Jamie Biesiada
Travel wellness expert Edyta Satchell has launched a certification program designed for travel advisors.
Satchell, a veteran travel executive, started focusing on traveler wellness several years ago because she frequently found herself getting sick while traveling.
She operates three brands: Satchelle Global Travel Wellness, which runs corporate wellness programs; her eponymous personal brand, under which she hosts events, does television interviews and speaking engagements; and Finelle, which focuses on traveler well-being.
Her new travel advisor program, the Certified Traveler Well-being Travel Advisor certification, focuses on well-being before, during and after a client's travels. She began testing the program last year and is fully going to market with it this year.
"I always explain to travel advisors, you guys book the spa and meditation retreat," she said. "What we do, we make sure we complement your programs, and we make sure that people are healthy and well before, during and after that yoga retreat."
It's an important thing for advisors to consider, Satchell contends. She once had a traveler approach her with a story. She booked a trip with an agency. It included 16-hour flights there and back, which she wasn't expecting. At the destination, her tour involved so much walking that her feet and legs swelled, and she had to visit the spa every day.
"She said, 'I will never book with the travel agency again because I expected something more from the experts,'" Satchell said.
Her certification program delves into wellness in a way that she says will help advisors better prepare and serve clients. The course covers issues such as humidity levels on the plane, nutrition at a destination and smart packing.
Certification is online. Ten modules and more than 11 hours of video cover topics like travel-related illnesses, emotional wellness and jet lag.
Satchell has also created an affiliate program that pays advisors commission if they sell any of her traveler-focused wellness courses.
The certification program costs $997 and comes with a variety of other benefits Satchell has packaged, including one-on-one sessions with her; the affiliate program; a social media library of content; additional guides about wellness; group coaching sessions; and featuring the advisor on her consumer-facing Finelle.com.