Advisor Spotlight: Aly Anderson
Aly Anderson grew up chasing summers—visiting an uncle stationed wherever the Army sent him, exploring Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and spending afternoons with her grandmother at Walt Disney World. This week, we're featuring Aly, one of our advisors specializing in military-family travel and families who've served, and talking with her about the career change that brought her from the classroom to Goofy Getaways. Three years in, she's just as likely to be planning a grandchild's first Disney trip as she is untangling a tricky Universal itinerary.
Tell Us a Little About You!
I’m an only child and grew up in Michigan, where I loved spending time with my friends and playing sports.
Travel has always been an important part of my life. I spent my summers traveling with my mom and dad, and we often visited my uncle, who was in the Army, wherever he happened to be stationed. We also spent many summers “up north” and exploring Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Another favorite was visiting my grandma in Florida and spending time with her at Walt Disney World.
After my son was born, I knew I wanted him to experience all the adventures, fun, and memories that travel can bring. Together, we’ve visited Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Orlando Resort, taken a cruise, and explored many other places.
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to experience Walt Disney World with my oldest granddaughter on her very first trip. Now, I’m looking forward to making those same kinds of memories with my youngest granddaughter on hers!
From Educator to Travel Advisor
I spent the majority of my adult life working in education. When I moved to a new state, I decided it was the perfect time to take a new direction in my life. I have so many wonderful memories from all of my years of traveling, and I wanted to help other families create those same kinds of memories.
When I was planning my own vacations, I worked with a Goofy Getaways advisor and saw firsthand how helpful she was, especially when I had questions or ran into a snag with my travel plans. That experience inspired me to become a travel advisor myself.
Since Goofy Getaways was the only agency I had ever used for my own vacations, it felt like the natural choice when I decided to become an advisor. I had experienced firsthand the care, knowledge, and expertise that Goofy Getaways advisors brought to my vacations, and I wanted to provide that same level of support and care to my own clients.
I’ve now been a travel advisor with Goofy Getaways for three years, and I love helping families plan magical vacations, create memories that last a lifetime, and, just as importantly, being there for them when they need support before, during, and after their trip.
What I Love to Plan
I specialize in Disney Destinations, including Walt Disney World and Disneyland, as well as Universal Orlando Resort—especially The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Some of my favorite trips to plan are family vacations. I love knowing that I’m helping create those special moments when children get to see their favorite characters come to life and experience the magic of Disney for the first time.
I also love helping grandparents make those memories with their grandchildren. Getting to see the excitement on a child’s face and experience that Disney magic together is something truly special.
Why I Love Being a Travel Advisor
My favorite part of helping my clients plan their trips is feeling like I’m experiencing the vacation right along with them.
I love sharing my knowledge, tips, and tricks to help their vacation go as smoothly as possible. In return, I get to see their photos and hear about the special memories they made.
I love being part of each family’s vacation and getting to know my clients and the people who are most important to them. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that I played a small part in helping them create memories they’ll treasure for years to come.
My Biggest Travel Mistake
When I graduated from college, my mom surprised me with a family cruise. The cruise left from New York City, so my family got to explore the city for a couple of days before we set sail. Our cruise took us to Northern Canada, and we went in June. It was fun, but COLD!
When our ship docked back in New York City, two other ships had also docked, and all of their passengers were disembarking at the same time. There were no clear instructions about where to go or what we needed to do to get a taxi. There also didn’t seem to be anyone from the cruise line helping passengers find rides or get where they needed to go. So, we stood with all of the other people waiting for taxis.
As the hours passed, it was getting closer and closer to the time we needed to be at the airport, and we were no closer to getting a taxi. My mom finally went over to a person who worked at the port and asked how much longer it would be because we were worried we were going to miss our flight. The man asked what number she had on her ticket. She told him she didn’t have a ticket. He explained that we were supposed to get a ticket and wait for our number to be called! She got a ticket, and luckily, it wasn’t long before our number was called and we got a taxi.
Once we were on our way, my mom told the driver that we needed to get to the airport quickly so we wouldn’t miss our flight. The driver drove as fast as legally possible and got us to the airport—with a brief stop at the UN Building to see all of the flags and a scary incident involving another car at the airport! Thankfully, we made our flight.
Looking back, the BIG travel mistake we made was not allowing enough time between our ship’s disembarkation and our flight home.
If we had simply scheduled a later flight, we could have avoided all of the worry, stress, and anxiety. Instead of rushing to the airport and wondering if we were going to miss our flight, we could have taken our time and eased our way there. It was definitely a lesson I’ve never forgotten!
The Hardest Parts of Being a Travel Advisor
There are two particularly hard parts of being a travel advisor. The first is seeing friends or family members posting about being on vacation and knowing they didn’t work with me to plan their trip. I want everyone I know to have an amazing vacation and, of course, I’d love to be the person helping make it happen!
The second hardest part is when a client reaches out and requests a quote for a trip. You have several back-and-forth conversations, put together a quote, answer questions, and get excited about helping them plan—and then they stop responding or decide they don’t want to travel right now.
On the flip side, sometimes I know a client would absolutely love a certain type of vacation, but they won’t even consider what I’m suggesting! That can be challenging, too. As a travel advisor, part of my job is to listen to what my clients want while also sharing my knowledge and recommendations. Ultimately, I want to help them find the vacation that is the best fit for them.
My Best Travel Advice
If I could give travelers one piece of advice, it would be this:
Go into your vacation with a plan, but stay flexible for the unexpected moments and opportunities.
It’s important to research your destination, know the lay of the land, and have your “must-do” list. This can save a lot of time and help solve the inevitable question of, “What should we do now?”
At the same time, it’s important to remain flexible. You might run into a character while walking to your next ride. Someone in your party might need to take a break to rest and cool off. Or, if a ride you’ve been waiting in line for temporarily closes, you’ll be able to move on to the next thing without letting it completely throw off the rest of your day.
Some of the best vacation memories can come from the moments you didn’t plan. That’s one of the things I love most about travel. You can make a plan, but you never know exactly what memories you’ll bring home with you.
Let’s Start Planning Your Next Adventure!
If you’re ready to start planning your next vacation or just have questions about where to go I’d love to help!
You can reach me at aly.anderson@goofygetaways.com or call or text me at 269-430-3381.
I’d love to help you plan your next adventure, take some of the stress out of the process, and create memories your family will treasure for years to come.
Get connected with one of our amazing advisors like Aly and start planning your next vacation below.
