Monday Minute: Jakki Prince of Prince Adventures

The Monday Minute is a weekly feature in PAX that highlights the movers, shakers, leaders and rule breakers of Canada's travel advisor community. Wanna be profiled? Wanna nominate someone? Email newsroom@paxglobalmedia.com!

Name: Jakki Prince

Business: Prince Adventures

Where do you live? Guelph, ON

How long have you been a travel advisor?

Since May 2019. Celebrating six years next month!

What is your specialty?

Luxury FIT trips, and 35 per cent of my business is ocean and expedition cruises. Of course, as most Canadian advisors, I also do sell a substantial number of all-inclusive packages for couples and families.

What inspired you to become a travel advisor?

For years I had been offering travel advice to friends as they saw we travelled frequently, often to unusual places, so it was a natural next step. I asked myself, "Why not make this my next business venture?" I had already been encouraging many folks to try a cruise vacation and ultimately it was a good next step. People already saw me as a trusted resource.

What’s the first trip you ever took?

At age 14, I travelled to France on a group student French exchange program for three weeks. This was my first-ever trip without my mum. It changed my life forever, and I attribute that young age trip to Europe as course setting in my life. Prior to that, my family once went to Disney when I was six or seven.

What travel trends are you seeing these days?

Collectively I see steady demand for Japan, Italy and the Caribbean. I’m routinely pushing people to visit destinations like Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda. Trendy destinations like Japan I believe are taking the full brunt of the demand for ‘accessible Asia' where they know they can safely travel without a group and avoid perhaps less-desirable destinations like China, given our political landscape. My cruise sales have maintained their share of my portfolio. I have yet to see a dip in any sales in this component of my business.

Of all the bookings you’ve made, which itinerary are you most proud of?

I am always most proud of walking folks through the journey and process it takes to plan any expedition trip. They are the ones I am most proud of. Helping folks discover and explore a remote part of the world like the High Arctic, Iceland, Galapagos or Antarctica gives me the most thrill and most pride in my work.

What’s the most memorable trip you ever took?

Until I visited the Antarctic peninsula in December 2023, I had always said that our honeymoon to Seychelles in October 2012 was the most impactful. It was the furthest afield we had been from home, was made extra special given the occasion, and opened my eyes to connecting the greater world through Dubai, as we spent four nights in the UAE on route from Toronto.

Upon arriving in Antarctica with Quark Expeditions, leaving civilization in this way, that trip has supplanted Seychelles for most influential in terms of how I view the planet and our future as part of this ecosystem. Having had the chance to take two expedition trips to Antarctica, I feel this is the one destination that has really impressed me most. However, there is no 'best trip.’ Where is my favourite place? I have no favourites. To quote a French woman on a cruise I met over a decade ago, ‘Only the next one, darling!’

Where do you see your business one year from now?

I see Prince Adventures diving deeper into the adventure travel space as I seek and target clients who are looking for active or thrilling travel experiences. In part, my goal is to continue inspiring my community and circle of influence through our own travels. A year from now, I'd like the Prince Adventures team members to be reaching their travel and business goals. Having onboarded new folks in 2024, I hope by mid 2026 they are finding their new career paths rewarding and fulfilling too. 

The future of our business is bright and I cannot wait to see what heights I can take it to with important relationships with suppliers and as a leader on our team.

What’s one new skill you’ve acquired recently?

I have been working to improve the content on my YouTube channel. My video editing and content creation. Not just basic overviews, but more in-depth value-added content. I think I've managed to make some improvement in my skills. Given that I have seen a slight uptick in leads coming from this social media platform specifically. I'll never say I'm a YouTuber, but at least I can be a great travel advisor, with an amateur YouTube channel.

What’s one thing you would change about the travel industry?

I would hope travellers quickly shift towards supporting sustainable tourism. I'd like to think we are moving in that direction, but perhaps we can pick up the snail's pace. I have an undergraduate degree in Earth and Atmospheric Science with a minor in biotic systems. I went to the University of Guelph with a goal of improving the world and becoming a geologist one day. 

I no longer desire to work in geology, but the planet, our wild diversity and climate matter to me. I hope more travellers, at an accelerated rate, seek out sustainable travel options with support of Prince Adventures or their favourite travel advisor.

What’s the secret to being successful in this business? 

Meeting new people is my key to success. Getting out in the world, be it at home in our own city or striking up conversation when I'm half way around the world in a cafe in Mauritius, I believe successful advisors are such because they put themselves out there, meet lots of new people and don't rest on their laurels, betting on some out of their control algorithm to introduce them to quality leads. I believe meeting new people translates into leads and, in the future, quality referrals and a growing and diverse travel business base.

What is your motto?

Make it happen. As an entrepreneur, you're responsible for your actions and every thing you do each day is contributing or not to your goals – personal or professional. So, I try to always simply make it happen, whatever the 'it' may be at the time.

What is your number one piece of advice to other travel advisors?

My number one piece of advice to my travel advisor peers is to be a good listener – and really listen. Not just to respond, but to hear and understand. For example, when a traveller says something like 'we just need to get away,' hear that relaxation may be key to their holiday, so may be ease of service and calmness. 

These factors for their vacation may be of extra value to them. Ask follow-up questions, and try to learn their unique travel style for this trip. Then you can best match their vision to a wonderful itinerary. Even if they aren't sure how to articulate it best to you.

Where are you travelling next?

I'm away travelling right now, currently hosting a World Voyage cruise. Our next ports of call include Namibia, Senegal and Spain, concluding in England. My 2025 goal is to get to the High Arctic myself – Iceland and Greenland, destinations we have yet to explore. I'm hoping to make that a reality this summer.

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