Episode 27 | Stress Free Group Travel with Maryssa Salomon

I am super excited about this podcast episode and my guest today, Maryssa Salomon of Travel Trunk. TravelTrunk is an app that focuses on alleviating the pain points of getting everyone financially onboard and committed to their group trips. In this episode, we’re going to talk about all the ways that group travel can go wrong but we are also going to talk about all the ways that TravelTrunk can help us make it right.

Show Notes:
[01:44] Maryssa shares about herself and her app.
[04:47] Everything happens for a reason. You just have to always be curious, patient, and faithful.
[05:54] As a traveler, you would come onto the app and create your trip and then invite as many people as you want to go on this trip with you. Once they accept, everyone is creating a payment schedule to pay for the trip.
[06:41] The app is a commitment as opposed to getting a one-time payment on CashApp and never hearing from that person for months or until the last minute and they decide they can’t go anymore.
[07:24] It takes a lot to put money aside so we know that this is an experience that you really care about. They plan everything out for you on the app.
[09:20] Scheduling the payments makes it really doable and it is automated.
[10:34] It is an all-inclusive experience but without the all-inclusive. It is more curated for the trip.
[11:39] People will come to Maryssa with an idea for a trip they want to take or sometimes nothing at all. She approaches things in chunks. First, finalize the destination. Then they take each category (lodging, flights, etc.) separately.
[13:13] When taking a group trip, it is not just the planning. You are managing people and accounts.
[13:33] As you’re saving, they are booking little by little. It helps by making travel accessible to those who feel like they can’t afford it.
[16:34] With Travel Trunk you will know who is serious because they are putting money aside for it. Without money, you can’t do anything. Making the financial commitment a priority is a great place to start.
[19:09] Leading with the financial conversation is important.
[20:51] Travel Trunk eliminates a lot of the awkwardness of the financial talk in a group trip.
[22:20] Travel Trunk sends you a list of offers through the app for you and your group to go through and choose what you would like to do on your trip.
[25:56] They do not currently offer single or couple travel options so they are able to focus more on group travel. They receive a lot of requests for destination weddings.
[28:06] It is a lot of work just to plan a trip together but then the little details are where things get worse sometimes.
[28:55] Have a realistic budget. Try to book as much as you can in advance. Use Travel Trunk.
[30:25] Maryssa’s favorite trip was when she went to Thailand for her birthday.
[31:27] Maryssa shares her favorite Beyonce songs.

Connect with Maryssa Salomon:
Travel Trunk Website
Travel Trunk App
Travel Trunk Instagram
Travel Trunk Twitter

Links Mentioned on the Show From Toya:
Travel, Pray, Slay Podcast
Travel, Pray, Slay on Facebook
Travel, Pray, Slay on Instagram
Travel, Pray, Slay on Spotify
Toya on Twitter
Travel, Pray, Slay Merch
Travel, Pray, Slay on YouTube
Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Purpose Book