Exploring Life & Business with Kevin Borzenski of Ubique Travel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Borzenski.

Hi Kevin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My passion for travel stems from time as a student-athlete (tennis) at Pepperdine. Tennis is such an international sport, and I had the privilege of having teammates from all over the world. With best friends from Lebenon, Peru, Egypt, Sweden, Australia, France, England, Croatia, Germany, and Spain, I couldn’t help but naturally have a greater respect for all people, cultures, languages, and religions. As I started to travel to see my friends in their own countries, my desire to travel grew even more. I started to grasp why many people love to visit new destinations and have a variety of experiences. As a luxury travel advisor, I have the incredible job of getting to facilitate my clients’ travel desires. Whether the purpose be to just get away with a loved one or to celebrate a milestone with multipe generations, I love the entire travel planning process from the initial request to sharing the experience when they return home.

I once was a concierge at the Fairmont Washington DC. I loved that job! There was so much to learn about the city, and I loved helping people with restaurant reservations, booking museum appointments, and even just helping them get around town. That’s also one of the things I love about the travel industry: there’s always so much to learn!

When I started my own business, I did so with no book of business. Through the advice and client leads from mentors at my host travel agency (Global Travel Collection), I started slowly, but I also tried to concentrate on my clients’ experience. As long as I provided personal care and attention, client retention naturally happened. On top of that, my clients started telling their friends and family about me. I am always humbled when I receive a referral client. It means so much to me. And, to be honest, it’s so much easier to keep my business going through retention and referrals than trying to capture new business other ways.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to success as a luxury travel advisor has been a struggle. But, to be honest, I’m so happy to be a business owner. My struggles are MY struggles. I’m putting in the time and hours for me, my family, and my clients. When I started my business, it was not only during COVID, but it was at the begging of my wife and I starting a family. My decision to start my own travel business was convenient so that I could also work from home, set my own hours, while still being super involved in raising my kids. At the start, it wasn’t easy working during naps and having to work late at night for hours just because that’s the only time I had.

As you know, we’re big fans of Ubique Travel. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My business, Ubique Travel, is a luxury leisure travel agency. My clients have the benefit of dealing directly with me. But they also should understand that, by hiring me, they are also reaping the benefit of my business being a part of the best and most successful luxury travel agency in the world (Global Travel Collection). Why this matters? Not only do I have 1,500 of the best colleagues in the industry, but we have the best partners in the world (from boutique hotels to brand names like Four Seasons and Aman, tour operators, private villas, cruise lines, sporting events or concerts, etc). We are also members of Virtuoso. So when someone hires me, I’m planning trips with the help of the absolute best of the best, and I’m getting them VIP perks. I’m not using Google or AI to put together vacations. I’m using the people who know the industry the best. My global partners are experts in the destination, and I am the expert in my clients’ travel desires, habits, and preferences for wherever they want to go. I’m very proud to be a part of GTC. Curation is a vital part of what I do; when my clients work through me, they know they aren’t going on somebody else’s vacation.

For my clients, I like to be their resource for all of their travels, even for a 1-night staycation at the Montage Laguna Beach. And by booking through me, they receive perks from a hotel which help them feel like a VIP. Many of these perks are exclusive to GTC or Virtuoso and which couldn’t be attained by booking direct. Many of my clients are surprised that I want to help with smaller trips. But my desire truly is genuine.

“Luxury travel” is a bit of a moving target, as the term means something different to many people. For some, this could mean going on a stacation for an anniversary at a really nice hotel. For others it could mean going on an African safari. Still for others it could mean chartering a private jet to stay at a private island. But no matter the level of luxury, my clients receive a level of attention, expertise, and curation that can only be done by humans who truly care about the travel experience, from the initial planning stages all the way to getting back home safely.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Most people don’t know that, if I could go back in time, the number one thing I would do is to learn another language. I’m so jealous of everyone who can! I believe that’s a super power I don’t have.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ubiquetravel.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelubique
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelubique
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kevin-borzenski