just about how you appear—it’s about how easy it is to take the next step with you. New advisors often list an email address or “DM me,” but that puts all the friction on the client. A visible booking link feels more professional and is far easier to act on.

For this weekend setup, we recommend keeping the technology decision as simple as possible and starting with Calendly’s free plan. The free tier allows one event type, unlimited 1:1 meetings, and a single booking link that syncs with your calendar to prevent double‑booking.

How to set up a “Trip Planning Call” in Calendly

The show and handout walk new advisors through a straightforward setup:

Create your account and connect your calendar
- Sign up at calendly.com and connect your primary Google or Outlook calendar so existing commitments automatically block off availability.
Create one event type
- From the Calendly dashboard, create a one‑on‑one event called “Free Trip Planning Call.”
- Choose your location (Zoom link, phone call, or similar) and set the duration to 20–30 minutes.
- Customize the event URL to something clean like calendly.com/yourname/trip-planning-call
Define when people can book
- Set a few weekly windows when you’re consistently available—for example, Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.—rather than opening your entire calendar.
- Add buffer time before and after each call so you’re not rushing from one meeting to the next.
- Require a minimum amount of notice (such as 4–12 hours) so you don’t wake up to surprise appointments.
Ask smart pre‑call questions
- Use Calendly’s invitee questions to gather basics: destination ideas, who’s traveling, approximate dates, and estimated budget.
- For travel advisors, this turns a cold call into a prepared consultation and helps you show up with options instead of starting from zero.
Turn on reminders and polish your event description
- Enable email reminders so clients don’t forget their call.
- Add a short description along the lines of: “We’ll use this time to talk through your travel plans, budget, and preferences so I can design options for you.”

Once the event is live, you’ll have a single booking link to add everywhere your name appears.

Where your Calendly link should live

To complete the weekend setup, we encourage advisors to place the link in:

Instagram bio (“Free Trip Planning Call ↓”)
Facebook page button and About section
Email signature
Any “link in bio” tools they already use

By Sunday night, a prospect should be able to land on your profile, understand what you do, and book a call in under a minute.

Step 4: Turn It Into a 48‑Hour Plan (Not a Forever Project)

To keep this realistic for busy advisors, the handout breaks the work into three short blocks.

Friday night

Saturday

Take and choose your headshot.
Build your new Instagram and Facebook bios using the fill‑in‑the‑blank prompt.
Create your “Trip Planning Call” event in Calendly and add the link to both bios.

Sunday

Test your booking link on your phone.
Post a short “intro” post on each platform pointing to your bio link.
Share your headshot and introduction in the Travel Marketeers Facebook group for accountability and connection.

By limiting the scope to profiles, headshot, bio, and booking link, new advisors can finish the entire setup in a single weekend instead of letting it sprawl into a never‑ending project.

How to Get the Handout and Join the Community

If you want the exact checklist, prompts, and examples from this session—including the headshot dos and don’ts, bio builder, and Calendly setup walkthrough—you can download the Set Up Like a Pro in a Weekend handout inside our private Travel Marketeers community.

👉 Join here: facebook.com/groups/travelmarketeers

Inside the group, you’ll be able to:

Post your new headshot and bio for feedback
See how other advisors are positioning themselves
Get updates on upcoming Travel Marketeering Live sessions

For brand‑new travel advisors, the goal isn’t perfection. It’s legitimacy—showing up online in a way that matches the quality of care you’re already giving your clients. With a weekend, a smartphone, and a simple plan, you can look like a pro long before you’ve built a full website or executed a complex marketing strategy.

Marketing