Advisor Spotlight: Noddea Skidmore
This week we're getting to know Noddea Skidmore, a Grand Rapids-based advisor marking five years with Goofy Getaways. She's one of our advisors specializing in LGBTQIA+ travelers, bestie getaways, couples, and festival-loving crews. In her Q&A, she shares the pandemic-era journaling workshop that first pointed her toward this career, the ticketing mistake she still remembers from her very first weeks on the job, and the $10 packing tool she now never travels without.
Tell us a little about you!
I’m Noddea! I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan with my super supportive and very cool Disney convert husband Calin and our tiny dog Logo. In addition to my five year career with Goofy Getaways, I both work and play in the theatre - I’m Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s Director of Marketing and Communications (that’s the work part) and I am also a musical theatre performer (that’s the play part). This year is our Centennial Season - celebrating 100 years of live theatre presented by, and for, our community; GR Civic is one of the oldest and biggest community theatres in the country and it’s so exciting to be at the epicenter of this moment.
Outside of theatre and travel, I’ve become a big WNBA fan these past few seasons, and you can find me trekking 4.5 hours to my happy place, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, to cheer on the Indiana Fever throughout the season. And you know what? I also really love sitting on the couch and watching Jeopardy! in my comfies.
What made you decide to become a Travel Advisor?
Throughout much of 2020 and 2021, I was in a sad and dark place like a lot of folks who
experienced employment woes mixed with identity crisis as a result of the pandemic. I participated in a multi-week journaling workshop during my time of being unemployed, and for one prompt, we had to write three words for manifestation - and I chose joy, authenticity, and
purpose.
To feel like I was doing something of value during those times, I opened a small online shop selling masks; I would sew for dozens of hours a week, and I shipped orders around the country. One thing that brought me a lot of joy and light during that time was Disney Parks-centered virtual entertainment, often watching or listening while I was sewing or packing up orders. I found a lightness and escape with podcasts like E-Ticket to Broadway, influencer videos on YouTube, and creator accounts on Instagram, even becoming a brand ambassador for a Disney-themed small-shop. (Fun fact, I once made my own park ears through a video
tutorial I found online by a crafty, Disney-loving gal from Kansas. Spoiler alert: It was Kayla, who would join the Goofy Getaways family weeks after I did; I call her one of my dearest colleagues now!) After a magical pre-pandemic 2019 trip to Disney World with my husband, I went back in October 2020 and April 2021... it was clear: Disney had become my connection point with joy.
However, it didn’t really occur to me until around that time that I could make a career out of that. I also started realizing that as an Enneagram 2, I knew that I was really good at helping people, creating systems, and making people happy. So I thought “Well, maybe this is an avenue for me?” What better way for me to integrate that wish to manifest joy, authenticity, and purpose than to plan travel, especially travel that focused on Disney Destinations?
Why did you join Goofy Getaways?
In retrospect, it’s incredibly on brand that theatre, of course, led me to Goofy Getaways. While I was without a job in theatre administration in 2021, I was missing the opportunity to perform, like so many of my peers. When a friend was directing an outdoor summertime production in a city about an hour south from home, I thought “What do I have to lose?” Might as well try... and with no traditional 9-5 job on the horizon, I would have the capacity to learn a show and commute for daily rehearsals and performances. Plus, the notion of having a specific daily routine was calling my name. I was delighted to have been cast - but it was also wild walking into a new community and environment with so many new faces. It was absolutely time for some new beginnings.
What are the chances that not just one, but TWO fellow cast members were travel advisors specializing in Disney Destinations?! It felt like the universe was telling me that it was time. So I met with both of them - along with another acquaintance who also specialized in selling Disney travel. I then interviewed with all three of their agencies (and as I like to say - I was also
interviewing them because I knew I had something big to offer, too). In the end, Goofy
Getaways was the clear answer: I loved what the company stood for, that folks from across the country from different walks of life worked together, that the agency had openly LGBTQIA+ advisors, and that there was a clear commitment to equality and social justice along with advisor support like trainings, and caring leadership with a team manager I could count on.
