It's Never Just the Ticket: Trust, Tech, and the Advisor Relationship, with Mike Liben

In just a few years, Mike and the Chai Travel team have built Chai into one of the fastest-growing travel companies in America and the premiere home for independent travel advisors.

He grew up in the travel industry and knows there's no business as exciting or as rewarding. He feels tremendously privileged to build Chai alongside his family and colleagues.

Mike co-founded Chai Travel after a decade of public service representing victims of domestic violence at the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.

Beyond Chai, Mike dedicates himself to various political and charitable causes—and to his beloved New York Giants. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife Lindsay and their three children.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• Why the travel industry's shift from "travel agent" to "travel advisor" isn't just a rebrand, but a move from selling airline seats to becoming a trusted partner for your clients.
• How Mike's father built the largest travel agency in New York starting with a two-person office selling tickets to Tel Aviv, and what that story reveals about what never changes in a service business.
• Steps to take before working with a travel advisor including questions to ask, why you shouldn't try to extract a full itinerary on the first call, and why the best advisors are upfront about fees.
• How Chai Travel used longstanding relationships with in-country contacts to get a stranded traveler home safely during a crisis.
• Why AI won't replace the relationship side of service businesses, but will replace the three or four most annoying, repetitive tasks in your day, and the opportunity that comes follows.
• What volume and relationships mean in the travel industry, and why travel advisors can quickly solve a problem with an airline or hotel.
• Underrated destinations worth putting on your radar, including why Myanmar and South America should be up higher on your list.