Vol. 31| NHL Star to Luxury Travel: How This Power Couple Built a Wellness-Focused Travel Agency. Meet Lauren + Chris.

Vol. 31| NHL Star to Luxury Travel: How This Power Couple Built a Wellness-Focused Travel Agency. Meet Lauren + Chris.

Author: Host Agency Reviews December 11, 2024 Duration: 1:19:51

Transcript + Show Notes: https://har.news/vol31 

Special thanks to today’s sponsor: KHM Travel Group

Today's guests prove that sometimes the best partnerships start at home. Lauren Pronger launched Well Inspired Travels in 2011, inspired by witnessing travel's transformative power when her father used it to complement his cancer treatment. When her husband Chris, NHL Hall of Famer and Triple Gold Cup winner, joined the business in 2018, they discovered they were more powerful together.

What makes this power couple unique isn't just their high-profile clientele of professional athletes and executives—it's their holistic approach to travel planning and firm "no asshole policy." 

The Prongers have built a luxury agency that perfectly balances Lauren's creative vision with Chris's business development expertise. They've mastered the art of strategic outsourcing through their host agency, allowing them to be the face of the business while having strong back-office support.

Lauren brings her expertise as a wellness consultant to both clients and properties, helping hotels level up their wellness offerings while ensuring clients can maintain their health practices while traveling. With 10 different certifications and a deep understanding of both Eastern and Western approaches to wellness, she's helping to shape the future of luxury wellness travel.

Chris brings his experience as an elite athlete to help clients, especially professional athletes, navigate the unique challenges of maintaining peak performance while traveling. Together, they've mastered the art of what they call "travel matchmaking"—deeply understanding their clients' needs, goals, and challenges to create transformative travel experiences.

Join us for an inspiring conversation about building a successful family business, maintaining work-life balance, and the growing intersection of luxury and wellness travel. You'll learn about their "one thing" philosophy that every trip should improve your life in some way, how they maintain boundaries with ultra-high-net-worth clients, and why they're moving away from public travel recommendations to private newsletters for clients.


Hosted by the team at Host Agency Reviews, this audio channel blends two distinct formats into one practical resource. The first is Travel Agent Chatter, a quarterly series of spotlight interviews that dive deep into the experiences of working travel advisors. These longer conversations explore the real stories behind the careers, covering the nuances of building a business, personal client triumphs, and the cultural insights gained from a life in travel. The companion series, Friday 15, operates on a completely different rhythm. Every week, a focused fifteen-minute episode tackles specific questions from the travel industry, offering direct advice and timely insights that are both concise and immediately useful. Together, this podcast creates a balanced mix of inspirational narrative and actionable strategy. Whether you're seeking motivation from peer journeys or need quick answers to pressing professional questions, the channel is designed to support the daily realities of travel entrepreneurs. It’s a resource that understands the industry's blend of passion and pragmatism, delivered through the authentic voices of those who are deeply embedded in this world. Tune in for thoughtful perspectives that are as varied and dynamic as the travel profession itself.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15
Podcast Episodes
DMC Quotes? IC vs Employee? IC vs Independent? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:44
This week’s Friday 15, we're welcoming Lori Speers from KHM Travel Group! Let’s have some fun, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! Can you talk about the practice of DMCs presenting quotes i…
FITs? Switching Hosts? Planning Fees? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:35
Welcome to this week's Friday 15 podcast! This week Shayna's live on location at ASTA, with Carolyn Okon from Exodus Travels. And thanks to our sponsor Outside Agents for making this episode possible. Here's the question…
IC vs Independent? Selling? Marketing Activities? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:20
This week’s Friday 15, we're welcoming Vanessa from Global Travel Collection! Let’s have some fun, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! I am an IC with about 2 years in the business. I'm cons…
Payments? Outreach? Using DMCs? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:21
This week’s Friday 15, we're welcoming Samantha from Jus Adventures! Let’s have some fun, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! Hi!! I am a new agent (8 months) working on planning my first gr…
Tour Operator vs DMC? What is Adventure Travel? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:05
This week’s Friday 15, we're welcoming Katy from Explore Worldwide! Let’s have some fun, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! A lot of us hear ‘tour operator’ and ‘DMC’ used interchangeably,…
Independent? CRMs? FIT? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:00
This week’s Friday 15, we're welcoming Bill from KHM Travel! Let’s have some fun, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! I'm a new-ish agent, under 3 years experience, and I have been entertain…
Quoting? Incentives? Host Agencies? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:59
This week’s Friday 15, we're welcoming Jennifer from Dugan’s Travels! Let’s have some fun, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! What I'm still not clear on are things like this: how do I pres…
Travel Insurance? Fees? First 30 Days? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:57
This week’s Friday 15, we're welcoming Jenn from HAR! A huge thank you to Avoya Travel for sponsoring this episode. Let’s have some fun, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! How important is…
$2M in Sales. No Team. No Marketing Budget. Meet Amy! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:53
****** Transcript + Show Notes: https://har.news/vol35Special thanks to today’s sponsor: Uniglobe Travel CenterToday’s guest took a life-changing leap, selling her home, putting everything in storage, and moving her fami…
Closing a lead? Payment Practices? Trust? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:03
This week’s Friday 15, we're welcoming Betsy from Uniglobe Travel Center! Let’s have some fun, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! I just started as a travel agent this past September. And I…