I was off to a great start with some instant clients from my various networks but I think my real beginning with Goofy Getaways was my first training trip in February 2022: Almost ten days spent in Orlando at Universal and Walt Disney World with so many memories made was the cornerstone of my Goofy Getaways story, where colleagues became friends and chosen family and my knowledge base for my clients began to soar.
What is your favorite type of trip to plan?
I love planning travel for families (I especially enjoy mother-daughter trips!), couples (I’ve planned honeymoons, anniversaries, and babymoon trips as well as “We just need to get away” adventures), friend groups, but above all, I most enjoy planning for LGBTQIA+ travelers, whether it’s cruising, or Disney Parks. It’s an honor and a privilege to make sure folks know they’re loved, welcomed, and that they, along with their people, matter. One of my greatest privileges was working on the adoption celebration trip to Disney World for a dear friend, his husband, and their two sons. It’s an honor to be a part of big moments, whether that’s for brand new clients, or people I’ve known for more than half my life.
Tell us about one of the BIGGEST travel mistakes you've made.
Well, as a Travel Advisor? Or a traveler?! Because I’ve got both!
Oh gosh Well, let’s rip off the Band-Aid on something that may haunt me forever, and I can’t believe I’m sharing it. But when I was BRAND new - like, in the first few weeks, I goofed on a ticketing purchase for clients who needed ticket-only assistance for Universal. And for whatever reason, I selected an Express Pass option thinking it was for Tickets that INCLUDED Express Passes... and they made it all the way to the gate and attempted to get in with their Express Passes... without tickets.
I am still grateful for their incredible kindness and support that day on the phone, because those clients could’ve been angry and unkind... but they weren’t. In fact, they were like “We couldn’t believe that we were paying that little - we had budgeted more so it’s okay!” Meanwhile, I cried at my desk and felt like a complete failure. It really is true that there is SO much to learn as a part of this industry and we are going to make mistakes along the way, even when we have the best of intentions. It helps to remember that everyone makes mistakes in every industry, and luckily, we have great support and one another to lean on to make things right..
When it comes to my own personal biggest travel mistakes, it may sound trivial but it was ALL of the times I flew without a digital luggage scale! THAT has been such a gamechanger for me. I am NOT a light packer... and the amount of money I spent (I’m talking hundreds of dollars!) because of overweight suitcases - sometimes two on a flight! - by just two or three pounds is wild. But since I started traveling with that little scale (which zips right into the side pocket of my suitcase), I haven’t paid for an overweight bag. When we know better, we do better, right?! So yeah, new friends who are reading this, get one for yourself because that investment for less than $10 can save you a LOT of money.
What is your favorite part of helping your clients plan trips?
I love the discovery part of the process, right at the beginning, where I get to match a client’s energy and wonder that comes along with the early phase of building a vacation. I love choosing a specific resort, or cruise ship and itinerary, based on the client’s needs and wishes and seeing
the kind of joy that infiltrates that client when there’s so much ahead to look forward to. There’s a certain level of Fairy Godmother magic in that, and it makes me really excited.
What is the hardest part of your job?
The hardest part of being a Travel Advisor, for me, is that there are simply never enough hours in the day. I always want more time... to write one more paragraph in an email, to give one more suggestion, to create one more social post. So it comes down to me doing my absolute best with the time I have, and keeping my energy up.
If you could give one piece of advice to any traveler, what would it be?
Be open to surprises. Whether it means I throw you a curveball of an idea to explore in the planning process, or you’re mid-trip and end up abandoning big ideas and must-do things in order to accommodate the energy you have at the moment... that’s okay! The best thing about your trip is that it’s YOUR TRIP. And it needs to be do-able and memory-filled for YOU, and no one else. Your memories belong to you - and you deserve to revel in those moments.
How can travelers get in touch if they want to book a trip with you?
Hop on over to https://linktr.ee/travelwithnoddea and fill out my quote form to get started! I can’t wait to lead you to the magic.
If you want to book a trip with one of our amazing advisors, click the link below.
