Meet Tunicia Walker | Travel Curator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tunicia Walker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tunicia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have always been known as the friend that was always traveling, so many of my friends and associates would always reach out to me for travel advice. My mother and I would travel at least twice a year-once for her birthday and once in the summer. As I got older, my travel circle expanded as I found other people that enjoyed travel as much as I did. About three years ago, my sorority sister invited me to a Women’s travel group that was run by a woman-owned travel agency. They would occasionally advertise that they offered opportunities for others to run their own business (no, it was not multi-level marketing).

They described the benefits of running your own travel business and the opportunities you could give yourself to see the world. I figured that since I was already doing this work for free for others, why not monetize the opportunity? I reached out to my friend circle to see how many people would support me if I did just that. I will say-my first clients were strangers! I think most business owners realize this as time goes on. Over time, I have helped my clients take trips all over the globe-from Cabo San Lucas to Paris. Prior to the pandemic, a majority of my clients enjoyed cruises and all-inclusive resorts.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Pretty Posh Travels, established in 2018, is a boutique travel agency specializing in all-inclusive, tropical experiences, ranging from family vacations in Mexico to Carnival excursions in Barbados. We are one of the few agencies that lets our customers utilize no-interest payment plans on their vacations, making the most exotic vacation accessible for all budget levels. If needed, we can provide passport expediting services, forwarding items to the client’s travel destination, and other concierge services. Just ask!

Thinking back from 2018 to today, I have come quite a long way. Being a travel consultant is a challenge within itself because you are competing with technology (websites such as Expedia, Travelocity, etc) and people that feel they can do all these things on their own. However, the point of a business is to solve a problem that someone has. There is still a market of people out there that would rather put travel planning in someone else’s hands, especially with the ever changing nature of the travel scape due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With my background in Public Health, my expertise is especially helpful during this time in our lives.

The COVID-19 pandemic took a swift blow to the travel industry. I had over $50,000 of travel booked in 2020 that I had to cancel. Travel policies surrounding the pandemic keep changing, which makes it difficult for the people that want to travel to take the step of even booking a vacation. Also, a lot of people did not understand the value of travel insurance prior to the pandemic. I hate having to tell people that they will be losing a majority of their money. However,I used the downtime during COVID-19 to improve my business offerings and plan for when people are ready to travel again. Policies are consistently changing due to the pandemic, and I always have to stay prepared with the most up-to-date information.

As of today, I have exceeded my sales goal for this year, with over $100,000 in sales (my goal was $50,000). I have expanded my clientele and have several groups traveling in 2022. I have come a very long way from my first official sale in 2019, which was for someone’s staycation in Florida. I will never forget that client, as she gave me the motivation to keep going.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The Battery (the area surrounding Truist Park) is a one stop shop in terms of restaurants and bars. It’s also good for people watching. Ponce City Market- when the weather is nice, take a stroll on the beltline to take in all the cool art and the ever evolving city scape. You can also visit one of my favorite bars, Pour Taproom.

If you have never visited Atlanta, you can’t visit here and not visit the historic Auburn Avenue area to learn about Martin Luther King, Jr., and the civil rights movement.

Food: Atlanta Breakfast Club for breakfast, BQE for a cool brunch/day party vibe.
Go to a professional sports game just for the atmosphere.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My group of friends that have always been there through thick and thin- we are affectionately known as the “You Can’t Sit With Us” crew (#YCSWU), my Howard classmates, and my Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority sisters.

Website: https://prettyposhtravels.com

Instagram: @PrettyPoshTravels

Facebook: www.facebook.com/prettyposhtravels