Today we’d like to introduce you to Bruce Beil.
Hi Bruce, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story is predicated on being an enthusiast of traveling to Disney destinations and having a passion for travel and shared experiences. Before building a company with these passions at the core, my career started in higher education, practicing law and teaching as an adjunct professor. My favorite aspect of this career was working with young people developing their ambitions and chasing their dreams. As much as I enjoyed being a lawyer and professor, I knew that I wanted to merge my love for Disney, travel, and shared experiences by starting a company built on supporting others to achieve their aspirations of being a Disney travel agent.
In 2020 I opened and built 407&Beyond Vacation Co. on the idea that our Disney travel agency would be travel agent-centric (who we call ‘Vacation Planners’), believing that how we treat and support our Vacation Planners will be reflected in the services they provide our clients. This idea is based on a foundation of building a community of Vacation Planners who are authentically themselves and who have a genuine passion for family travel. Two individuals who have been instrumental from the very beginning and who I could never fully thank for their endless support and belief are my wife Elizabeth Beil, Social Media Specialist, and Casey Little, Operations Design Specialist.
We conduct a thorough application and interview process but we do not require previous travel agent experience. What we do require is that Vacation Planners have a passion for family vacations, a desire to expand our community, and a drive to be the best Vacation Planner they can be.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We opened our virtual doors just months before the pandemic hit and travel shut down. Even though we were faced with an immediate hurdle, we made the best of the situation by developing synergistic strategies to emerge from the pandemic as a premier agency for family vacations. Since our first Vacation Planner joined us in September of 2020, we have built a team of over 35 agents each with unique abilities and skills that strengthens our collective team. It is the perseverance and resolve of our team that allowed us to emerge from the pandemic as dynamic and strong as we have.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a modern travel agency dedicated to helping families get the most out of their vacation by assisting them with their travel needs. By doing this, all our clients have to do is show up, have fun and create family memories. Our agency is Disney-focused, selling to the six Disney destinations, including Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, Disney’s Aulani Resort, Adventures by Disney, and National Geographic Expeditions. In addition, our travel portfolio includes Universal Orlando, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Sandals and Beaches Resorts.
As the Founder and Owner, I am most proud of our community, from our Vacation Planners to our media partners to our clients. Our Vacation Planners are recognized in the Disney travel industry for the high level of services they provide that include helping clients with pricing, booking, and planning their family vacation. One of the best things about our services is that they are 100% FREE to our clients.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
There are several aspects that have played an essential role in our success. Foremost are our team and the people that have joined our community. As an agency with Vacation Planners across the country, we have fostered, what would otherwise be distant and impersonal, a collective and collaborative work environment. In addition to our Vacation Planners, we have been able to add to our team several sponsored media partners such as the Disney podcast Spill the D and in-park YouTube Vlogger Magical Meg. As we continue to grow in the Disney travel industry, we’ll stay dedicated to prioritizing bringing others into our community and the collegial nature in which they work together.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.407vacations.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/407andbeyond/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/407andBeyond
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MagicalMeg
Image Credits
407&Beyond Vacation Co.
