Inspiring Conversations with Sridevi (Sri) Chandra of Storybook Getaways

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sridevi (Sri) Chandra.

Hi Sridevi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I’m Sri, a long-time Franklin area resident and mom to two rambunctious boys. I would like to share a story to explain how my passion for travel planning originated. Back in 2015, I planned a trip to Switzerland for my family of four. It was a major project for me as this was our very first trip to Europe and I wanted it to be the very best. I researched for over five months and worked through many minute details to lay out the itinerary that each member of the family would love. Strategic planning helped with incorporating and experiencing the scenic trains, beautiful boats, and Switzerland’s incredible cable cars, gondolas, and funiculars throughout the trip.

Our top experiences were hiking in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, breathtaking views from the summit of Schilthorn (James Bond movie set for ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ ), and the walk around the traffic-free alpine village of Gimmelwald where my kids still remember dropping a few coins at the self-service cheese hut for a slice of fresh alpine cheese. These are the moments that I knew all of us would treasure for years to come. While the process was tedious I found myself thoroughly enjoying planning this once in a lifetime experience that we would remember forever.

Before I knew it, friends and family were reaching out to me to plan their international vacations. What started as a hobby turned into a serious business in 2017 when I launched my own travel planning company – Storybook Getaways. Truth be told, our next family trip to Italy earlier that year that once again I spent months planning, actually didn’t quite turn out to be as seamless as I’d hoped. I booked one of the best ‘guided tours’ to the Colosseum and the Vatican museum as I thought that would be an amazing educational experience for my kids. Little did I know we would not be able to make it to the tour as the taxi drivers went on a strike in Rome that day.

Fast forward to today, if this was a trip, I planned for my clients with the help of my supplier partners who have first-hand knowledge of the happenings in the destination, this would be taken care of and alternate arrangements would have been put in place for an uninterrupted vacation experience. All of this would have happened even before the traveler found out there was going to be this hiccup. The big difference between that first trip and the journeys I plan today is that I was a one-woman show then and now I have teams on the ground no matter where my travelers visit.

For those who aren’t in the travel industry, I am referring to all the on-ground supplier partners that I have relationships with through my host agency Strong Travel and Virtuoso, a luxury travel consortia I’m proud to be a part of. Today, I do not need four months to tailor a memorable experience for families, thanks to my global network, I can customize seamless trips of a lifetime in short order!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No, it took a lot of learning. There are many facets to owning and running a small business, not definitely what my degree in engineering was lending itself to. A big part of travel planning is building relationships with travel partners around the world, which takes time to foster these relationships.

Travel planning is a collaborative process that involves the traveler, me, and my team, plus my expert local supplier partners who have first-hand information and insider experience in the destination. One of the many reasons I love the travel industry is that I work with people from across the globe daily who have different approaches to the way they work.

This exposure to different cultures and ways of working has opened my eyes and shifted my perspective.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Storybook Getaways is a full-service travel agency focusing on helping families take authentic vacations where they can relax, reconnect and explore the world. My husband and I have always shared the idea that we would travel to new places and experience new cultures as often as we could with our boys before they head out to college, and that is what we have started to do.

We both feel it is important that learning extends outside the classroom, and in discovering new lands, distinct cultures, and diverse people. It’s through travel that we meet new people and our eyes, minds, and hearts open to learning what the world is really like. Travel not only helps you reconnect with yourself but is the ultimate bonding experience for families. Memories do last a lifetime.

At Storybook Getaways, we strive to create itineraries full of immersive, culturally vibrant experiences with our insider access, like VIP fast-track entry to world-renowned museums, cooking and dining with local families in their homes, climbing the turret of a centuries-old castle or temple led by an expert historian, just to name a few.

What is perfect for one family may not really be impressive for another, which goes to say we specialize in ‘You’ the traveler. We learn about your family’s interests, things you enjoy doing together, your preferences, your unique travel style, and more before we custom craft travel itineraries for you. A big trend we see is giving back and we assist our interested travelers in finding safe, vetted volunteering opportunities so families can give back to the destinations they are visiting.

We are proud of the industry relationships that we built with tour operators and hoteliers who enable us to provide our travelers with insider access to experiences that are not “googleable” or could be possible.

Some examples of such unique experiences are afternoon tea at Crom Castle with a Lord in Ireland, having a local archeologist lead you through Turkey’s famous castle and the Underwater Archeological Museum and show you what he helped excavate, private after-hours tour of Royal Yacht Britannia that once carried Queen of England around the world, cooking classes with celebrity chefs, a private demonstration from a local bagpiper in Scotland for an authentic musical experience, access to Michelangelo’s archives in Florence, and several such behind-the-scene access to historic sites.

The Storybook Planning process is very detail-oriented as we work through taking care of all the travel components including flights, accommodations, excursions and activities, transportation, travel documents, keeping with the ongoing travel protocols, tests, travel insurance, and more.

The joy of travel is that the actual trip is just part of the journey, upon your return, we want to hear all about your experience, the best moments, and things that could have been better – this is where we tighten things up so your next adventure is better than the one before. As your trusted advisor we strive towards providing that long-term quality service you deserve.

We do charge a trip planning and management fee based on the travel duration and the complexity of the trip. More details can be found on our website.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Listening actively and getting attuned to the clients’ needs and preferences while also paying attention to what they are ‘not’ saying goes a long way in the travel planning process. Gaining this insight helps in creating the most meaningful travel experiences for them and at the pace they desire.

Contact Info:

• Email: sri@storybookgetaways.com
• Website: https://storybookgetaways.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storybookgetaways/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storybookgetaways/
• Other: https://travefy.com/discover/sridevi-chandra/