A frequent question is how did Gen X Travel Club start. It was initally born from a love of travel and turning the saying, "love what you do" into action.

People I know would often comment that I might as well start a travel company with all of the travel planning I do, trips I go on, and my passion for quality, thoughtful travel.  And, they loved the concept of small group vacations, non-touristy travel.

This concept is in stark contrast to the standard, unimaginative big group bus trips that many travel tour companies offer to same destinations and doing the same itineraries.

All of this was an nteresting idea, but I had a day job and the whole proposition sounded a bit overkill.  As time ticked on, my “real” job evolved into something that became less and less appealing. However, my interest and love of traveling continued and grew more and more. So I thought what the heck… I’ll at least do some dibbling and dabbling on the side with travel.

I actually really enjoy getting lost in the minutia & of it all. I love planning unique trips that are more off the beaten path vacations. I always get excited sifting through the potential opportunities that great travel destinations have to offer, delving into the most promising options, and making it happen. Getting immersed in the logistics of getting from here to there and where to stay and what to do & see is a lot of fun. As a detail-oriented person, turns out I was also very good at it.

There’s a shortage of travel tour packages out there developed thoughtfully. It’s an energizing prospect to help close the gap and provide a better travel experience where you feel like a knowledgeable friend is taking you around their country to see and learn about the most important sights at a given destination as well as explore other amazing things not on the main tourist circuit that are beautiful or significant.  And I was eager to support responsible and sustainable travel, which embodies aspects like traveling in an eco-friendly manner by minimizing the impact on the environment and supporting the local communities we visit by patronizing local businesses (local guides, drivers, hotels, restaurants) so the money stays in the community.

I took a completely unscientific poll of my friends asking them to pick their favorite name for a travel company out of a number of choices. The name with the most votes would be the new company name. The winner: YOLO World Travel. YOLO of course standing for You Only Live Once. (Note: The name was in place years before YOLO was used in the Drake hip hop song and became the popular catch phrase.) This would be the name under which our unique travel and would be offered.

One by one, all the necessary fundamental steps were successfully checked off: secured business license & took care of all other legal requirements including E&O/liability insurance, obtained travel company credentials, joined the travel industry association, partnered with a sustainable travel association, learned more about the industry and their processes, and got up to speed and networked with the different stakeholders such as competitors and suppliers. A WordPress website and business Facebook page were created.

Small group trips to unique travel destinations that embodied principles of "responsible travel" and "sustainable travel" began in earnest in a more professional manner under the name YOLO World Travel. One trip at a time through word of mouth, we slowly started gaining new travelers – friends of friends and their friends and so on. As one thing led to another, the offering of small group trips evolved into a much more formal endeavor, and a little travel company was born.