Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivone Acosta.
Hi Ivone, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I think the travel bug has always been a part of me. In fact, back in the day, I dreamed of becoming a flight attendant. My career ended up taking me in a different direction, but travel never really left the picture.
I spent 25 years working as a litigation secretary and paralegal. During my legal career, I also handled corporate travel, so planning trips, coordinating details, managing schedules, and making sure everything came together smoothly became a natural part of what I did. Looking back, so many of the skills I developed during those years carried over perfectly into becoming a travel advisor. I learned to pay attention to the smallest details, anticipate what could go wrong, solve problems quickly, and, most importantly, take care of people.
After semi-retiring from the legal field, my husband and I owned and operated a security company together for seven years. When the opportunity came along to sell the business, it gave me the chance to really think about what I wanted the next chapter of my life to look like. I knew I wanted a career that was meaningful to me and allowed me to help people, but I also wanted to do something that brought people joy.
That is when I came back to something I had always loved: travel. I wanted to help people step away from their everyday lives, spend meaningful time with the people they love, experience new places, and sometimes simply slow down long enough to enjoy the moment. Travel has a wonderful way of reminding us that some of the most valuable things we have are our time, our experiences, and the memories we make together.
I started Acosta Curated Travel almost four years ago, and I truly love what I do. For me, being a travel advisor is about so much more than booking a hotel, cruise, or flight. It is about listening to my clients, understanding what matters to them, taking care of the details, and creating an experience that feels personal to them. I want my clients to be able to enjoy the journey knowing that someone is looking out for them before, during, and after their trip.
In many ways, I feel like everything I did before becoming a travel advisor prepared me for this career. My legal background taught me organization and attention to detail. Owning a business taught me how to serve clients and build relationships. And my lifelong love of travel gave me the passion behind it all. Today, I get to bring those pieces together to help people create memories that they will carry with them long after they come home. And that is what I love most about what I do.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think there are always going to be struggles in life and in business, but I believe a lot depends on how you choose to look at them. When something difficult happens, I try to step back, learn from it, and find something positive that I can take away from the experience. That mindset has helped me throughout my life and certainly as I have built my travel business.
One of the biggest challenges I have found in the travel industry is education. With so much information available online and the ability to book almost anything yourself, people do not always understand what a professional travel advisor brings to the table. When I talk with people, I want to educate them about the value of working with a travel advisor, whether they ultimately choose to use my services or not.
We are not simply here to make a reservation. We are here to listen, research, coordinate all the moving pieces, anticipate potential problems, and advocate for our clients when something does not go as planned. Travel can be unpredictable, and sometimes the true value of having a travel advisor becomes most apparent when there is a problem and you have someone in your corner who knows where to turn and how to help.
For me, it is also about building relationships and trust. I want people to understand that when they work with me, I genuinely care about their experience and the memories they are creating. So while building a business has certainly had its challenges, each one has helped me grow as an advisor, a business owner, and a person.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At Acosta Curated Travel, I create personalized travel experiences for my clients, from cruises and European vacations to honeymoons, milestone celebrations, family vacations, and more complex customized itineraries. I really enjoy getting to know my clients first. I want to understand not only where they want to go, but how they like to travel, what is important to them, and how they want to feel when they are on vacation. From there, I can help create an experience that truly fits them rather than simply putting together a trip.
I would say I am known for my attention to detail and the level of care I give my clients. My background as a litigation secretary and paralegal definitely comes into play here because details matter to me. I am constantly thinking ahead. What does my client need to know before they leave? Is there something they may not have thought about? Are there deadlines we need to watch? Do they know what to expect when they arrive? I want them to feel prepared without feeling overwhelmed.
Communication is also a very important part of my service. I stay involved throughout the entire process, from the initial planning stages through the time my clients return home. If something goes wrong along the way, I am there to advocate for them and help find a solution. I want my clients to know they have a real person in their corner who knows them and knows their trip.
What I am most proud of is the trust my clients place in me. When someone comes back and tells me about the memories they made, refers a friend or family member to me, or comes back and asks me to plan their next adventure, that means so much to me. It tells me that I have built more than a business transaction. I have built a relationship.
I think what sets me apart is that I genuinely care about the entire experience. I do not want to simply book your vacation and send you on your way. I want to take care of the details, add those special touches when I can, be a resource when you need me, and help you slow down and enjoy the experience you worked so hard to have. At the end of the day, I am not just planning travel. I am helping people create memories, celebrate important moments, reconnect with the people they love, and sometimes simply take a much-needed break from everyday life. That is what makes this career so rewarding to me.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love most about our city is the people. There is such a welcoming and friendly atmosphere, and I really appreciate that sense of community. It is one of those places where people still take the time to say hello, have a conversation, and make you feel at home.
I also love everything the area has to offer. We have wonderful restaurants and beautiful parks where you can get outside, take a walk, and simply enjoy the day. I love that you can have so many conveniences and things to do while still having places where you can slow down and enjoy your surroundings.
If I had to choose something I like least, it would probably be some of the growing pains that come with how much our area has grown, especially the traffic! But at the same time, I understand why people want to move here. It is a wonderful place to live, work, and build relationships, so I suppose the growth is also a compliment to the community we have created.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://travelacosta.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acosta_curated_travel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcostaCuratedTravel
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivone-acosta-912b3511/
