Meet Cecily North-rudow | Certified Travel Associate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cecily North-rudow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cecily, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
When I started my travel career I was in my mid-30s and had already been in my full-time career for ten years. I wasn’t really focused on my travel business in the beginning. But after a few years of not seeing growth in my business I decided it was time for a change. I have invested in my business, my education and myself to make it what it is today. But now I have a child who is the most important thing in my life and I have made decisions around my business and what I commit to in order to have time with her. I have worked really hard to get where I am today, and I want to show my daughter that you can have a career, love what you do, and be there for your family. Being in my mid-40’s now I don’t take anything for granted. I know our time is precious and I make sure to focus on my family and my personal life, and work my business as a business. It’s not always 50/50 but I feel good about how I use my time.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am a librarian in my other life. That career led to my travel business. I absolutely love to do research and often tell my clients that I will overwhelm them with options. I find efficiencies in how I go about tasks and try to make the process easy for my clients. So many have told me they didn’t know where to begin, or they didn’t know what was even possible, until I had conversations with them and could offer them options. I am always willing to go back and do more research if the first options are not what they are looking for. I want my clients to have an exceptional vacation and I am here to alleviate the stress of travel planning.

I often tell potential clients that you can absolutely book travel on your own. But why not have a professional who has been in the business, who has built relationships with suppliers and who stays up to date on the industry. When you work with me, you get me. Not a chatbot or an 800-number.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If they are into outdoorsy things I would want to take them to Roxborough State Park, have tea at Cherokee Ranch and Castle, in the fall make sure they do the ghost tour at the Highlands Ranch Mansion. We would eat the best fried chicken at Castle Cafe and check out the shops in downtown Castle Rock. To explore a bit more, I would also recommend taking in an evening game at Coors Field to watch the sunset over the mountains. They could go in the other direction and visit the Garden of the Gods and take the cog railway to the top of Pikes Peak. We are so lucky to have so much to do in Colorado and there is beauty everywhere!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I first want to shoutout my parents who have tolerated me and all my crazy ideas from birth. I truly would not be here today without them. I also want to thank my husband Cody, for helping me realize that my travel career is what was missing in my life, and being the best travel partner I could ask for. I want to thank Jennifer Dugan and Dugan’s Travels for being an amazing host agency and helping me achieve my business goals. And I want to thank my clients, my friends, my family and all of those I met along the way for supporting me and my business, in whatever way they can.

Website: http://travelingnorthagency.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelingnorthagent/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/traveling-north-agency

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelingnorth

Other: https://blinq.me/tKnq1sl8nwMW?bs=db

Image Credits
Aaron Sager, Donoraa Photography