Who's That Gal: Katy Ward, Co-Founder at Travel Honey

Name: Katy Ward
Age: 37
Occupation: CEO of Travel Honey, part-time lawyer
Currently living in: Boston, MA
Hometown: Willits, CA
Currently reading: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
Favorite workout: TB12 (although, I’m not a Patriots fan, so it’s tough for me to say that!)
I never leave home without: Oh geez, I’m totally one of those people who carries everything with me, so this list is awkwardly long: Phone, reusable water bottle, canvas bag, chapstick, nail file, and pen.

It goes without saying that we can’t talk about the wonders of travel without mentioning the fact that we’re all stuck at home right now. If you’re daydreaming of traveling when the dust settles after COVID-19 and you’re looking to plan an incredible getaway, look no further. Travel Honey will be your partner in getting you back out into the world, in the safest way possible when the time’s right. Ready to learn more about how Travel Honey got started and start planting the seeds for your next adventure? Katy Ward, the company’s co-founder, is here to give us the scoop!

Let’s start with the basics. What drew you to a career in the travel industry?

That’s an easy one. I freaking love to travel. I don’t think I’ve ever gone on a trip and said, “I’m ready to come home.” And it’s not because I don’t like my life at home. I love seeing new things, learning about new cultures and meeting new people.

Why did you decide to make the change from practicing law to starting Travel Honey?

I’d been at my law firm for about six years, and I realized that I didn’t want the one thing that I was supposed to be aspiring to (becoming partner). And more importantly, I liked what I did, but I didn’t love it.

How are you working towards connecting travelers and spreading the word about new places?

Word of mouth and SEO. We receive a lot of traffic/customers through referrals and folks that have been satisfied with our products. Instead of paid advertising, we focus almost exclusively on building content (i.e., the Travel Honey Blog) and SEO. We also have the Travel Honey bear! See if you can spot him in the Lisbon photo.

Are there regions you focus on more than others?

We pivoted a bit with Travel Honey recently. The initial concept focused on providing itineraries for all of Europe, but we’re now focusing on where we have the most experience. And that’s Portugal, specifically the Azores. We’ve both traveled a lot in Portugal and I own a house in the Azores, so we can really offer the insider’s knowledge to give you the tools necessary to make your own adventure when you’ve had little time for trip planning. We offer both off the shelf itineraries or you can leave all the trip planning to us. In both cases though, we want our clients to use our resources to make their own adventure.

What are some of the challenges you face when creating itineraries? How do you balance the “hidden gems” with the “must-sees”?

That’s always the question! Most travelers don’t want to miss the must-sees but our clients love that we can also provide things that you’re not going to find on TripAdvisor. For the off-the-shelf itineraries, we give both options, and the customer gets to decide how to plan their day. For the more detailed trip planning, we get to know our clients, so we can make personalized recommendations, but we still want the client to use our itineraries more as a tool kit to make their own adventure.

Any quick tips for aspiring travelers (or people looking to start their own travel companies)?

For aspiring travelers, do your research so you know what’s there (or have Travel Honey do it for you!), but then don’t get stuck to a schedule and end-goal. Be flexible to get the most out of your experience and enjoy the process.

What does your typical day look like?

I am an early riser, I love to start my day when nobody else is awake. I try to meditate and do some sort of exercise every day. I’d say I’m about 70% successful with both those goals :). I focus on Travel Honey in the morning when my brain is still fresh and turn to my legal work at the end of the day when I can zone out (shhh, don’t tell the law firm that).

How do you balance your career and your personal life?

Since leaving the law firm full-time, I’ve really made it a priority to take time for friends and family. Life is short and you do better work when you’ve been able to take a break.

What’s next for Travel Honey? What’s next for you personally?

For Travel Honey, we’re collecting as much feedback as we can from our customers after our latest pivot. As long as our clients continue to be stoked with our products, and we still enjoy what we’re doing, we’re moving in the right direction. But, and this goes to a personal goal, I would love to get Travel Honey in a place where I can do it full time!

Love reading about Boston women?

Inspiring Career Stories

When Meghan Barrett, Boston-based content contributor, isn’t writing about wellness, work or places to go in Boston, she’s whipping something up in the kitchen or practicing yoga at her local studio. Keep up with her adventures on Instagram @meegzb.