Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirsten Billhardt
Hi Kirsten, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up near Detroit and worked as an engineer for General Motors until I decided to follow the sunshine down to Austin. I met my husband and now we have three amazing kids. After spending 15 years at Dell, I made a pretty big pivot and launched Rosedale Travel in 2021. The longer story is best told over a cup of coffee, but essentially I was looking for something really different, and I discovered that travel agencies were still around – and, in fact, growing. I’ve been the planner for girls’ trips, family trips, etc forever so just fell in love with the idea that this could be a business. I took a big leap, and never looked back.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I lucked out in timing by launching as we were coming out of the pandemic. People were ready to travel out of the country and looking for some guidance with the new rules and protocols in place at the time. So I had a strong start and this is the kind of business that likes to grow through repeats and referrals, for which I’m grateful. Some of the challenges are learning to plan travel for other people — who are different from me! It’s important to really put yourself in others’ shoes and understand their priorities and values, and not think of what I think is important.
A new challenge is now we’re growing the team. I’m spending more time working with our new team members to help them learn the process of travel design while maintaining high quality and personalization. We’re now able to grow faster with our new team members’ specific expertise and personalities which is exciting.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Rosedale Travel?
We’re local and we are so very excited to help you, your family and friends travel more. Travel brings people closer together and builds memories for a lifetime so we’d love to help you travel more. Our process is to sit down over a call or coffee and learn about your priorities, wish lists, budget envelope, etc and then design and iterate a custom travel itinerary (hotels, trains, air, cruises, transfers, activities) until you love it. We charge travel planning fees of $200 for trips under a week, and $300 for trips of a week or more.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Just get out there! I meet people at my formal networking group (Network in Action), at Shalom Austin where I play tennis and take fitness classes, and other events around town. Austin has grown a lot, but it is still friendly and open to meeting others, which I love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rosedaletravel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosedaletravel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074083451966
